Basler DC-3 Airframes - Where are they?

Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:40 pm

Does anyone know where the DC-3 airframes in storage at Basler went? I heard from a friend that had been through the area last month that the DC-3s don't appear to be there anymore.

Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:48 pm

Flew out of Oshkosh 2 weeks ago and saw quite a few on the East side of the airport. Assumed it was Bassler as they were flying a red white and blue DC-3 there as well.

David

Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:21 am

I'd guess at least ten DC-3s in storage on their ramp area (seen within the last month) and another five or six fuselages in storage across the road next to a barn (not accessible).

Mon Jul 06, 2009 5:09 am

On May 12, 2009, I photographed these DC-3/C-47/R4D/C-117 airframes at the Basler facility:

BuNo 17126 (storage fuselage only)
N36AP (storage)
N88874 (storage)
N9923S (storage)
N683LS (storage)
XA-RPN (storage)
N100BF (storage)
N21BF (storage)
N8187E (storage)
N834MB (storage)
N61981 (storage)
N300BF (flying BT-67 demonstrator)
N932H (BT-67 just out of the mod shop...going to paint shop)
N56KS (in the mod shop)
N907Z (in the mod shop)
N47DK (in the mod shop)

Across the road in deep storage....probably 5 DC-3 fuselages/center sections on gear (no wing outer panels but the panels could also be stored nearby).

I was there again in mid-June...essentially no changes.

Editorial comment: great company to work with...very helpful and friendly. We were there as customers with the FAA DC-3 (N34) getting maintenance.

Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:52 pm

Thanks for the info guys, I'm relieved to hear they didn't disappear. Now I wonder how my friend missed them...

Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:22 pm

aerovin wrote:I'd guess at least ten DC-3s in storage on their ramp area (seen within the last month) and another five or six fuselages in storage across the road next to a barn (not accessible).

I recognize the wing in the foreground. It used to belong to N23SA, aslo known as the Tri-turbo Three.

The fuselage is also somewhere on the Basler grounds complete with firewall on the nose:

Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:40 am

Didn't the "POLAIR" had an accident in Anctarctica many years ago?

Saludos,

Tulio

Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:45 am

They're putting 3 engines on now? I believe those PT6-A engines cost 500k each? So a trimotored turbine DC-3 should cost at 1.5 million.

Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:59 am

No, that was another one of Jack Conroy's innovative concepts from many years ago. He went on to create the Guppy and Super Guppy aircraft.

http://www.air-and-space.com/conroy.htm