Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three
{{short description|Aircraft}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
|name= Tri-Turbo-Three |image=Maritime Patrol and Rescue Conroy Tri-Turbo Three Fitzgerald.jpg |caption=Tri-Turbo-Three at Farnborough Airshow in 1978. }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type |type= Transport aircraft |manufacturer= Conroy Aircraft |first flight= 2 November 1977 |introduced= |retired= |status=Retired |primary user=Polair |more users= Maritime Patrol and Rescue |produced= |number built= 1 |developed from= Conroy Turbo-Three }} |
The Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three was a Douglas DC-3 fitted with three Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engines by Conroy Aircraft; the third engine was mounted on the nose of the aircraft.
Design and development
First flown on 2 November 1977,Air International November 1978, p. 252. the cruise speed of the aircraft was increased to {{convert|230|mph|kn kph|abbr=on}}. The engine mounted on the nose could be shut off, decreasing the speed to {{convert|180|mph|kn kph|abbr=on}} and increasing the range of the aircraft. It was used by Polair and Maritime Patrol and Rescue.{{cn|date=March 2021}} It was fitted with skis for use in polar regions and flew in the North Pole region out of Resolute Bay Airport in Canada. It was uniquely suited for flying long distances and landing on rough, unprepared snow runways.
In this role it was instrumental in opening up the interior of Antarctica to private expeditions and tourism. Most notable was a 1983 expedition transporting eight members of the Seven Summits expedition, plus a crew of three, to the Antarctic for a first-ever assault on Mount Vinson.{{cite book |last1=Bass |first1=Dick |authorlink1=Richard Bass |first2=Frank |last2=Wells |authorlink2=Frank Wells |title=Seven Summits |url=https://archive.org/details/sevensummits00bass |url-access=registration |publisher=Warner Books, Inc. |year=1986|isbn=978-0-446-51312-8 }}
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller AirlinersGunston 1980, p. 256.
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=3
|capacity={{convert|12000|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} cargo
|length m=
|length ft=
|length in=
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=95
|span in=
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|height m=
|height ft=18
|height in=3
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=987
|wing area note=
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|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=
|empty weight note=
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|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=29000
|max takeoff weight note=(PT6A-41)[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%202199.html "15-bladed DC-3"]. Flight International, 23 September 1978, p. 1155.
|fuel capacity=
|lift kg=
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|eng1 number=3
|eng1 name=Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45
|eng1 type= turboprop engines
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=
|eng1 shp=1174
|eng1 note=
|power original=(ehp)
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|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=230
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=(three engines) - {{convert|180|mph|knots km/h|abbr=on}} (one engine stopped)
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|range km=
|range miles=2700
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See also
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References
{{Reflist}}
- "Airdata File: Specialized Aircraft Tri Turbo-3". Air International, November 1978, Vol 15 No 5. p. 252.
- Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners. London: Windward/Phoebus, 1980. {{ISBN|0-7112-0062-9}}.
External links
{{commons category|Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three}}
- [http://www.air-and-space.com/conroy.htm Tri-Turbo 3] Goleta Air and Space Museum
{{Conroy aircraft}}
{{Douglas DC-3 family}}
Category:1970s United States airliners
Category:Three-engined turboprop aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1977
Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear