De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (N130WA).jpg
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The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing
propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
-driven short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by
de Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited is an aircraft manufacturer with facilities formerly based in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original home of de Havilland Canada was the home of the Canadian Air and Space Museum loca ...
. It has been primarily operated as a
bush plane A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passenger and flight services to remote, undeveloped areas, such as the Canadian north or bush, Alaskan tundra, the African bush, or savanna, Amazon ra ...
and has been used for a wide variety of utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application ( crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and civil aviation duties. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland Canada decided to orient itself towards civilian operators. Based on feedback from pilots, the company decided that the envisioned aircraft should have excellent STOL performance, all-metal construction, and accommodate many features sought by the operators of bush planes. On 16 August 1947, the maiden flight of the aircraft, which had received the designation ''DHC-2 Beaver'', took place. In April 1948, the first production aircraft was delivered to the
Ontario Department of Lands and Forests The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...
. A
Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...
(RNZAF) Beaver played a supporting role in Sir Edmund Hillary's famous 1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole. In addition to its use in civilian operations, the Beaver has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft. The United States Army purchased several hundred aircraft; nine DHC-2s are still in service with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol) for search and rescue. By 1967, over 1,600 Beavers had been constructed prior to the closure of the original assembly line. Various aircraft have been remanufactured and upgraded. Additionally, various proposals have been made to return the Beaver to production. The Beaver's versatility and performance led to it being the preferred aircraft of bush pilots servicing remote locations in the Canadian north, and it is considered by aviation historians to be a Canadian icon. In 1987, the Canadian ''Engineering Centennial Board'' named the DHC-2 one of the top ten Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th century. The Royal Canadian Mint honoured the aircraft on a special edition Canadian quarter in November 1999, and on a 50-cent commemorative gold coin in 2008. Large numbers continue to be operational into the 21st century, while the tooling and type certificate for the Beaver have been acquired by Viking Air who continue to produce replacement components and refurbish examples of the type.


Development


Origins

Following the end of the Second World War, de Havilland Canada's management team, recognising that there would be a corresponding downturn in military orders in the immediate post-war climate, decided to focus the company's energies upon finding work within the civilian sector. The company had recently hired Punch Dickins as Director of Sales; Dickins carried out an extensive market research program in the form of requesting and collecting feedback from other pilots, to understand what they needed in a new aircraft. It was on the basis of this information from the prospective operators themselves, as opposed to aerodynamic research or fiscal data, that the future aircraft has its origins. In response, almost without exception, these pilots specified their desire for tremendous
extra power In aerodynamics, the flight envelope, service envelope, or performance envelope of an aircraft or spacecraft refers to the capabilities of a design in terms of airspeed and load factor or atmospheric density, often simplified to altitude. The t ...
and STOL performance, in a design that could be easily fitted with
wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...
s, skis or floats. When de Havilland engineers noted this would result in poor cruise performance, one pilot replied, "You only have to be faster than a dog sled to be a winner". Other suggestions that were seemingly mundane, but important in the bush plane world, included the installation of full-sized doors on both sides of the aircraft, which meant that it could be readily loaded no matter which side of a dock it tied up on; the doors were also made wide enough to allow for a 44 Imperial gallon
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
to be rolled up into the aircraft. On 17 September 1946, de Havilland officially put together a design team consisting of Fred Buller, Dick Hiscocks, Jim Houston and Wsiewołod Jakimiuk, led by Phil Garratt. The new aircraft was designed to be all-metal (unlike older designs, like the famous Noorduyn Norseman), using "steel from the engine to the firewall, heavy aluminium truss frames with panels and doors throughout the front seat area, lighter trusses toward the rear and all monocoque construction aft". At the time, de Havilland Canada was still a British-owned company and there were plans to fit the evolving design with the British de Havilland Gipsy engine. As a result of its comparatively limited power, the wing area was greatly increased in order to maintain STOL performance. When
Pratt & Whitney Canada Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC or P&WC) is a Canada-based aircraft engine manufacturer. PWC's headquarters are in Longueuil, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney (P&W), itself a business unit of ...
offered to supply war-surplus Wasp Junior radial engines at a low price, the aircraft ended up with extra power as well as the original long wing. The result was unbeatable STOL performance for an aircraft of its size. In line with the convention for aircraft produced by de Havilland Canada being named after animals, it was decided that the new bush plane would be named after the
beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
, which was known for its hard-working nature. On 16 August 1947, the maiden flight of the DHC-2 Beaver was in Downsview, Ontario; it was flown by Second World War flying ace
Russell Bannock Russell William Bannock (born Bahnuk; November 1, 1919 – January 4, 2020) was a Canadian fighter ace during the Second World War and a chief test pilot for de Havilland Canada. Early years Bannock was born in Edmonton in 1919, and worked as ...
. After completing its flight test programme, the prototype received several adjustments and improvements in order for it to serve as a flying demonstration model ready for the sales circuit. The prototype was ultimately sold to Central British Columbia Airways, as a routine day-to-day working air-taxi airplane and continued to fly as such with various air-taxi operators until 1980, after which it was retired and preserved. In April 1948, the first production aircraft was delivered to the
Ontario Department of Lands and Forests The Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for Ontario's provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands ...
, who had been a design partner.


Production

Initial sales were slow, perhaps two or three a month but as the plane was demonstrated sales started to improve. A key event in the Beaver's history occurred the next year when the US Army commenced its search for a new utility aircraft to replace their fleet of Cessnas. The competition quickly boiled down to the Beaver and the Cessna 195. The Beaver won and during the Korean War, the US Army ordered 970, more than half of the overall production run for the type. Soon, the Beaver grew to become an export success as orders for the type increased from customers around the world. Individual military services of more than 30 different nations would ultimately be included amongst its operators. In later life, as the type was gradually phased out of military service, many examples underwent conversion work so that they could continue to be operated as civilian aircraft instead. During the 1960s, de Havilland developed an improved model of the Beaver, the Mk.III Turbo Beaver, which was equipped with a
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously upda ...
turboprop engine. A total of sixty aircraft were built during the late 1960s. In 1967, when production of the type finally ceased, a total of 1,657 DHC-2 Beavers had been constructed. The Beaver was designed for flight in rugged and remote areas of the world. Its STOL capability made it ideal for areas normally only accessible by canoe or foot. Because the aircraft often flies to remote locations and in cold climates, its oil reservoir filler is located in the cockpit and oil can be filled in flight. A series of upgrades to the basic design were incorporated. One major customer introduced the use of flat steps replacing the earlier tubes, a feature now almost universal. In 1987, the Canadian ''Engineering Centennial Board'' named the DHC-2 as one of the top ten Canadian engineering achievements of the 20th century.


