Beechcraft Royal Turbine Duke. (TVSU) Union Island Airport, Grenadine Islands.

Beechcraft Royal Turbine Duke. The piston Duke was considered by many to be a great airplane plagued with terrible engines. I’ve never flown a piston Duke, but the chorus of complaints in the marketplace is the same…the piston engines were maintenance hogs, expensive, and unreliable. So, Rocket Engineering did what they do best…take a great airframe and mount a great engine (PT6) on the front. They were the first to install the PT6 on the PA46 airframe to create the Jetprop (which is a wildly successful STC with 305 conversions (to date) in the air), and the Royal Duke was a natural conversion candidate too.

Start-up, taxi and depart from (TVSU) Union Island Airport, which was constructed in 1994, operates as a major gateway to the southern Grenadines with connections from Clifton Harbour via water taxis or charter yachts to Mayreau and the National Marine Park of the Tobago Cays, the focal point for "Marine Tourism" in the area and private boat transfers to the exclusive luxury island retreats on Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent (PSV). The region's tourism industries have helped foster growth at the airport.

It is one of five airports in the multi-island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the others being Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent, J. F. Mitchell Airport in Bequia, Mustique Airport and Canouan Airport.

Fly "round-about" St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, namely Union Island, then land, taxi, and park for arrival at (TVSU).


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