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Basler BT-67 Delivery

On August 11th, 2025, at 11:19 local time, a Douglas DC-3, converted and modernized into a Basler BT-67, departed from Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh on its delivery flight to South America to join Mirgor, an Argentine company which will use this aircraft for cargo operations in Argentina, and flights to Antarctica during the South American summer, under an agreement with the Argentine Air Force.
This veteran aircraft was built in 1943 as a Douglas C47-A-10-DK and began operating for the US Army Air Force in February 1944 with the registration number 42-108859. A few weeks later, the aircraft joined the Royal Air Force and was re-registered as KG403. In the 1970s, it commenced civilian operations for Canadian and US airlines, carrying the registrations CF-BKP, N107AD, and N700CA.

In July 2013, the DC-3 was acquired by Basler Turbo Conversions, a U.S. company based at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, which retrofits and upgrades Douglas DC-3/Douglas C-47 aircraft using state-of-the-art equipment, transforming them into Basler BT-67 aircraft.
Basler Turbo Conversions takes the DC-3 and puts it through an extensive remanufacturing process. The BT-67 modernization includes a complete airframe overhaul, aerodynamic improvements, structural modifications that increase strength and improve performance, and new systems that improve reliability.
Prior to its arrival in Argentina, the Basler BT-67 with serial number 12438, performed several test flights during June 2025 and July 2025. These flights were carried out with the US registry N700CA, which it had held since 1992 when it began operating for Champlain Enterprises Inc, a company based in Plattsburgh, New York.
The delivery flight of the Basler BT-67, registered with the Argentine registration LV-VYL, started on 11 August 2025.
The aircraft landed at Rio Grande Airport in Argentina on August 18th at 12:06 local time from Puerto Montt after a 4-hour flight, the shortest trip of the long journey. Oshkosh – Fort Lauderdale – Panama City – Trujillo – Antofagasta – Puerto Montt – Río Grande was the delivery flight, covering approximately 11,280 kilometers and being more than 33 hours of flight time.
The BT-67 reached a maximum altitude of 13,000 feet and a speed of approximately 250 knots, 460 kilometers per hour.
Mirgor, the private owner who acquired this aircraft, announced that it will base the Basler BT-67 in the province of Tierra del Fuego, using Río Grande (RGA/SAWE) and Ushuaia (USH/SAWH) as its bases. If operations to Antarctica begin in December, flights will depart from Ushuaia, Argentina’s southernmost airport. The flights would be between Ushuaia and Marambio Base (QAB/SAWB), the Argentine base in Antarctica.
BT-67 operations
In accordance with Basler BT-67 Conversions, several companies in the United States and Canada operate Basler BT-67 aircraft, as do air forces from various countries around the world. In addition, Alfred Wegener Institute, Enterprise Aviation, and Polar Research Institute of China conduct flights from/to Antarctica or the North Pole with these aircraft.
Airtec, Airborne Support, Bell Geospace, and Triangle Aviation have Basler BT-67s based in the United States, headquartered in California (Maryland), Houston (Texas), Houma (Louisiana), and Smithfield (North Carolina), respectively. On the other hand, Cargo North and Kenn Borek Air operate Basler BT-67s in Canada and Spectrum Air Surveys in South Africa.
The Mauritanian Air Force, the Malian Air Force, the Colombian Air Force, the Colombian National Police, the El Salvador Air Force, the Guatemalan Air Force, and the Royal Thai Air Force also operate Basler BT-67s, mainly for personnel and cargo flights.