1995 to 2019

At one point in its production, plans to license-build the Beaver in New Zealand were proposed. The remaining tooling was purchased by Viking Air of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, which manufactures replacement parts for most of the early de Havilland line. The company markets and sells the remanufactured DHC-2T Turbo Beaver, an improved variant of the aircraft which has been upgraded with a PT6A-34, which enables an increased maximum gross takeoff weight of and the carriage of up to of freight, a roughly 25 per cent increase in usable payload."DHC-2T Turbo Beaver: The Legend Continues."
''vikingair.com''. Retrieved: 20 November 2009.
By August 1995, Viking completed its 30th Turbo Beaver conversion. The firm has also developed and marketed other improvements for the type, such as an advanced wing and modified floats. Other manufacturers have also offered aftermarket upgrades and modifications for the type, such as re-engining programmes by Orenda Aerospace and
Wipaire Wipaire is a third-generation family-owned American aircraft manufacturing and repair company, best known for its aircraft floats. History The company was founded shortly after World War II by Ben Wiplinger, a veteran of the United States Army A ...
. On 24 February 2006, Viking purchased the type certificates from Bombardier Aerospace for all the original de Havilland designs, including the Beaver. The ownership of the certificates gives the company the exclusive right to manufacture new aircraft. Viking has stated its interest in the potential restart of production of the Beaver, and commented that, dependent upon market demand, the firm may offer two separate models of the Beaver, one intended to be close to the design of the original batch, and another incorporating various improvements such as new avionics, engines, and doors, as well as likely being stretched to provide increased internal space. Stolairus Aviation of Kelowna, British Columbia has developed several modifications for the DHC-2 including a STOL Kit which modifies the wing with a contoured leading edge, flap-gap seals, wing fences and drooped wingtips for increased performance. Stolairus has also developed a Wing Angle Kit which changes the incidence of the wing. Advanced Wing Technologies of Vancouver, British Columbia has developed and certified a new wing for the DHC-2. The FAA Supplemental Type Certificate also raises the aircraft's gross weight to . So far, at least two Beavers have been modified in such a manner. In September 2017 the Transportation Safety Board of Canada recommended stall warning devices be mandated for commercial Beaver operators. In March 2019, Harbour Air announced plans to convert a DHC-2 Beaver to an
electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...
and eventually to convert its entire fleet. The first test flight of the aircraft took place in Vancouver in December 2019.


Design

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing
propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
-driven STOL aircraft, principally operated as a
bush plane A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passenger and flight services to remote, undeveloped areas, such as the Canadian north or bush, Alaskan tundra, the African bush, or savanna, Amazon ra ...
and other utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application ( crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and general civil aviation purposes; aviation publication Plane & Pilot described the type as being "arguably the best bush plane ever built".Vivon, Michael
"Sixty years in the sky: de Havilland Beaver."
''Plane & Pilot'', 1 September 2007.
The Beaver was designed to operate in all seasons and the majority of weather conditions; a large proportion were also equipped with floats for buoyancy in water; it reportedly possesses favourable performance characteristics for a
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
. As a result of its favourable characteristics as a hard working and productive aircraft, the Beaver has had a lengthy service life and many examples have been remanufactured or have otherwise received life extension modifications. The Beaver is typically powered by a single Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine. In order to provide the necessary weight balance for optimal loading flexibility, the engine was mounted as far rearwards as possible, resulting in elements intruding into the cockpit space, such as the oil tank being positioned within the center console between the pilot and copilot's feet and the main fuel tank within the forward belly of the aircraft, which also improves accessibility for replenishment. Many Beavers have had wingtip tanks also installed; careful fuel management between the various fuel tanks is required throughout flights in order to maintain the aircraft's center of gravity. The remanufactured DHC-2T Turbo Beaver is equipped with a PT6A-34 turboprop engine. The Beaver is functionally shaped in order to accommodate a useful and sizable payload, typically close to , even when equipped with floats. While the front doors are narrow, the aft doors are wider, having been designed to facilitate the loading of 55-gallon barrels, either upright or on their sides. The Beaver is considered a 'working' aircraft, which was designed for vigorous use. In addition to cargo, passengers can also be carried; when appropriately fitted out, the Beaver Mk.I can accommodate up to seven passengers while the more spacious Beaver Mk.III can hold a maximum of 11. Various alterations have been approved, including alternative seating arrangements, enlarged cargo doors, larger windows and smaller
batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
have been approved for use. During takeoff, both the
aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
s and flaps are lowered, which is a relatively uncommon design approach but results in substantially elevated STOL performance. The flaps can be deployed to an extreme range, extending out at full to a 58-degree position; the flight manual notes that the full setting is recommended only for performing emergency landings. In the skies, the Beaver is relatively easy to handle, having been described as possessing light and comfortable controls. Effective application of the rudder is necessary to counteract adverse yaw. It should be flown with a relatively nose-low pitch attitude to maintain airspeed. It is very easy to land, even in moderately rough water.


