De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver

Origins deHavilland DHC-2 Mk 3 Turbo Beavers on amphibious floats in Dryden, Ontario in 1995 turbine engine, retaining original fin shape and fitted with floats, at Bartow Municipal Airport, Florida in 2011 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. 1995 to 2024 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. 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. 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. e-Beaver In March 2019, Harbour Air announced plans to convert a DHC-2 Beaver to an electric aircraft for development and prototype testing, with aspirational plans to eventually to convert its entire fleet. The first test flight of the aircraft took place in Vancouver in December 2019. By 2024, Harbor Air is anticipating the MagniX motor/battery set being airworthiness certified by Transport Canada by the end of 2026, with a plan to get the eBeaver type-certified by the end of 2027 and able to enter commercial service. ==Design==

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing propeller-driven STOL aircraft, principally operated as a bush plane 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". 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. 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 45 imperial 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 for use, including alternative seating arrangements, enlarged cargo doors, larger windows and smaller batteries. During takeoff, both the ailerons 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 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.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 with a turboprop engine such as the PT6. 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 and Harbour Air in Canada and Kenmore Air in the US. American actor Harrison Ford owns a DHC-2 Beaver; he is known for referring to it as being his favourite among his entire fleet of private aircraft. Beaver that supported the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionThe Civil Air Patrol operated many of the DHC-2 Beaver, where it was commonly used for conducting search and rescue missions. For some decades, the United States Navy has operated a pair of DHC-2s at the United States Naval Test Pilot School, 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 radial piston engine. ;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. ; 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. Several small airline companies in British Columbia use Beavers on scheduled routes from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island as well as numerous nearby smaller islands. The largest of these airlines is Harbour Air. Military operators in Tehran, Iran ; • Argentine Air Force • Argentine Naval Aviation ; • Royal Australian Air Force – Five in service 1955–1964. • Antarctic Flight RAAF • No. 1 Air Trials Unit ; • Austrian Air Force ; • Burma Air Force ; • Royal Cambodian Air Force – received three L-20s from the United States in the late 1950s. ; • Chilean Air Force ; • Republic of China Air Force ; • Colombian Air Force ; • Fuezas Aéreas Ejército de Cuba (pre Cuban Revolution) operated at least eight. • Cuban Air Force (post Cuban Revolution) ; • Dominican Air Force ; • Finnish Air Force • Finnish Border Guard ; • French Air Force ; • Ghana Air Force - acquired 14 Beavers, in service 1960–1984. ; • Greek Air Force • Greek Army ; • Haiti Air Corps ; • Indonesian Air Force • Indonesian Army ; • Paraguayan Air Force 4 U-6A donated by MAP in 1975 ; • Peruvian Air Force ; • Philippine Air Force • Philippine Navy- 3 Units De Havilland L-20 (U-6A) Beavers in 1960 ; 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. ; • Civil Air Patrol • United States Army • United States Air Force- 2 Units in 2024. ; • SFR Yugoslav Air Force ; • Zambian Air Force. Retired. ==Accidents and incidents==

, there have been 351 incidents involving the DHC-2 and 739 deaths. A select few are listed: • 22 November 1962 - Five United States Air Force missile crew members and the pilot died when their U-6A (DHC-2) crashed and burned near Nebraska City, NE. The plane, flying a routine support mission, had just delivered the relief crew to Atlas Site Number 4 of the 551st Strategic Missile Squadron and was returning the off-going crew to Lincoln AFB, NE. Crash of 52-6108 | Aviation in Nebraska (wordpress.com) • 19 June 2000 – A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver floatplane crashes on takeoff from Nipmo Lake in British Columbia, Canada, killing three of the 12 people aboard. One of the dead is political cartoonist and caricaturist, book author and illustrator, and watercolourist William Papas, who drowns while trying to swim to shore in 40-degree F (4.5-degree C) water. ==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 in Ottawa, Ontario. This is the first DHC-2 built. • CF-OBS – DHC-2 on display at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. • AP-AKB – DHC-2 in storage at Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. • 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 in Winnipeg, Manitoba China U-6A on display in Beijing • 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 in Datangshan, Beijing. Colombia • 408 – DHC-2 on static display at the Colombian Aerospace Museum 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) – DHC-2 on static display at SMK Penerbangan Wira Aqasa Bhakti, Semarang, Central Java. • 6-9704 – L-20B on static display at Tehran Aviation Exhibition near Mehrabad International Airport. 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 in Soesterberg, Utrecht, Netherlands. • JZ-PAD – DHC-2 on display at Aviodrome in Lelystad, Flevoland. 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 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 in Belgrade • 70101 – DHC-2 on static display at the Belgrade Aviation Museum in Surčin, Belgrade. South Korea • 116772 – U-6A on static display at a museum in Imjingak, Gyeonggi Province. • 116837 – U-6A on static display at War Memorial of Korea, Seoul. • 82073 (painted as "58600") – U-6A on static display at Daejeon National Cemetery, 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 at AAC Middle Wallop in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. • XP822 – Beaver AL.1 on static display at the Museum of Army Flying at AAC Middle Wallop in Middle Wallop, Hampshire. United States • 51-6263 – U-6A on static display at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel near Daleville, Alabama. • 51-16501– U-6A on static display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force 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. • 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 at Joint Base Langley–Eustis near Newport News, Virginia. • 58-2064 – U-6 in storage at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia. ==Specifications (DHC-2)==