Marbore Conversion

Mid-1950's civilian conversion.

Most likely a single CW-20T (ex C-46A) converted briefly for testing.

Very little information exists regarding this conversion, which most likely never went beyond the testing stage. L.B. Smith Aircraft Corporation essentially seems to have built upon its existing Palas conversion to once again improve the Commando's performance. The larger Turbomeca Marbore II engines were selected, providing a massive performance boost. The Marbore weighed 146 kg - double that of the Palas - but provided 880 lbs of thrust, almost triple that of the Palas. Just like the Palas, it was a rugged and straightforward design.

The conversion was tested briefly on a Northeast Airlines Commando in the mid-1950's, but nothing seems to have come out of it. No pictures of that aircraft or other original documents have been found.

• Curtiss CW-20T Commando: N1381N