De Havilland (Canada) Beaver
The aircraft, which was formerly XP772 with the Army Air Corps, was acquired
outright from the MOD disposals agency in September 2004.
Stripping of the airframe was carried out and
a full inspection of its condition has been undertaken. In spite of some
time in open storage, little corrosion was found. Repairs were affected
where necessary and work carried out on the fuselage and cabin areas. The
Pratt and Whitney R-985 engine has been overhauled in the USA and is in
storage awaiting fitting at a later date.
With all systems to firewall complete, DHC2
Beaver G-DHCZ has recently emerged from the paint shop at ARC in a striking
new civilian colour scheme. To bring the aircraft up to a much improved
standard a new instrument panel with comprehensive avionics suite has been
added, as well as panorama windows in the rear cabin and blister windows in
the side entry doors, upgraded brakes, a total rewire and fitting of a
custom made luggage bay. The cabin is to be trimmed in high grade leather
and co-ordinated to compliment the exterior colour scheme. Further work and
re-assembly will be undertaken in the near future but no date has been set
for completion. When finished, the aircraft is expected to make a smart and
unusual addition to the Duxford flight line.
The Beaver, a “utility” aircraft which could
operate from short, rough airstrips as well as on floats or skis was first
flown by Russ Bannock in 1947 and was De Havilland Canadian subsidiary’s
second indigenous aircraft design (the first being the DHC-1 Chipmunk). Like
the Chipmunk, the Beaver became a huge international success with the
majority of the 1,692 aircraft manufactured being exported to 63 countries.
These operators have made the Beaver name synonymous with the Canadian
reputation for hard working, rugged dependability. Over400 Beaver aircraft
still live and work in Canada (several having been converted to turbine
engines) and the capabilities of the machine are still hard to equal, thus
ensuring continued use for many years to come. Its development led to the
larger “King Beaver” (known as the Single Otter) and the world famous Twin
Otter. In 1987 the Canadian Engineering Society gave the aircraft one of
their ten outstanding engineering awards; it has even been depicted on a
Canadian stamp and coin.
Serial Number: 1442 G-DHCZ / XP722
Built: 1960
Description: Seven seat light utility transport – all metal construction
Power plant: One 450 HP Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1, 9 cylinder air cooled
engine
Dimensions: Span 48ft, Length 30ft 3 inches, Height 9ft
Weight: Empty 2850 lbs | 
