Country of origin:

Canada

Description:

Light utility transport

Power Plant:

One 336 kw (450 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine

Specifications:

History:

The prototype of the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver CF-FHB (c/n 1) utility aircraft was flown for the first time on 16 August 1947. Subsequently, the type was sold in large numbers throughout the world to civil and military operators, including the USAF and the US Army. In Australia the Beaver proved very popular, and was used extensively in the agricultural field by companies such as Robby’s Air Services, Farmair, Aerial Agriculture, and others.

De Havilland Canada was formed in Toronto in 1928 to assemble and service the Company’s British-built products, in 1937 commencing to “Canadianise” DH.82 Tiger Moths. Later it built 1,135 Mosquitos, and has gone from strength to strength with developing aircraft for the world’s markets, eventually becoming part of the Bombardier Group.

The first operator of a DHC-2 Beaver was Central British Colombia Airways in 1948 and the Beaver became very popular in Canada, the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests operating 40 Beavers at one time. To operate in the tundra they were fitted with skis or oversize wheels, one operator adapting Douglas DC-3 ten-ply tyres to the Beaver hub.

In the late 1990s British Colombia based Advanced Wing Technologies (AWT) unveiled a new wing for the Beaver, this enabling the payload to increase by 340 kg (750 lb), which improved speed, range and short take-off-and-landing performance. In the floatplane variant the gross weight was increased by almost 450 kg (992 lb) to 2,700 kg (5,952 lb). The new wing also led a number of operators to change to the Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop, some 23 variants of the engine being certified to cover the power range from 370 kw to 560 kw (500 shp to 750 shp), as well as certifying the Allison C250-B17F turboprop.

Initially six were supplied to the US Army as the YL-20, production aircraft becoming the L-20, the designation being changed in 1962 to U-6A. It then was used by many military services, the US armed forces using it in Korea extensively. Some 36 were supplied to the British Army Air Corps, another six later being supplied. It was rugged in construction and saw service in the heat of the Borneo jungles, the Gulf States and Aden, etc.

Five were operated by the RAAF (A95-201 to A95-205), and these operated on wheels, skis, and as floatplanes. A95-201 was destroyed by a blizzard on 28 December 1959; A95-202 was destroyed by a blizzard at Mawson Base, Antartica, on 9 December 1960; A95-203 became VH-AAV; A95-204 became VH-MKT, later VH-SMD; and A95-205 became VH-PGL with the Department of External Affairs. Two also saw service with the Australian National Antartic Research Expedition (ANARE) in the Antarctic. Both were registered VH-PGL (c/n 964 – ex A95-201 and c/n 1430 – ex A95-205) but at different times. ANARE also used RAAF machines on loan.

Qantas operated a small number of DHC-2 Beavers on its services in New Guinea, and one of these VH-EAT² (c/n 645) regularly operated on amphibious floats. In the order of 100 have operated in this region over the years.

In Australia the largest operator of the type was Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd of Bankstown, NSW which operated many in the agricultural role, importing at least 50 examples in the 1960s, most being registered in the VH-AA? and VH-ID? blocks. One VH-DHC (c/n 1009) was operated by the Forestry Commission of New South Wales in a research program relating to the use of insecticide to control insects in State forests.

The fuselage of the Beaver was constructed in three main sections, consisting of a front fuselage section extending back to the cockpit, the centre fuselage or cabin section which terminated at the aft cabin bulkhead, and the rear fuselage. The front section was a tubular steel structure, which carried the four engine pick-up points, whilst the cabin section was specially braced and strengthened to carry the wings and undercarriage. The cabin floor was strengthened by three cross-beams and designed to support heavy concentrated loads. The undercarriage was of the fixed tailwheel-type, although skis, floats, and amphibious floats could be fitted. The agricultural model was equipped with a stainless steel and light alloy cylindrical hopper of 2.2 m³ (35 cub ft) capacity.

A total of 1,637 DHC-2 Beaver Mks I and II was built whilst the type was in production at the Toronto facility of de Havilland Canada between 1947 and February 1967. Of these, 974 examples were supplied to the US military forces. In addition some 60 were completed as turbo-Beavers, fitted with a 431 kw (578 eshp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop.

Only one Mk II was built, this being powered by a 410 kw (550 hp) Avis Leonides 502/4 radial engine, being fitted with revised tail surfaces and mainplanes of increased span. First flown on 10 March 1953 the Mk II was not developed as it was felt that the market did not require the increased power from the British engine. It went to the United Kingdom as G-ANAR (c/n 80) but later returned to Canada as C-FCNR.

In addition to the RAAF Beavers already mentioned, a number of others have operated as floatplanes and amphibians and have been used around the country on tourist flights. In Sydney, NSW three were used by Aquatic Airways alongside a GAF N-22 Nomad amphibian on commuter flights from Rose Bay to Newcastle, this operation later being taken over by Sydney Harbour Seaplanes. Operators on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland have included Seair, Air Whitsunday, Reef World Airlines, etc.

At some stage it was mooted that the type would be built under licence in New Zealand but this did not occur. Eventually, after production ceased, the tooling for production was obtained by Viking Air of Victoria, Canada and this company has since manufactured replacement parts for the type. In February 2006 Viking obtained the Type Certificates for all of the early de Havilland Canada designs, re-manufacturing the Beaver using existing airframes, updated conversions being fitted with a PT6A-34 turboprop.

In New Zealand one Beaver saw service with the RNZAF from 1956 to 1960. Originally serial numbered NZ6001 (c/n 911), this was later changed to NZ6010. A Beaver (ex ZK-CMW – c/n 1084) has been painted up as the RNZAF Antarctic aircraft and placed on display at the RNZAF Museum at Wigram.

The Beaver also saw much agricultural work in New Zealand, particularly with Rural Aviation, and Gisborne Aerial Topdressing, which later became Fieldair, the latter operating 19 of the 33 examples that had been imported by that time, and in the mid 1960s still operating a fleet of 15.

One Beaver ZK-CCY (c/n 1512) was operated by Float Air out of Picton for a period on tourist work on floats. Further Beaver floatplanes have been operated in Australia and New Zealand, the type becoming very popular for tourist-orientated operations.

Airtech Canada, as an after-market conversion, fitted Beavers in the 1980s with the Polish-built PZL-3S radial engine which provided 450 kw (600 hp).  In mid 2019 a North American operator of Beaver floatplanes, with a fleet of some 40 aircraft, commenced to replace the radial engines with electric motors.