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.
In 1969 the company then tried to make a name for itself in turboprop conversions to aircraft such as the Cessna Skymaster, Douglas DC-3, and Grumman 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.

Turbo-Three Corporation

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, 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.