Yeah, I saw something about that. That airplane was an impressive performer. It flew a lot of hours over the years.

That’s what happens when you give a bunch of mechanics a beater Beaver and a free Garrett TPE 331,and long Alaska winters.

But, climb? Wow!

Oh, and those floats? EDO 4580s, converted to 4930 amphibs.....sorta.

MTV

Mike, how did it pull with the Garret compared to a Pratt powered one?

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Saw that airplane when I visited the museum. Always smile when I look at a DHC2, but that thing is ugly. Never thought I'd say that about my favourite airplane, but it's bad! I'm a big fan of an unmodified airplane, but I get that it's commercial considerations that drive operators to mutilate them. The gentlemen's toy version is my preference.

Pinecone,

As always more to the story than meets the eye. The outfit got three or four free TPE 331 engines from the military——OV 10 engines?? So they had a Goose in the yard with no motors....and they needed a long range over water survey plane. So, they hung two of the Garrett’s on that Goose, lengthened the Hull by ~ 30 inches, added buckets of gas, and the Aleutian Goose was born, wearing the tail number N 780.

As long as they were up to these games, the decided to hang a Garrett on a Beaver....N 754. To make things interchangeable with 780, they made everything firewall forward on the Beaver identical to the Goose. I think they used cowlings from Beech 18 turbine conversions. That’s why 754 cowling looks like an afterthought....but if they needed an engine change for one airplane, they only needed one spare. And the narrow cowl is easy to see around for survey work...the planes job.

N 754 pulled like a tugboat, it was flat rated at over 700, but those engines can make a lot more power than that.

N 780 was actually certified (don’t ask) and eventually sold. It was wrecked in the Middle East a few years ago, with several dead. So, 754 is the last of that breed.

MTV

but I get that it's commercial considerations that drive operators to mutilate them

Thanks for the back story. I can imagine how that plan came together. Function over form.