The
De Havilland Canada DHC-2
Beaver is a
single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL
aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, primarily
known as a bush plane. It is used for cargo and
passenger hauling, aerial application (crop dusting and
aerial topdressing), and has been widely adopted by
armed forces as a utility aircraft. The United States
Army purchased several hundred; nine DHC-2s are still in
service with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air
Patrol) for search and rescue. A Royal New Zealand Air
Force Beaver supported Sir Edmund Hillary's expedition
to the South Pole. Over 1,600 Beavers were produced
until 1967 when the original line shut down.
Due to its success, the Royal
Canadian Mint commemorated the Beaver on a special
edition Canadian quarter in November 1999.
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 of Kenmore,
Washington provides Beaver and Otter airframes with
zero-hour
fatigue-life ratings, and owns dozens of supplemental
type certificates (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.
The original Wasp Jr radial
engine 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 with a turboprop engine such
as the PT6. 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 financial cost.
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SPECIFICATIONS:
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PERFORMANCE: |
Span:
48 ft 0 in (14.63 m) |
Maximum speed:
158 mph (255 km/h) |
Length:
30 ft 3 in (9.22 m) |
Cruising speed:
143 mph (230 km/h) |
Height:
9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
Range:
455 miles (732 km) |
Empty Weight:
3,000 lb (1,361 kg) |
Service ceiling:
18,000 ft (5,486 m) |
Gross Weight:
5,100 lb (2,313 kg) |
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Crew:
Pilot and up to 6 passengers |
Engines:
1 ×
Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr. radial engine,
450 hp (336 kW) each |
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SOURCE:
Wikipedia |
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