Operational history

Despite the fact that production ceased in 1967, hundreds of Beavers are still flying—many of them heavily modified to adapt to changes in technology and needs.
Kenmore Air Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, United States, north of Seattle. It operates scheduled and charter seaplane and lan ...
of Kenmore, Washington, provides Beaver and Otter airframes with ''zero-hour'' fatigue-life ratings, and owns dozens of supplemental type certificates (STCs) for aircraft modifications. These modifications are so well known and desirable in the aviation community, rebuilt Beavers are often called "Kenmore Beavers" or listed as having "Kenmore mods" installed."Beaver Rebuild Program."
''Kenmore Air'', 21 May 2007. Retrieved: 20 November 2009.
The original Wasp Jr radial engine of the Beaver is long out of production, so repair parts are getting harder to find. Some aircraft conversion stations have addressed this problem by replacing the
piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
with a turboprop engine such as the
PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously up ...
. The added power and lighter installed weight, together with greater availability of kerosene fuel instead of high-octane aviation gasoline, make this a desirable modification, but at a high cost. The Beaver was deployed by the British Army Air Corps during the Troubles, at least until 1979, for photo-reconnaissance missions. One of them was hit seven times by machine gun fire in South County Armagh, near the border with the Republic of Ireland in November 1979, while taking photos of an IRA checkpoint. The border crossing where the action took place became known to the British Army as "Beaver Junction". Operators of significant numbers of piston-Beavers in early 2008 include
Air Saguenay Air Saguenay was a regional airline based in Jonquière, Quebec, Canada (now Saguenay, Quebec, Canada). History In the early 1960s Peter Schoch, mink breeder, bought Saguenay Air Service, a carrier based at Kenogami Lake, owned by Saguenay Aero C ...
and Harbour Air in Canada and
Kenmore Air Kenmore Air Harbor, Inc., doing business as Kenmore Air, is an American airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Kenmore Air Harbor in Kenmore, Washington, United States, north of Seattle. It operates scheduled and charter seaplane and lan ...
in the US. American actor
Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
owns a DHC-2 Beaver; he is known for referring to it as being his favourite among his entire fleet of private aircraft."Harrison Ford Discusses Piloting His Beaver Into The Bush."
''Huffington Post'', May 2008. Retrieved: 20 November 2009.
The
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...
operated many of the DHC-2 Beaver, where it was commonly used for conducting
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
missions. For some decades, the United States Navy has operated a pair of DHC-2s at the
United States Naval Test Pilot School The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland, provides instruction to experienced United States Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and foreign military experi ...
, where they are used to instruct students in the evaluation of lateral-directional flying qualities and for the towing of gliders. In recent years, growing numbers of the type have been used within the leisure industry, being used for pleasure flight and as lifting platforms for skydiving and aerial film activities. The DHC-2 Beaver has been used by skydiving operators due to its good climb rate. When fitted with a roller door that can be opened in flight, it can quickly ferry eight skydivers to .


