The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing

propeller A propeller (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 a working flu ...

-driven

short takeoff and landing A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...

(STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by

de Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that has produced numerous aircraft models since its inception including the popular De Havilland Canada Dash 8, Dash 8. The company's primary facilities were loca ...

. It has been primarily operated as a

bush plane A bush plane 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 rainf ...

and has been used for a wide variety of utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling,

aerial application Aerial application, or crop dusting, involves spraying crops with crop protection products from an agricultural aircraft. Planting certain types of seed are also included in aerial application. The specific spreading of fertilizer is also known a ...

(

crop dusting Aerial application, or crop dusting, involves spraying crops with crop protection products from an agricultural aircraft. Planting certain types of seed are also included in aerial application. The specific spreading of fertilizer is also known a ...

and

aerial topdressing Aerial topdressing is the aerial application of fertilisers over farmland using agricultural aircraft. It was developed in New Zealand in the 1940s and rapidly adopted elsewhere in the 1950s. Origins Previous aerial applications The first k ...

), and

civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, which can be both private and commercial. Most countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and ...

duties. Shortly after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...

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. A

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

(RNZAF) Beaver played a supporting role in

Sir Edmund Hillary Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached th ...

's famous 1958

Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE) of 1955–1958 was a Commonwealth-sponsored expedition that successfully completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica, via the South Pole. It was the first expedition to reach the South ...

to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...

. In addition to its use in civilian operations, the Beaver has been widely adopted by armed forces as a

utility aircraft A utility aircraft is a general-purpose light airplane or helicopter, usually used for transporting people, freight, or other supplies, but also used for other duties when more specialized aircraft are not required or available. The term can al ...

. The

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

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 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 ...

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 The Royal Canadian Mint () is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under an act of parliament referred to as the ''Royal Canadian Mint Act''. The shares of the mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada. The mi ...

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 A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). Certification confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production is in compliance w ...

for the Beaver have been acquired by

Viking Air Viking Air Ltd. was an operator and manufacturer of aircraft, as well as aircraft parts and systems, based at Victoria International Airport in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The company provides upgrades to the DHC-2 Beaver, spare ...

who continue to produce replacement components and refurbish examples of the type.

Development

Origins

Following the end of the

, 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 Clennell Haggerston "Punch" Dickins (12 January 1899 – 2 August 1995) was a pioneering Canadian aviator and bush pilot. 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 (aeronautics), load factor or atmospheric density, often sim ...

and STOL performance, in a design that could be easily fitted with

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn 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 machin ...

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

s 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 The gallon is a unit of measurement, unit of volume in British imperial units and United States customary units. The imperial gallon (imp gal) is defined as , and is or was used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including Ireland ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

), 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 The de Havilland Gipsy is a British air-cooled four-cylinder in-line aircraft engine designed by Frank Halford in 1927 to replace the ADC Cirrus in the de Havilland DH.60 Moth light biplane. Initially developed as an upright 5 litre ( ...

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, south of Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney (P&W), itself a business unit of RTX ...

offered to supply war-surplus Wasp Junior

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

s 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 (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

, which was known for its hard-working nature. On 16 August 1947, the

of the DHC-2 Beaver was in

Downsview, Ontario Downsview is a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. The area takes its name from the Downs View farm established around 1842 near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wils ...

; 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 Flying ace, 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, an ...

. 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, 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 Cessna 190 and 195 Businessliner are a family of light single radial engine powered, conventional landing gear equipped, general aviation aircraft which were manufactured by Cessna between 1947 and 1954.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ...

. 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 upd ...

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

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 2024

At one point in its production, plans to license-build the Beaver in New Zealand were proposed. The remaining tooling was purchased by

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, 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 Orenda Engines was a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer and parts supplier. As part of the earlier Avro Canada conglomerate, which became Hawker Siddeley Canada, they produced a number of military jet engines from the 1950s through the 1970s, ...

and Wipaire. On 24 February 2006, Viking purchased the

s from

Bombardier Aerospace Bombardier Aviation, a division of Bombardier Inc., is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. The company currently produces the Global and Challenger series of business jets. At its peak, Bombardier operated manufacturing plants in 27 c ...

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 The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB, ), officially the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board () is the agency of the Government of Canada responsible for advancing transportation safety in Canada. It is acc ...

recommended

stall warning In fluid dynamics, a stall is a reduction in the lift coefficient generated by a foil as angle of attack exceeds its critical value.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', p. 486. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...

devices be mandated for commercial Beaver operators. Harbour air ebeaver seaplane in Ganges Harbour

In March 2019,

Harbour Air Harbour Air is a scheduled floatplane service, tour and charter airline based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. The predominantly seaplane airline specializes in routes between Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Sechelt, Comox, Whistler and ...

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, ...

