De Havilland Canada Part 1

Geoffrey de Havilland’s eponymous company was thriving in the ‘Roaring 20s’ as the world entered a heady period of growth, following the carnage of what was being called the Great War. A number of innovative designs were produced, and de Havilland finally hit pay dirt with the D.H.82 Tiger Moth. In 1931 the Royal Air Force adopted this wood-and-fabric biplane, with its benign handling characteristics, as the basic trainer for its pilots.

This led to a surge in orders as the Tiger Moth (not to be confused with the preceding D.H.60 Moth/Gypsy Moth) was acquired by many other air forces around the world, especially as the clouds of war began to gather in the mid-1930s. Almost 9,000 Tiger Moths (of all variants) were built over the next decade, including many examples at a dedicated subsidiary facility in Toronto, Canada, named De Havilland Canada (DHC). That location, at Downsview Airport, is now fittingly the site of the Canadian Air and Space Museum.

As many feared, the world was soon at war again, and Canada proved to be an ideal location for aircraft manufacturing, safe from the air raids that became a characteristic of the conflict. The German Luftwaffe attacked Britain incessantly, and soon even basic pilot training was moved away from the United Kingdom. Under the auspices of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, locations in various parts of the British Commonwealth, in the main, were mobilized to train crews for Allied air and naval forces. More than 130,000 pilots, navigators, flight engineers, bomb-aimers and gunners were trained in Canada alone, including a few pilots from Ceylon, many of them in the immortal Tiger Moth.

The Canadians improved on the basic Tiger Moth by enclosing the cockpit, installing a tail-wheel (originally it only had a tail-skid as the aircraft was designed for grass airstrips), adding brakes and several other refinements to deal with the harsh conditions experienced in the region. More than 1,500 D.H.82 Tiger Moths and 1,100 de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito fighter/bomber aircraft (constructed entirely of wood, hence the nickname ‘Wooden Wonder’) were produced at the Toronto facility by the end of the war.

With the conflict ending, DHC decided to build its own designs, better suited to the harsh environment in Canada. The first of these was a trainer aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), intended as a replacement for the venerable Tiger Moth. Dubbed the DHC-1 Chipmunk, it was a low-wing, all-metal ‘taildragger’, and became an instant success. The RAF and many other colonial forces also adopted the Chipmunk, which served in almost every corner of Britain’s then-crumbling Empire. When the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) was founded in 1951, 12 Chipmunk T.10 aircraft constituted the fledgling air arm’s initial inventory.

Several generations of pilots were trained in the Tiger Moth and Chipmunk, a testament to the excellence of de Havilland’s design teams. Nearly 900 DHC-1s were built, and many are still in use today, as a basic taildragger training option for pilots who have flown only more modern tricycle gear aircraft.

DHC’s engineers Knew that a tough, reliable and versatile aircraft that could operate year-round from short airstrips in Canada’s remote far north was sorely needed. As previously discussed in this column, the German-built Junkers Ju 52/1m had transformed life for residents of that sparsely populated country in the 1930s. An improved aircraft that could carry half a ton (1,120 pounds or 500 kg) of useful payload and operate on wheels, floats or skis, out of short airstrips was called for.

The solution was the DHC-2 Beaver, an all-metal high-wing monoplane powered by a single Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine. From first delivery in 1948 the Beaver became a legend not just in Canada’s far north and Alaska — where it was affectionately known as the “half-ton flying pickup truck” — but also all over the world, for its outstanding performance, simplicity, ease of maintenance and rugged construction. It had fixed landing gear with a tailwheel but floats or skis could be easily fitted, making the Beaver a true all-year utility aircraft.

Civil operators aside, defense forces in more than 30 countries used the Beaver, including the US Army with 900-plus, some still in use today. A total in excess of 1,600 of these rugged aerial workhorses with their superb short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities were built, until production ceased in 1967. Around 60 were converted to turbine power, fitted with the ubiquitous Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6, and dubbed the Turbo-Beaver Mk.III. The newly rejuvenated parent company, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd, still produces spares for the Beaver (and Turbo-Beaver), many of which continue flying today.

The success and popularity of the Beaver made a larger version inevitable. The DHC-3 Otter was soon being designed, with certification following in 1952. A significantly larger aircraft than the Beaver, it was 41 feet (12m) long with a 58-foot (17.68m) wingspan and gross weight of 8,000 lbs (3,600kg). Both the fuselage and the wings were 10 feet longer than the Beaver’s, and at maximum gross weight it was 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg) heavier. Powered by the Pratt and Whitney R-1340 Wasp nine-cylinder radial, the DHC-3 could carry 11 passengers plus a pilot, almost doubling the Beaver’s capacity of 6+1.

