The Saunders Aircraft ST-27 were De Havilland Herons converted to the ST-27 by removing the four Gypsy Queen engines and putting on two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6 turbo prop engines.
The ST-27 obtained a UK ARB and Canadian DOT Type certificate in late 1970 and Saunders then applied to have the ARB or DOT type certificated accepted by the USA FAA.
The Saunders Aircraft ST-27 USA FAA certification application failed, the application was rejected due a FAA regualtion that stated if the number and type of engines were changed the aircraft required a complete new FAA certification process.
Saunders Aircraft then decided to build a new aircraft to FAA FAR 25 standards and start FAA certification. The new aircraft was basically a copy of a ST-27 / Heron but used USA spec materials and had a few changes like hydraulic brakes.
The new aircraft program was first called the Saunders ST-27B but later changed to the Saunders ST-28.
Heron #14087 was converted using Saunders Aircraft ST-28 specs, this was done to get the FAA FAR 25 flight part of the FAA certification process underway. This aircraft became knows as the ST-27B #005 / 14087. This aircraft first flew July 17, 1974, and proceeded with the FAA flight tests until Saunders Aircraft went into receivership.
Work continued on build of the all new Saunders ST-28 #001, which had it’s first flight on December 12, 1975.
By the end of 1975, funding to Saunders Aircraft from the province of Manitoba Government was stopped and Saunders Aircaft went into receivership and all work and programs basically came to a stop.
On August 26, 1980, ST-28 001 was gifted to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (former Western Canada Aviation museum WCAM) based in Winnipeg, however the ST-28 sat abandoned on the airport ramp at Gimli Manitoba Canada.
In 2016 the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada scrapped the ST-28 ( the only commerical aircraft ever built from scatch in Manitba) and the ST-28 was hauled away from Gimli to a scrap metal dealer.
The ST-27B 005 / 14087 currently sits abandoned in a farm yard in Manitoba.
My Saunders Aircraft blog at https://saundersaircraft.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-saunders-aircraft-re… and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2763480640542919
cheers – ken
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