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 magniX ( ) is an electric motor manufacturer for electric aircraft, wholly owned by Singapore investor Clermont Group. The company is headquartered in Everett, Washington, United States. History The company was founded in 2009 in Australia to r ...

motor/battery set being airworthiness certified by

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

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

-driven STOL aircraft, principally operated as a

and other utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling,

(

and

), and general

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 Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is the force exerted by a fluid opposing the weight of a partially or fully immersed object (which may be also be a parcel of fluid). In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of t ...

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 The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produced ...

. 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 In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the barycenter or balance point) is the unique point at any given time where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. For ...

. 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, including alternative seating arrangements, enlarged cargo doors, larger windows and smaller batteries 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 aroun ...

s and

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game '' Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and h ...

s 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 A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

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 l ...

Kenmore, Washington Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shore of Lake Washington. It is a suburban commuter town at the mouth of the Sammamish River, northeast of downtown Seattle and west of Bothell. The populat ...

, provides Beaver and Otter airframes with ''zero-hour'' fatigue-life ratings, and owns dozens of

supplemental type certificate A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a civil aviation authority-approved major modification or repair to an existing type certified aircraft, engine or propeller. As it adds to the existing type certificate, it is deemed "supplemental". In ...

s (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. 600hpDH2

The original Wasp Jr

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, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more Reciprocating motion, reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a Circular motion, rotating motion. This article ...

with a

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 upd ...

. 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 The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

, at least until 1979, for photo-reconnaissance missions. One of them was hit seven times by machine gun fire in South

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

, 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

in Canada and

in the US. American actor

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

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. RNZAFTransantarcticDHCBeaver

The

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...

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 The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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 experim ...

, 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 Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

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 The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. ;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 The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, 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 is 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-Clar ...

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 upd ...

-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. The company specializes in the design, engineering, assembly, manufacture, modification, repair, and marketing of aircraft ...

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 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 upd ...

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 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

and

Finnish Border Guard The Finnish Border Guard (FBG, ; ) is the agency responsible for enforcing the security of Finland's borders. Duties Main duties of the Finnish Border Guard: * Protecting the land borders and territorial waters of Finland from unauthorised e ...

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

Military operators

DHC-2 Beaver OH-MVM in Vellamo Kotka Finland

; *

Argentine Air Force The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...

Argentine Naval Aviation The Argentine Naval Aviation (', COAN) is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands. Argentina, along with Brazilian Navy, Brazil is one of two South American countries to have operated two aircraft c ...

; *

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

– Five in service 1955–1964. ** Antarctic Flight RAAF ** No. 1 Air Trials Unit ; *

Austrian Air Force The Austrian Air Force () is a component part of the Austrian Armed Forces. Aircraft Current inventory History The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allies of World War II, Allied powers ...

; * Burma Air Force ; * 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 ForceHagedorn 1993, p. 104 ; * Finnish Air Force *

; * French Air Force ; * Ghana Air Force - acquired 14 Beavers, in service 1960–1984. ; * Greek Air Force * Greek Army ; *Haitian Air Corps, Haiti Air CorpsHagedorn 1993, p. 134 ; *Indonesian Air Force *Indonesian Army ; * Imperial Iranian Air Force ; * Kenya Air Force (in operation 1964–1983) ; * Royal Lao Air Force ; * Royal Netherlands Air Force ; *

; * 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 * Philippine Navy- 3 Units De Havilland L-20 (U-6A) Beavers in 1960 ; Federation of South Arabia * Federation of South Arabian Air Force ; U-6 Beaver War Memorial of Korea

* 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. ; *

* United States Air Force *

Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 482.- 2 Units in 2024. ; * SFR Yugoslav Air Force ; * Zambian Air Force

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) * 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. * 13 May 2019 – In the 2019 Alaska mid-air collision, a Mountain Air Service DHC-2 and a Taquan Air de Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter collided over George Inlet, killing all 5 aboard the DHC-2 and 1 aboard the DHC-3. * 20 May 2019 – Taquan Air Flight 20 overturned in the harbor in Metlakatla, Alaska, 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 2020 Kenai Peninsula mid-air collision, 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 (Bangladesh), National Museum of Science and Technology in Dhaka. * S2-ABV – DHC-2 preserved outside the National Museum of Science and Technology (Bangladesh), 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. * 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

* 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, Tocancipá, Cundinamarca.

Finland

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

Indonesia

* U-3033 (Indonesian Army Aviation) – DHC-2 on static display at SMK Penerbangan Wira Aqasa Bhakti, Semarang, Central Java.

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.

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

DHC-2 Beaver at the Heritage Flight Museum

* 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 (Warner Robins), 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)

De Havilland Canada L-20A Beaver 3-view line drawing

References

External links

de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
a fansite by Neil Aird
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:De Havilland Canada Dhc-2 Beaver De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, De Havilland Canada aircraft, DHC-2 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 Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear