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I've always been fascinated with the DC-3. It's iconic for me. When I was a kid, we'd drive past Bowman Field on occasion and there'd usually be a DC-3 parked by the fence, looming over the smaller aircraft like an aluminum pterosaur that just gorged on a Cessna (poking at Google seems to indicate that it used to belong to Central American Airways, though it's not listed in their fleet today). It made an impression.
From time to time, I've said that if I win a sufficiently large lottery, I'll jump through all the appropriate FAA hoops to get rated to fly a DC-3 and buy my own. Well, it appears that there is, in fact, a company out there doing business just for me and my hypothetical Powerball jackpot. Basler Turbo Conversions is doing complete remanufacturing work on DC-3 airframes and refurbishing the old birds with modern engines and avionics. Granted, you take a significant aesthetic hit when you swap the radial piston engines for turboprops, but the speed and payload increase probably would let me overlook that. Especially with the executive interior option.
From time to time, I've said that if I win a sufficiently large lottery, I'll jump through all the appropriate FAA hoops to get rated to fly a DC-3 and buy my own. Well, it appears that there is, in fact, a company out there doing business just for me and my hypothetical Powerball jackpot. Basler Turbo Conversions is doing complete remanufacturing work on DC-3 airframes and refurbishing the old birds with modern engines and avionics. Granted, you take a significant aesthetic hit when you swap the radial piston engines for turboprops, but the speed and payload increase probably would let me overlook that. Especially with the executive interior option.