De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
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Image:C-FGYN Adlair Aviation de Havilland Beaver (DHC2) 01.jpg.JPG The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is one of the most famous bush planes in the world. After World War II, de Havilland Canada was looking to produce a plane suited to operations in the rugged Canadian north. After extensive consultation with pilots, they began production of the Beaver —a reliable, single-engine monoplane that could be easily fitted with wheels, skis, or floats. Over 1,600 Beavers were produced.
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Development
First flight of the Beaver was August 16 1947, with the first aircraft being delivered in April of 1948. The plane was an immediate success within the Canadian aviation community, and when production finally ceased in 1967, 1,657 DHC-2 Beavers had been built. The Beaver has become a symbol of the Canadian north, and has since found use as a bush plane all over the world; the international ICAO designation for flight plans is DHC2.Image:Instrument panel of a deHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver.JPG The type is used for aerial application; (crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and has been widely used by armed forces as a utility aircraft; the U.S. Army Air Corps purchased several hundred. A Royal New Zealand Air Force Beaver supported Sir Edmund Hillary's expedition to the South Pole; it was at one point planned to license build the type in New Zealand.
The Beaver was designed for flight in rugged and remote areas of the world. Because it often flies to remote locations (that often are in cold climates) its oil reservor filling spout is located in the cockpit itself and the oil can be refilled while the aircraft is in flight.
Despite the fact that production ceased nearly forty years ago, hundreds of Beavers are still flying—many of them heavily modified to adapt to changes in technology and needs. Kenmore Air of Kenmore, Washington zero-hours Beaver and Otter airframes and owns dozens of supplemental type certificates (STCs) for aircraft modifications. These modifications are so well-known and desirable in the aviation community that the rebuilt Beavers are often called "Kenmore Beavers" or listed as having "Kenmore mods" installed. A 1950s Beaver that Image:De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (N130WA).jpgoriginally sold for under US $50,000 can now be seen for sale at prices reaching US $300,000.
Although there have been rumours of Canadian companies manufacturing new Beavers, it remains an out-of-production aircraft.
Harrison Ford owns a DHC-2 Beaver (N28S), and has commented that it is his favourite among his entire fleet of private aircraft. The United States Military continues to operate two DHC-2's at the United States Naval Test Pilot School, where they are used to instruct students in the evaluation of lateral-directional flying qualities and to tow gliders.
