De Havilland Canada Beaver

DHC-2 Beaver
A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk1 on floats
Role	STOL utility transport
National origin	Canada
Manufacturer	de Havilland Canada
First flight	16 August 1947
Introduction	1948
Status	Production completed
Primary users	regional and remote air carriers United States Army Civil Air Patrol
Produced	1947–1967
Number built	1,657
Developed into	DHC-3 Otter

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by aircraft company de Havilland Canada. It has been primarily operated as a bush plane and has been used for wide variety of utility roles, such as cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application (crop dusting and aerial topdressing), and civil aviation duties.

Shortly after the end of the Second World War, de Havilland Canada made the decision to orientate itself towards civilian operators. Based upon feedback from pilots, the company decided that the envisioned aircraft should have excellent STOL performance, all-metal construction, and accommodate many features sought by the operators of bush planes. On 16 August 1947, the maiden flight of the aircraft, which had received the designation DHC-2 Beaver, took place. In April 1948, the first production aircraft was delivered to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests.

In addition to its use in civilian operations, the Beaver has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft. The United States Army purchased several hundred aircraft; 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. By 1967, in excess of 1,600 Beavers had been constructed prior to the closure of the original assembly line. Various aircraft have been remanufactured and upgraded. Additionally, various proposals have been mooted to return the Beaver to production.

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