Variants

;: Single-engined STOL utility transport aircraft. ;Beaver AL Mk 1: STOL utility transport aircraft for the British Army. ;C-127: original designation for DHC-2 aircraft used by the U.S. military, redesignated L-20. ;YL-20: Test and evaluation aircraft for the US military. ;L-20A Beaver: STOL utility transport aircraft for the U.S. Army, later redesignated U-6A in 1962, 968 built. ;L-20B Beaver: Basically similar to the L-20A, but with minor equipment changes. Six were sold to the US Army. Later redesignated U-6B in 1962. ;U-6A:US Army L-20A aircraft re-designated ;U-6B:US Army L-20B aircraft re-designated ;Beaver II: One aircraft was fitted with an
Alvis Leonides The Alvis Leonides was a British air-cooled nine-cylinder radial aero engine first developed by Alvis Car and Engineering Company in 1936. Design and development Development of the nine-cylinder engine was led by Capt. George Thomas Smith-Cla ...
radial piston engine. ;Wipaire Super Beaver: Conversion of surplus US Army and USAF L-20 Beavers. ;Wipaire Boss Turbo-Beaver: Turbo conversion fitted with PT-6 but retaining the original lower curved fin shape ;: Powered by a 431 kW (578 ehp)
Pratt & Whitney PT6A The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously upda ...
-6 or -20 turboprop engine. ;Airtech Canada DHC-2/PZL-3S: After-market conversion by
Airtech Canada __NOTOC__ Airtech Canada is a Canadian aerospace engineering firm established at the Peterborough Airport, Ontario in 1977. It specializes in modifying aircraft for a variety of roles, particularly aero-medical conversions. It has also marketed conv ...
in the 1980s, using current-production
PZL-3 The Ivchenko AI-26 is a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine used in early Soviet helicopters and later used in light utility aircraft. Design and development The AI-26 engine was designed by A.G Ivchenko in 1945 with the early designation M ...
S radial engines of 600 hp (450 kW). ;Volpar Model 4000: A 1970s conversion by Volpar, first flown in April 1972 with a modified nose fitted with an AiResearch TPE331-2U-203 turboprop with a three-bladed propeller. Other changes included a new fin and rudder.Taylor 1973, p. 457. ; ''Turbo Beaver'': Remanufactured Beavers by Viking Air, upgraded with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprop engine.


Operators


Civil

The DHC-2 is popular with air charter companies, police forces and small air taxi operators as well as private individuals and companies. Both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Finnish Border Guard operate the aircraft.


Military operators

; * Argentine Air Force * Argentine Naval Aviation ; *
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
– Five in service 1955–1964. ** Antarctic Flight RAAF ** No. 1 Air Trials Unit ; *
Austrian Air Force The Austrian Air Force (german: Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte, , Austrian Air Combat Force) is a component part of the Austrian Armed Forces. History The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Al ...
; *
Burma Air Force The Myanmar Air Force ( my, တပ်မတော် (လေ), ), known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception ha ...
; * Royal Cambodian Air Force – received three L-20s from the United States in the late 1950s.Grandolini ''Air Enthusiast'' Thirty-seven, p. 40. ; * Chilean Air Force ; * Republic of China Air Force ; * Colombian Air Force ; * ''Fuezas Aéreas Ejército de Cuba'' (pre Cuban Revolution) operated at least eight.Hagedorn 1993, p. 16 * Cuban Air Force (post Cuban Revolution)Hagedorn 1993, p. 27 ; *
Dominican Air Force The Air Force of the Dominican Republic ( es, Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Navy. History At the end of the United States ...
Hagedorn 1993, p. 104 ; * Finnish Air Force * Finnish Border Guard ; *
French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
; * Ghana Air Force - acquired 14 Beavers, in service 1960–1984. ; * Greek Air Force * Greek Army ; *
Haiti Air Corps The Haiti Air Corps (french: Corps d'Aviation d'Haiti (Corps d’Aviation de 1’Armee d’Haiti)) was the air force of Haiti from 1942 to 1994. The air corps was disbanded along with the rest of the armed forces after Operation Uphold Democracy, t ...
Hagedorn 1993, p. 134 ; * Indonesian Air Force *
Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its ...
; * Imperial Iranian Air Force ; *
Kenya Air Force The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or sw, Jeshi la Wanahewa is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya. The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the he ...
(in operation 1964–1983) ; *
Royal Lao Air Force The Royal Lao Air Force (french: Aviation Royale Laotiènne – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government and ...
; *
Royal Netherlands Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force'' , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...
; *
Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...
; * Royal Air Force of Oman ; * Panamanian Public ForcesHagedorn 1993, p. 120 ; * Paraguayan Air Force 4 U-6A donated by MAP in 1975 ; * Peruvian Air Force ; *
Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...
*
Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...
; Federation of South Arabia * Federation of South Arabian Air Force ; * Republic of Korea Air Force ; * Republic of Vietnam Air Force ; * South Yemen Air Force ; * Royal Thai Army ; * Turkish Army ; ; * Army Air Corps - 46 x Beaver AL.1.Taylor 1966, p. 19. ; *
Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...
* United States Army * United States Air Force * United States NavySwanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 482. ; * SFR Yugoslav Air Force ; * Zambian Air Force


