A bush plane is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passenger and flight services to remote, undeveloped areas, such as the

Canadian north Bradley Air Services, operating as Canadian North, is a wholly Inuit-owned airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates scheduled passenger services to communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Nunavik region ...

or bush,

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

, the African bush, or

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...

and the Australian

Outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than Australian bush, the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastli ...

. They are used where ground transportation infrastructure is inadequate or does not exist.

Common traits

A bush plane is defined by how it is used, and many different aircraft with different configurations have been so used over the years. However, experience has shown certain traits to be desirable (though not mandatory), especially on aircraft specifically designed as bush planes. * Undercarriage designed to be fitted with floats, skis or wheel/skis to permit operation from water or snow—primarily for Canadian, Alaskan and Russian use. * High

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

s ease loading and unloading, particularly from docks; improve downward visibility during flight; and increase clearance to reduce the potential for damage during landing, take-off, loading, and unloading. * Conventional or "tail dragger" landing gear—two large main wheels and a small rear wheel—reduces both weight and drag, increasing the aircraft's speed and useful load. It reduces stress on the airframe compared to a nosewheel. A failure is also less critical, as a broken tailwheel is easily repaired and does not prevent the aircraft from flying, unlike a broken nose wheel. * Short runway performance and low-speed flight characteristics are typically improved by high aspect ratio wings and

high-lift device In aircraft design and aerospace engineering, a high-lift device is a component or mechanism on an aircraft's wing that increases the amount of lift produced by the wing. The device may be a fixed component, or a movable mechanism which is deplo ...

s such as flaps, slots and

slats Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) or Tsubame was a JAXA satellite intended to demonstrate operations in very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 200 km), using ion engines to counteract aerodynamic drag (physics), drag from the atmosphere ...

. * Very large, low-pressure tundra tires may be fitted to enable the pilot to operate from broken ground. It is not uncommon for a

bush pilot Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormal ...

to land and take off from unprepared surfaces. *

Piston engines A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is 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 features of all ...

are preferred over turboprops, as they are cheaper to build and maintain and easier to start without the aid of ground facilities. In extremely remote areas where

avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the United Kingdom, UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in moto ...

can be difficult to acquire, some bush pilots prefer turboprop engines that can burn kerosene-derived

jet fuel Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by Gas turbine, gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for ...

Current and historical bush planes

Years in brackets are of first flight. * AAC Angel (1984) * Aermacchi AL-60 (1959) *

Antonov An-2 The Antonov An-2 (USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet Union, Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau beginning in 1947. I ...

(1947) *

Antonov An-14 The Antonov An-14 Pchelka or Pchyolka, Bdzhilka (, "Little Bee", NATO reporting name: Clod)Taylor 1976, pp. 404–405. is a Soviet utility aircraft which was first flown on 15 March 1958.Stroud 1968, p. 65. It was a twin-engined light STOL ut ...

(1958) * Antonov An-28 (1968) *

Antonov An-38 The Antonov An-38 is a stretched and upgraded version of Antonov's earlier An-28. It is a twin-engined turboprop transport aircraft, designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in Kyiv, Ukraine. Production is in Novosibirsk, Russia, but some crucial ...

(1994) * Auster Autocrat (1945) * Aviat Husky (1986) *

Avro Avian The Avro Avian is a series of United Kingdom, British light aircraft designed and built by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s. While the various versions of the Avian were sound aircraft, they were comprehensively outsold by the de Havilland Moth and ...

(1926) *

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...

(1935) *

Avro York The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the World War II, Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical. Due to the impo ...

(1942) * Bach T-11P (1927) * Barkley-Grow T8P-1 (1937) * Barrows Bearhawk (1995) *

Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative wing Stagger (aviation), stagger (the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing). It first flew in 1932, and was sold on the civilian market, being ...

(1932) *

Beechcraft Model 18 The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft, Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 ...

(1937) * Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker (1929) * Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket (1930) *

Bellanca Aircruiser The Bellanca Aircruiser and Airbus were high-wing, single-engine aircraft built by AviaBellanca Aircraft, Bellanca Aircraft Corporation of New Castle, Delaware. The aircraft was built as a "workhorse" intended for use as a passenger or cargo ai ...

(1930) * Bellanca Senior Pacemaker (1935) * Bellanca Senior Skyrocket (1935) * Boeing B1E (1928) *

Bristol Freighter The Bristol Type 170 Freighter is a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner. Its best known use was as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively s ...

(1945) *

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial air ...