The Otter too proved very successful, with more than 400 built. It was used not only by bush pilots, but also by the US military (184 examples were dubbed the U-1A) and was used extensively during the early stages of the Vietnam war. Air forces in Canada, Australia and India also employed the DHC-3. The Royal Australian Air Force used five, two of which also did service in the Antarctic with the ANARE. Qantas used Otters for several years in Papua New Guinea (then governed by Australia) including at least one of floats. Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) later operated these same aircraft in that country until 1966. The ex-QF floatplane saw later use as a commuter between Palm Beach and Port Stephens in NSW.

As rugged and dependable as their smaller siblings, large numbers of Otters remain in use today, many since upgraded to turbine propulsion using the PT6 or other makes of turbo shaft powerplants. DHC-3T Turbo-Otters provide the bulk of capacity for the many Canadian float-plane users, as the aircraft is so dependable and versatile.

Flushed with success DHC then set out to build a STOL twin, powered by P&W Twin Wasp radial engines. Named the Caribou, after Canada’s reindeer, the DHC-4 was initially designed to meet a US Army specification for a military tactical transport. When the Caribou proved ideal in that role, the US military ultimately became the type’s largest user, with in excess of 150 serving first with the US Army, then later with the USAF (as inter-service rivalry saw the Army lose most of its fixed-wing aircraft) as the CV-2 and C-7. The type saw extensive service during the Vietnam War with both US and Australian forces. A few were even captured by North Vietnamese forces and used by them until the late-1970s.

In addition to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Indian, Malaysian and Spanish air forces employed the aircraft too. More than 300 Caribous were built, but unlike DHC’s single-engine STOL types, very few remain in operation today.

Next, a turbine engine version was designed to meet another US Army specification, but when the USAF gained control of all fixed-wing flying, this was discarded in preference to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Although, as a consequence, sales to the USAF didn’t materialize, the aircraft that ultimately resulted, powered by two General Electric T64 turboprops and with a total production figure of 122, was named the DHC-5 Buffalo, and would be operated by the RCAF, Brazilian and Peruvian forces. A later plan to equip existing airframes with more powerful Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.12 turboprops was abandoned, and production of the DHC-5 Buffalo ceased in 1985.

Despite this setback, De Havilland Canada continued to innovate in the civil sphere, and began developing a twin-engine version of its STOL workhorses. This project, dubbed the DHC-6 Twin Otter, was destined to become the company’s most loved aircraft.

The next column will cover the Twin Otter and later DHC designs, plus the turbulent history of the company.

This is part of a series on the historic propliners that are on Propliner magazine. We follow the birth to the airline industry, the aircraft that made it possible and the slow transition to the jet age. It all began with the DC-3 of course, and my columns move through the other Douglas propliners, the Boeing 377, Lockheed’s Electras and the elegant Constellation. The Brabazon Committee which sparked such a wave of innovation in the UK with the Vickers Viscount, the Bristol Britannia and the ill-fated de Havilland Comet. Many other significant aircraft, such as Avro Canada’s innovative but aborted C-102 passenger jet and the Sud-Aviation Caravelle, which led us into the start of the Jet Age have columns too. Soviet types with their simple and robust characteristics have not been neglected, with Tupolev’s designs paid homage to as well.

A few quirky segues I couldn’t resist: the ‘Double Sunrise’ flights between my two homelands Ceylon and Australia; the wonderful Carvairs and that very British habit of taking your car on holiday. I also had to write a paean to my beloved A380 and all my pilot friends in the Gulf as COVID ended that little dream.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the series as much as I have relished writing them. My special thanks to my old friend, mentor, editor and repository of knowledge Roger Thiedeman, for all the encouragement and support throughout this project.

Related posts:

With over three decades of experience in education, Mary E. Streshly is dedicated to promoting scientific literacy and helping students succeed. The executive director of educational services for the…

The use of agile methodologies has revolutionized the information technology industry. But what is Agile, and what are the differences compared to traditional software development models? In this…

My first payroll job was at McDonald’s when I turned 16 years old. I worked there for 8 years. I closed the store when I was in high school, opened the store when I was in college, and continued to…