The Basler Turbo 37/Spectrum SA-550 is a twin-boom single engined aircraft converted from a Reims/Cessna FTB337G Skymaster by

Basler Turbo Conversions The Basler BT-67 is a utility aircraft produced by Basler Turbo Conversions of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is a remanufactured and modified Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Douglas DC-3; the modifications are designed to significantly extend the DC-3's servic ...

and

Spectrum Aircraft Corporation A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of col ...

. The aircraft first flew on 1 February 1983.

Design and development

The Skymaster rear engine was replaced with a flat-rated

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964, and has been continuously upd ...

and front engine was removed and the cockpit was stretched forward. The aircraft is capable of taking off in less than fully loaded. Basler had a deal with the government of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

to convert their

O-2 Skymaster The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna Skymaster, Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010. D ...

to SA-550 and to convert civilian Skymaster in Thailand as well. These plans appear to have never happened. The aircraft is currently owned by Basler Turbo Conversions of

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

Specifications (SA-550)

References

External links

Basler Turbo 37 returns to the market
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spectrum Sa-550 Basler aircraft Twin-boom aircraft 1980s United States civil utility aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Single-engined turboprop aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1983 Twin-tail aircraft Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear