N300TX ¦ FBK 25.06.1986
Douglas DC-3 Turbo Express (C-47B-15-DK) (c/n 15299/26744)
Harold's Air Service
Fairbanks-Fort Wainwright Army Airfield (FBK/PAFB)
25 June 1986
Built in 1944 as C-47B, this airframe was quickly passed on by the USAF to the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 1968 it was sold to the civil market, and in mid 1982 it was converted to a Turbo Express DC-3 by Stevens Aviation at Greenville, SC, receiving two PT6A-45Rs and structural changes to fuselage and wings.
Now registered as N300TX, the Turbo Express was acquired by Galena, AK-based Harold's Air Service in 1984, and as such was seen at Fort Wainwright while on summer lease to the Alaska BLM (Bureau of Land Management).
While the Turbo Express remained a one-off conversion, it did serve as a conceptual proof of possibilities for DC-3 turbo conversions. It was therefore no surprise that Basler acquired N300TX in 1987, and registered it as N300BF. It most certainly served as inspiration for Basler's BT.67 Turbo Conversion programme which started at Oshkosh in 1990. N300BF is still with Basler at Oshkosh today.
N300TX ¦ FBK 25.06.1986
Douglas DC-3 Turbo Express (C-47B-15-DK) (c/n 15299/26744)
Harold's Air Service
Fairbanks-Fort Wainwright Army Airfield (FBK/PAFB)
25 June 1986
Built in 1944 as C-47B, this airframe was quickly passed on by the USAF to the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 1968 it was sold to the civil market, and in mid 1982 it was converted to a Turbo Express DC-3 by Stevens Aviation at Greenville, SC, receiving two PT6A-45Rs and structural changes to fuselage and wings.
Now registered as N300TX, the Turbo Express was acquired by Galena, AK-based Harold's Air Service in 1984, and as such was seen at Fort Wainwright while on summer lease to the Alaska BLM (Bureau of Land Management).
While the Turbo Express remained a one-off conversion, it did serve as a conceptual proof of possibilities for DC-3 turbo conversions. It was therefore no surprise that Basler acquired N300TX in 1987, and registered it as N300BF. It most certainly served as inspiration for Basler's BT.67 Turbo Conversion programme which started at Oshkosh in 1990. N300BF is still with Basler at Oshkosh today.