(1965) * Buhl Airsedan (1928) * Bushcaddy L-162 Max (1995) * Bushcaddy L-164 (2007) *

Canadian Vickers Vedette The Canadian Vickers Vedette was the first aircraft designed and built in Canada to meet a specification for Canadian conditions. It was a single-engine biplane flying boat purchased to meet a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) demand for a smaller ...

(1924) * Cessna Crane (1939) *

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.Cessna 180 The Cessna 180 Skywagon is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal airc ...

(1952) * Cessna 182 Skylane (1956) * Cessna 185 Skywagon (1960) * Cessna 206 Stationair (1962) *

Cessna 208 Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...

(1982) * Champion Citabria (1964) * Consolidated Catalina/Canso (1935) * CubCrafters CC19 XCub (2016) *

Curtiss HS The Curtiss HS was a single-engined patrol flying boat built for the United States Navy during World War I. Large numbers were built from 1917 to 1919, with the type being used to carry out anti-submarine patrols from bases in France from June 1 ...

(1917) * Curtiss Lark (1925) * Curtiss Robin (1928) * Curtiss Thrush (1929) *

Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highes ...

(1940) * Curtiss-Wright Junior (1930) * de Havilland DH.60 Moth (1925) * de Havilland DH.61 Giant Moth (1927) * de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth (1931) * de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth (1932) * de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide (1934) * de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly (1935) * de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover (1948) *

de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing Propeller (aircraft), propeller-driven STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland Canada. It has been primarily operated as a b ...

(1947) *

de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, Propeller (aircraft), propeller-driven, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same role ...

(1951) *

de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1 ...

(1958) *

de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking ...

(1965) *

Dornier Do 27 The Dornier Do 27 is a German single-engine STOL utility aircraft that was designed and manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier and Fairchild-Dornier). It was notable for being the first mass-produced aircraft in Germany following the en ...

(1955) * Douglas Dolphin (1930) *

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

(1935) *

Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960 ...

(1942) *

Eastman E-2 Sea Rover The Eastman E-2 Sea Rover, also called the Beasley-Eastman E-2 Sea Rover, was a light seaplane built in the late 1920s for business and shuttle use. Development The E-2 was designed by former Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Com ...

(1928) * Evangel 4500 (1964) *

Fairchild 24 The Fairchild Model 24, also called the Fairchild Model 24 Argus and UC-61 Forwarder, is a four-seat, single-engine monoplane light transport aircraft designed by the Fairchild Aviation Corporation in the 1930s. It was adopted by the United Sta ...

(1932) * Fairchild C-82 Packet (1944) * Fairchild FC-2/51 (1926) * Fairchild 71 (1926) * Fairchild Super 71 (1934) * Fairchild 100 (1930) * Fairchild 82 (1935) *

Fairchild F-11 Husky The Fairchild F-11 Husky was a Canadian bush plane designed and manufactured in the post-Second World War era. Despite a promising design, a lack of a suitable powerplant hurt performance, and stiff competition from the de Havilland Beaver and d ...

(1946) *

Fieseler Fi 156 Storch The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") is a liaison aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Fieseler. Its nickname of '' Storch'' was derived from the lengthy legs of its main landing gear, which gave the aircraft ...

(1936) * Fleet Freighter (1938) *

Fokker Universal The Fokker Universal was the first aircraft built in the United States that was based on the designs of Dutch-born Anthony Fokker, who had designed aircraft for Germany during World War I. About half of the 44 Universals that were built between 1 ...

(1926) * Fokker Super Universal (1928) * Fokker F.11 (1928) *

Ford Trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American Trimotor, three-engined transport plane, transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, afte ...

(1926) * Found FBA-2 (1960) * GAF Nomad (1971) * Gippsland GA8 (1995) * Gippsland GA10 (2012) *

Grumman Goose The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious flying boat designed by Grumman to serve as an eight-seat "commuter" aircraft for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman's first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and ...

(1937) * Grumman Widgeon (1940)Foster, 1990, p.197 *

Grumman Mallard The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a medium, twin-engined amphibious aircraft. Many have been modified by replacing the original Pratt & Whitney Wasp, Pratt & Whitney Wasp H radial engines with modern turboprop engines. Manufactured from 1946 to 1951, ...

(1946) * Halpin Flamingo (1929) * Hamilton H-47 (1928) * Helio Courier (1954) * Howard DGA-8/9/11/12 (1936) * Howard DGA-15 (1939) * Johns Ra-Son Warrior (1947) * Junkers F.13 (1919) *

Junkers G 31 The Junkers G 31 was an advanced tri-motor airliner designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers. It would be the first airliner operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa to feature a flight attendant. Development of the G 31 took pl ...