Accidents and incidents

As of May 2019, there have been 313 incidents involving the DHC-2 and 663 deaths. A select few are listed: * 31 December 2017 – High-profile UK business leader Richard Cousins, four members of his family and a Canadian pilot died in the
2017 Sydney Seaplanes crash On 31 December 2017 at about 3:15pm AEDT ( UTC+11:00), a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver configured as a floatplane crashed into Jerusalem Bay off Cowan Creek, on the northern outskirts of Sydney, Australia. The aircraft, operated by Sydney S ...
. * 13 May 2019 – In the
2019 Alaska mid-air collision On May 13, 2019, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane operated by Mountain Air Service collided with a Taquan Air de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Turbine Otter floatplane over George Inlet, Alaska, United States. The DHC-2 broke up in mid-ai ...
, a Mountain Air Service DHC-2 and a
Taquan Air Taquan Air is the operating name for Venture Travel, LLC, an American regional airline headquartered in Ketchikan, a city in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It operates domestic scheduled passenger and charter services. It ...
de Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter collided over
George Inlet George Inlet (also George Arm) is a bay in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated within the Alexander Archipelago at the southern shore of Revillagigedo Island. It was named by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey in 1880 after pilot W. E. George, w ...
, killing all 5 aboard the DHC-2 and 1 aboard the DHC-3. * 20 May 2019 –
Taquan Air Flight 20 Taquan Air Flight 20 is a regularly scheduled commuter flight operated by Taquan Air from Ketchikan Harbor Seaplane Base to Metlakatla Seaplane Base. On 20 May 2019, the pilot lost control of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane while ...
overturned in the harbor in Metlakatla, Alaska, United States one week after the George Inlet crash, killing the pilot and single passenger. Taquan Air suspended all flights the following day. * 31 July 2020 – A DHC-2 carrying 6 people collided with a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser piloted by Alaska State Representative Gary Knopp (the only one aboard) over Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. All 7 people died.


Aircraft on display


Argentina

* P-05 – DHC-2 on static display at Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina in Morón, Buenos Aires.


Bangladesh

* S2-ABR – DHC-2 preserved outside the National Museum of Science and Technology in Dhaka. * S2-ABV – DHC-2 preserved outside the National Museum of Science and Technology in Dhaka.


Canada

* CF-FHB – DHC-2 on static display at the
Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (french: link=no, Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada) (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is located ...
in Ottawa, Ontario. * CF-OBS – DHC-2 on display at the
Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC), located on the north bank of the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to preserving the history of bush flying and forest protection in Canada. It was founded in 1987 by a ...
in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. * AP-AKB – DHC-2 in storage at
Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (french: link=no, Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada) (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is located ...
in
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. * CF-PSM-X – Turbo-Beaver III on display at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. * Composite – DHC-2 on static display at Bass Pro Shops at Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Ontario. It is a composite airframe consisting of parts from construction number 1579. * CF-MAA - DHC-2 on display at the
Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The museum opened to the public in its new location on 21 May 2022. History The Western Canada Aviation Museum w ...
in Winnipeg, Manitoba


China

* 54-1725 (United States Army) U-6A on static display at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing. * 1619 (Unmarked) – DHC-2 on static display at the
Chinese Aviation Museum The Chinese Aviation Museum (), sometimes referred to as the China Aviation Museum and the Datangshan Aviation Museum (due to its location adjacent to the mountain of the same name), is an aviation museum in Changping District, Beijing, Ch ...
in Datangshan, Beijing.


