Originally Posted by
jlemon
2. It is my understanding the Conroy "Tri-Turbo-Three" DC-3 began life as a twin engine conversion and was later modified to a three engine configuration. And here's a hint: both engines came from a "donor" aircraft which had previously been operated by a major U.S. air carrier. This airframe was transported to the Santa Barbara Airport where two of its engines were then installed on the DC-3. So please guess again!
Bonus quiz question.....
3. What aircraft type was used to create the "Conroy Skymonster"?
Time to close these two out as I'll be headed out the door shortly to LFT for a trip out to LAX via DFW....
2. The "donor" aircraft was a former United Airlines Vickers Viscount. Two of its Rolls-Royce Dart Mk. 510 turboprop engines were installed on a DC-3 at the Conroy company facility located at the Santa Barbara Airport. I've seen a photo of this ex-UA Viscount sitting on the ramp at SBA; however, of course I cannot find it now....
There was at least one former United Viscount stored not too far away from Santa Barbara back in the late 1960's. This Viscount was located at William J. Fox Field (WJF) over in Lancaster in the desert along with Constellation and DC-7 aircraft. Here's a photo of this aircraft along with other stored airliners:
https://www.airliners.net/photo/Unti...FdeIHJdMQmCM10
BTW, Fox Field in Lancaster was served at this time by Air West with Fairchild F-27 propjets.
3. The "Conroy Skymonster" was a modified Canadair CL-44 which had been "Guppy-ized" by Jack Conroy at his facility at SBA. Only one CL-44-0 was produced and it was reportedly designed to transport three Rolls-Royce RB.211 jet engines at a time from Belfast in Northern Ireland to the Lockheed aircraft plant in Palmdale, California where these engines would then be installed on new L-1011 TriStar aircraft. A number of cargo air carriers subsequently operated the "Skymonster" one of which was Transmeridian Air Cargo which reportedly named it the "Skymonster". Another operator of this airplane was British-based HeavyLift Cargo Airlines. Here's a photo where the open swing tail can be seen thus facilitating the loading and unloading of oversized cargo:
Canadair (Conroy) CL-44-O Guppy - HeavyLift Cargo Airlines | Aviation Photo
#5192287 | Airliners.net
And I'm off to DFW in first on board an AA Eagle CRJ900. I'm also waitlisted in first on my connecting flight operated by AA with a Boeing 787-9 from DFW to LAX (and I probably have a snowball's chance in a volcano with regard to this upgrade clearing given the AA elite heavy nature of the DFW market). However, I do have a window seat in the PE section (sold as MCE on this domestic service) so I should be just fine on my very first ride on board a B787-9.
