Conroy Aircraft

Conroy Aircraft was a US aircraft manufacturer founded by John M. Conroy in Goleta, California in 1968 after Conroy's resignation as President of Aero Spacelines. The company imitated Aero Spacelines' success with its Guppy aircraft by converting a Canadair CL-44 to carry oversized cargo as the Conroy Skymonster.

The Conroy Turbo Three in its original state fitted with two Rolls Royce Darts when exhibited at the 1969 Paris Air Show

In 1969 the company then tried to make a name for itself in turboprop conversions to aircraft such as the Cessna Skymaster (as the Stolifter), Douglas DC-3 (as the Turbo Three and the Tri-Turbo-Three), and Grumman Albatross (as the Turbo Albatross),and a turboprop conversion of a C-119 Flying Boxcar but none of these progressed past the prototype stage. The company reorganized in 1972, named Specialized Aircraft, and moved to Camarillo Airport in Camarillo, California.[1]


Turbo-Three Corporation
Main article: Conroy Turbo Three

Conroy formed the Turbo-Three Corp. to support his aircraft; Turbo-Three proposed the Conroy Virtus aircraft to NASA for use as a Space Shuttle carrier aircraft,[2] but the design was not taken up. Turbo-Three Corporation ceased operations sometime around the death of Conroy and the FAA's decision in 1979 that the Tri Turbo-Three must be recertified, not certified under the standing DC-3 certification.[3]

References
  1. Mertens, Randy (1982). Closet Cases (2nd ed.). Kansas City, MO: Pilot News Press. p. 5.
  2. Conroy, John M. (February 28, 1974). "Feasibility Study to Consider an Aircraft for the Launch and Air Transportation of the Space Shuttle Orbiter" (PDF). Turbo-Three Corporation.
  3. Mertens, Randy (1982). Closet Cases (2nd ed.). Kansas City, MO: Pilot News Press. pp. 4–6.
  • Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 82.
  • aerofiles.com
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