Hello all, and welcome back to another video!
My name is Alex, and today I thought I’d take a look at another aircraft that’s found
a niche in the aviation industry.
This aircraft is the Douglas DC-3 Turbine, or as it’s officially known, the Basler BT-67.
The Douglas DC-3 is an aircraft that needs no introduction.
It revolutionized air travel and military transport in the 1930s and 40s, and some examples
are still flying today, nearly 80 years later!
As time went on, airliners became faster and larger making travelling around the world
easier and easier, and DC-3s faded from airline fleets, but many still kept flying with smaller
operators around the world.
In the 1980s though, a man named Warren Basler saw the need for an improved and upgraded
version of the DC-3.
Founded in 1990, Basler Turbo Conversions Incorporated is a company based in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, that remanufactures and modernizes Douglas DC-3 and C-47 airframes.
These airframes are essentially rebuilt from the ground up over the course of thousands
of hours of work.
One of the modifications made to the aircraft in this process is replacing the wing tips
and parts of the wing’s leading edge, modifying the standard curved wingtip of the DC-3 to
a more aerodynamic one.
Another major modification is a fuselage stretch just forward of the wings, increasing the
interior volume of the aircraft to 1,225 cubic feet, compared to 905 on the piston DC-3.
Lastly, and probably the most noticeable of these is the replacement of the original radial
engines with two Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-67R engines.
These 5-bladed turboprop engines are similar to those found on aircraft like the Beechcraft
1900 and Shorts 360.
On these 70+ year old airframes though, there’s a lot more that’s been changed under the surface!
All of the electrical and hydraulic systems are redone, and the flight deck has been completely
revamped with modern avionics.
All in all, Basler rebuilds these DC-3s to be “Fully engineered, [and] strategically strengthened
to achieve "zero accumulated fatigue damage"
What that means is that once the aircraft have completed their conversion process, they
are, essentially brand new, zero time airframes!
This whole process results in an aircraft that’s actually lighter than the original.
According to Basler, the BT-67 has an operating weight of 16,000 pounds, compared to 17,815
on the piston DC-3.
Calgary-based Kenn Borek Air is a notable BT-67 operator, with a fleet of 9 Turbine
DC-3s, operating these aircraft to remote locations in the Arctic and Antarctic.
This is where the BT-67 really shines.
It’s not only able to land on unprepared runways, but it can also be fitted with wheel-skis
for use on snow and ice.
The BT-67 has a maximum payload weight of 14,000 pounds, a nearly 5,000 pound increase
from the DC-3, but it still has the ability to operate from short runways that are just a
few thousand feet long!
The PT6As do consume a bit more fuel than the radial engines on the DC-3, but to that
end, Basler’s also provided an option for long range fuel tanks, which double the aircraft’s
fuel capacity from 772 gallons to 1,542.
For operators like Kenn Borek Air, there really is no better aircraft to take on rough
conditions and short runways, and especially with such a reliable airframe like the DC-3.
As the real saying goes, the only replacement for a DC-3, is another DC-3, and Basler has
done exactly that, and more.
The Basler BT-67 is a rugged airframe, and the Turbo Conversion has truly modernized
this revolutionary aircraft and will no doubt keep the venerable DC-3 flying well past its
100th birthday.
Thank you for watching this video on Basler’s unique aircraft!
I’ve been trying to mix up the videos a bit lately, and seeing as the other one I
made on the 737-200 did…
Just…
So remarkably well,
I thought you might enjoy this closer look at one of the more popular aircraft on my channel!
Do consider subscribing if you’d like to see more content like this,
and I will see you in the next one!
Until then, safe travels.