Colombia

* 408 – DHC-2 on static display at the
Colombian Aerospace Museum The Colombian Aerospace Museum is an aerospace museum located near Tocancipá, Cundinamarca. History Founded in 1968, the museum was originally located at Techo International Airport. In 1972 it was moved to the Military Transport Air Command at ...
near Tocancipá, Cundinamarca.


Finland

* OH-MVL – DHC-2 on static display at the Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa, Uusimaa. * OH-MVM – DHC-2 on static display at the Maritime Centre Vellamo in Kotka, Kymenlaakso, Finland.


Indonesia

* U-3033 (
Indonesian Army Aviation The Indonesian Army ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,000 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has ...
) – DHC-2 on static display at SMK Penerbangan Wira Aqasa Bhakti,
Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...
,
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
.


Iran

* 6-9701 – L-20B on static display at The Military Museum, Sa'dabad Complex in Tehran. * 6-9704 – L-20B on static display at Tehran Aviation Exhibition near
Mehrabad International Airport Mehrabad International Airport ( fa, فرودگاه بین المللی مهرآباد, ''Foroudgâh-e Beyn Almelali-ye Mehrâbâd'') , is an international airport serving Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger ...
.


Japan

* JA3097 – DHC-2 on static display at Chunichi Shimbun Headquarters in Nagoya.


Netherlands

* S-6 – L-20 in storage at the
Militaire Luchtvaart Museum The Militaire Luchtvaart Museum was located at Camp Zeist near the former Soesterberg Air Base. It was the official museum of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In 2006 the Ministry of Defence decided to merge three military museums in the Netherl ...
in Soesterberg, Utrecht, Netherlands. * JZ-PAD – DHC-2 on display at
Aviodrome The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome (also known simply as Aviodrome) is a large aerospace museum in the Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport since 2003. Previously the museum was located at Schiphol Airport.
in
Lelystad Lelystad () is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, and it is the capital of the province of Flevoland. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdi ...
,
Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and youngest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...
. Only front part of the fuselage is displayed.


New Zealand

* ZK-CMW – DHC-2 on static display at the
Air Force Museum of New Zealand The Air Force Museum of New Zealand, formerly called The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum, is located at Wigram, the RNZAF's first operational base, in Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. It opened on 1 April 1987 as part of th ...
in Wigram, Canterbury. It is painted as NZ6001, an airframe that took part in the Trans-Antarctic Expedition.


Oman

* 213 – Beaver AL.1 on static display at the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum near Muscat.


Serbia

* 70101 – DHC-2 on static display at the
Belgrade Aviation Museum The Aeronautical Museum Belgrade, formerly known as the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, is a museum located in Surčin, Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Founded in 1957, the museum is located adjacent to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The current f ...
in Surčin, Belgrade.


South Korea

* 116772 – U-6A on static display at a museum in
Imjingak Imjingak (, pronounced Ihm-jin-gak), and sometimes in English called the Imjingak resort, is a park located on the banks of the Imjin River along the tracks of the former Gyeongui Train Line outside the city of Paju, South Korea. The park ha ...
, Gyeonggi Province. * 116837 – U-6A on static display at
War Memorial of Korea The War Memorial of Korea is a museum located in Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It opened in 1994 on the former site of the army headquarters to exhibit and memorialize the military history of Korea. It was built for the purpose ...
, Seoul. * 82073 (painted as "58600") – U-6A on static display at
Daejeon National Cemetery The Daejeon National Cemetery () is located in Hyeonchungwon-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. It is South Korea's second national cemetery after the Seoul National Cemetery and is overseen by the Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affair ...
, Daejeon.


Taiwan

* 8025 – U-6A on static display at Kueijen Army Airfield, Taoyuan City. * 8011 – U-6A on static display at Aviation Education Exhibition Hall near Republic of China Air Force Academy in Kaohsiung City.