(1926) *

Junkers W 33 The Junkers W 33 was a German 1920s single-engine low-wing monoplane transport aircraft that followed Junkers standard practice making extensive use of corrugated aluminium alloy over an aluminium alloy tube frame, that was developed from the s ...

(1926) * Junkers W 34 (1926) *

Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...

/1m (1930) * Kitfox (1984) * Lake Buccaneer (1960) *

Lockheed Vega The Lockheed Vega is an American five- to seven-seat high-wing monoplane airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation starting in 1927. It became famous for its use by a number of record-breaking pilots who were attracted to its high speed and lo ...

(1927) *

Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is an American passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era, developed as part of the Model 10 Electra family, specifically from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra. Design and development Sales of the 1 ...

(1939) * Max Holste Broussard (1952) * Maule M-7 (1984) * Murphy Rebel (1990) * Murphy Moose (1995) * Murphy Elite (1996) *

Noorduyn Norseman The Noorduyn Norseman, also known as the C-64 Norseman, is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Distinctive stubby landing gear protrusions from the lower fuselage make it easily recognizable. Intro ...

(1935) * Northrop N-23 Pioneer (1946) * Northwest Ranger (1968) *

PAC P-750 XSTOL The PAC P-750 XSTOL, (formerly known as the PAC 750XL) is a utility aircraft of conventional all-metal low-wing monoplane design, with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Combining the engine and wings of the PAC Cresco with a new larger fuselage a ...

(2001) *

Piper J-3 Cub The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Pi ...

(1938) * Piper PA-18 Super Cub (1949) * Piper PA-22 Bushmaster * Piper PA-23 (1952) * Pipistrel Virus SW (2006) *

Pilatus PC-6 Porter The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- ...

/Turbo Porter (1959) *

Polikarpov Po-2 The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2 before 1944, for its initial Glossary of Russian and USSR aviation acronyms: Aircraft designations, ''uchebnyy'', 'training', role as a flight instruction aircraft) was an all-weather multirole Soviet Union, Soviet b ...

(1927) * PZL-104 Wilga (1962) * Quest Kodiak (2004) * Rans S-7 Courier (1985) * Republic RC-3 Seabee (1945) * Rutan Grizzly (1982) * Ryan Brougham (1927) * Shavrov Sh-2 (1930) * Short SC.7 Skyvan (1963) * Sikorsky S-38 (1928) * Sikorsky S-39 (1929) *

Stearman C3 The Stearman C3 was an American-built civil biplane aircraft of the 1920s, designed by Stearman Aircraft of Wichita, Kansas. It was also the first Stearman aircraft to receive a type certificate. Development The C3 was a rugged biplane wit ...

(1927) * Stearman M-2 (1929) * Stearman 4 (1930) * Stinson Detroiter (1926) * Stinson Junior (1928) * Stinson Model A (1934) *

Stinson Reliant The Stinson Reliant is a popular single-engine four- to five-seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Company, Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan. Design and development ...

(1933) * Stinson Voyager (1939) * Stinson 108 (1946) *

Supermarine Sea Otter The Supermarine Sea Otter was an amphibious aircraft designed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine. It was the final biplane flying boat to be designed by the company, and the last biplane to enter service with both the R ...

(converted after 2nd World War) * Technoavia SM92 Finist (1993) * Travel Air 6000 (1928) *

Vickers Viking The Vickers Viking was a British single-engine amphibious aircraft designed for military use shortly after World War I. Later versions of the aircraft were known as the Vickers Vulture and Vickers Vanellus. Design and development Resear ...

(1919)Foster, 1990, p.47 * Waco 10 (1927) * Waco Standard Cabin series (1931) * Waco AQC-6/Waco ZQC-6 Freighter (1936)Foster, 1990, p.194 * Westland Limousine (1919) * Wild DoubleEnder (2010) * Yakovlev Yak-12 (1947) * Zenith STOL CH 701 (1986)

Aviation museum An aviation museum, air museum, or air and space museum is a museum exhibiting the history and cultural artifacts, artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual, replica or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, Ph ...
s with large collections of bush planes

* Alberta Aviation Museum * Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum *

Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum () (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum (''Musée de l'aviation du Canada'') and National Aeronautical Collection (''Collection aéronautique nationale'')) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The m ...

Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC), located on the north bank of the St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario), St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to preserving the history of bush flyin ...

Western Canada Aviation Museum The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is an aviation museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History The Western Canada Aviation Museum was incorporated in 1974.Ogden 1986, p. 26. In November of ...

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External links