Thailand

* 26157 – L-20A on static display at Royal Thai Army Aircraft Maintenance Centre, Lopburi.


United Kingdom

* 58-2062 (United States Army) – U-6A on static display at the Midland Air Museum in Baginton, Warwickshire. * XP821 – Beaver AL.1 on static display at the
Museum of Army Flying The Army Flying Museum, previously known as the Museum of Army Flying, is a British military aviation museum about the history of flying in the British Army. It is located beside the Army Air Corps Centre in Middle Wallop, close to Andover in ...
at
AAC Middle Wallop Army Aviation Centre (AAC) Middle Wallop is a British Army airfield located near the Hampshire village of Middle Wallop, used for Army Air Corps training. The base hosts 2 (Training) Regiment AAC and 7 (Training) Regiment AAC under the umb ...
in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. It has the British military serial number XP821. * XP822 – Beaver AL.1 on static display at the Museum of Army Flying at AAC Middle Wallop in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. It has the British military serial number XP822.


United States

* 51-6263 – U-6A on static display at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker near Daleville, Alabama. * 51-16501– U-6A on static display at the
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. * 52-6087 – U-6A on static display at the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base near Warner Robins, Georgia. * 53-2817 – U-6A on static display at Camp San Luis Obispo in
San Luis Obispo County, California San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a County (United States), county on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 282, ...
. * 53-0367 – U-6A on static display at the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. * N754 – Volpar Model 4000 on display at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alaska. * 57-2570 – U-6A in storage at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. * 58-1997 – U-6 on static display at the
U.S. Army Transportation Museum The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is a United States Army museum of vehicles and other transportation-related equipment and memorabilia. It is located on the grounds of Fort Eustis, Virginia, in Newport News, on the Virginia Peninsula. History ...
at Joint Base Langley–Eustis near
Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
. It has the USAF serial number 58-1997. * 58-2064 – U-6 in storage at the
National Infantry Museum The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center is a museum located in Columbus, Georgia, just outside the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning. The 190,000-square-foot museum opened in June 2009. The museum chronicles the history of th ...
in Columbus, Georgia.


Specifications (DHC-2)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography


Sydney seaplane crash: Wreckage raised from riverbed
* Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997. . * * Hagedorn, Daniel P. ''Central American and Caribbean Air Forces''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1993. . * Harnden, Toby.''Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh''. Philadelphia, PA: Coronet Books, 2000. . * Grandolini, Albert. "L'Aviation Royals Khmere: The first 15 years of Cambodian military aviation". '' Air Enthusiast'', Thirty-seven, September–December 1988. pp. 39–47. ISSN 0143-5450. * * Hotson, Fred W. ''The de Havilland Canada Story.'' Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. . * Lambert, Mark. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1990–91''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1990. . * Pither, Tony. ''Airline Fleets 2008''. Staplefield, West Sussex, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2008. . * Rossiter, Sean. ''The Immortal Beaver: The World's Greatest Bush Plane''. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1999. . * Swanborough, Gordon and
Peter M. Bowers Peter M. Bowers (May 15, 1918 – April 27, 2003) was an aeronautical engineer, airplane designer, and a journalist and historian specializing in the field of aviation.
. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London: Putnam, 1976. . * Taylor, John W. R. (ed.) ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1961–62''. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company, 1961. * Taylor, John W. R. (ed.) ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1966–1967''. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company, 1966. * Taylor, John W. R. (ed.) ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1973–1974''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1973.


External links


de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver website by Neil Aird

de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

''"Plush Job For The Bush"'', November 1949, Popular Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Havilland Canada Dhc-2 Beaver
DHC-2 The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing propeller-driven short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland Canada. It has been primarily operated as a bush plane and has been used f ...
1940s Canadian civil utility aircraft 1940s Canadian military utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Floatplanes STOL aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1947