What a great documentary. The Beaver is an immortal airplane, that will be flying still long after all of us are gone. Serving the next generation of aviation enthusiasts, pilots, and people in remote areas of this planet.
This sure brings back a lot of memories for me. In 1962 I started work at DeHavilland Canada as a mail carrier. Worked my way up to Girl Friday for the big main guys. P.C. Garrett, Russ Bannock, Buck Buchanan, George Mickleborough and Slippercooper (can’t remember his first name), all wonderful bosses. It was a real pleasure to see Russ Bannock fly Olivia. I was the person that made sure P.C. Had everything in his plane before he left for his cottage in Muskoka on Friday afternoons. I remember when he had a little mishap, which could have been much worse, someone radioed him to tell him that a door was open, he landed on a runway, not sure where, closed the door and got back in his Beaver and continued on his way. He had forgotten to pull up the ladder steps before taking off and landed in the water at Muskoka where he went upside down in the lake. He lost his teeth and had a bump on his head. He had a grandson with him, all was well with both of them as they were fished out and dried off. He was a tough old bird. Oh, and Olivia was named for Olivia DeHavilland!
What a perfect time for my story! My roommate and I went in his Bonanza to get a Hundred Dollar Hamburger and visit the United 232 museum down in Sioux City, IA. On the approach we were following a Gulfstream. The pilot's voice on the radio sounded familiar. After we landed, we parked next to the Gulfstream at the FBO. Going inside, it was deserted except for a couple of pilots. We asked the ramper whose plane it was. He replied "It's Harrison Ford!" As it turns out he was there to pick up his Beaver from being re-painted after completing filming for "Six Days Seven Nights". We met Mr. Ford in the FBO and chatted briefly about airplanes. The voice on approach I thought was so familiar was Han Solo himself! One of my favorite personal stories.
Very cool! I met him in Driggs Idaho when I was working down there building the golf course. My dad flew in to visit and we met while he was parked on the tarmac. He really is a great guy and lover of aircraft!
I grew up in northern Manitoba, Canada and my father was a mechanic at the local airport. The beaver is a great plane and it's wonderful to see so many still flying.
I'm a 'toban as well, born and raised. I'd like to find a way to say that I've saw a lot of beavers in my time growing up there, but ... Doh! I just said it.
My dad was a air radio operator and weather man for Minastry of Trasportation stationed at Enadi Lake NWT and he seen a beaver flying backwards he explained how was in a heavy headwind pilot could reduce power wile maintaing airspeed the plane would just not be able to gain forward movement. Not another aircraft built could fit in to all the factors to do that.
@@turrettooling1968 ....which is why antique and classic vehicles from the desert are highly sought after. Most "rust belt" vehicles have good rubber and plastic parts which are stripped off and put on them.
@@keithlucas6260 I have a 73' Mach One. Virtually showroom. Original Interior. The vinyl and rubber are fine IF you keep them OUT of the sun. It's not the temperature, it the UV I keep it in my garage in the dark... no windows. Yes, I do drive it, mostly at night. You should see the underside. Original textured coating.
I saw a Beaver landing in Idaho and went out to the ramp to take a look and out comes Harrison Ford. That plane was immaculate and Mr. Ford was a true gentleman. We talked planes for a while and I said the Beaver was my second favorite plane which was really dumb because he was flying one, and I still regret saying that. The Beaver, Super Cub, and Storch, those planes are legends.
Oh Lord I love the Radial Engine! The engine is so alive, it breathes our air, it converts chemical food (Fuel) to mechanical motion like we do! I was so disappointed that they didn’t put a R985 back in Olivia .
Back in 1974 I worked in Northern Manitoba doing geophysical exploration, and we flew into remote lakes using one of these aircraft, as well as the successor aircraft, single otter, and twin otter. I'm glad to see that they are still flying today.
I took my first, and only, ride in a Beaver almost 2 years ago. I flew out of Red Lake, Ontario, with my canoe strapped to one of the floats. They dropped me off about 50 miles into Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, and I paddled my way back to Red Lake. The flight was a check-mark on my bucket list, and the 7 days of camping, paddling, and fishing was amazing.
gymcoachdon my first and only flight in a Beaver was a canoe fishing trip 2008 in the Silver Falls area Lake Saganaga/Saganagons for a week was the best ever experience and vacation!! 30 year old female pilot! Great video!!
I flew in the #3 Beaver in the mid 70's as a young exploration geologist out of Pickle Lake, ON. Also took numerous flights in the Beaver that was photographed and used as the inspiration for the one depicted on Canadian coins. It flew out of Rapides des Joachin, PQ and was based in Carp ON. Fond memory of the sound of the Beaver landing to collect us, three days late due to heavy rain and low fog, from a remote work sits. Out of food but fortunately not out of fish!
I loved this video of the restoration of the De Havilland Beaver. I live in Biggin Hill in the UK and am a great fan of the restoration of lovely old flying beauties. On our Airport we have the Heritage Hanger where they restore Spitfires and other WWII aircraft.
This was a great video about such a great plane... I'm not an expert on the Beaver, but I know about it. I trained in a Piper Cub, and I am so glad about that. To fly by stick first, with your instructor behind you, is so classic to me. You really feel like the PIC. I loved watching this, and probably will watch it again... it really is that epic of a video.
It never occurred to me to make the connection between "Olivia" and de Havilland until about 38:00 had elapsed. How very clever of the owner to christen her in that way. And how very fortuitous that SHE would be the subject of this story of resurrection. Just wonderful.
One of my all time favorite aircraft. The other is the Grumman Goose. Listening to their echo off the mountain could be heard all over town when they took off out in the channel.
Worked on these for the UK Army back in the 90’s, the engine itself is a thing of beauty. It can literally float at a standstill with the right wind conditions
In 1957,8,9, I was in Security at the Nevada Test Site. Before each of the above-ground nuclear tests, my assignment was to assure that no people were present in the projected fallout paths. Major Harry Elmendorf, Commanding Officer of (then) Indian Springs AFB, flew me in a Beaver on the air sweeps, through canyons and ravines, often just a few feet off the ground. He was a great pilot, and the Beaver was an incredible aircraft, landing on rough dirt roads, grunting and shuddering, while it pulled us up out of box canyons, and gliding like an eagle, when we ran out of fuel. I'll never forget it.
What a great film! I've no interest in light aircraft (any aircraft) but found this really interesting. Of course the sound of the Beaver was instantly recognisable and it was nice to finally learn something about this small plane with such a huge personality. Thanks.
It's exciting to see planes being restored from a complete wreck, left out in very bad weather conditions , and forgotten. It's good to see them up in the sky again. Keep it up boys and girls.
I completely agree..the beaver is ground zero for reliability, longevity, comfort, and you just can't wear one out. Congrats to the millions of beavers out there, that are still taking a pounding and feel just as wonderful as that first flight..We love you, beaver.
The first radials were called rotaries because the crankcase and cylinders spun around a stationary crankshaft. The Canadians still use the term for radials on occasion.
What a wonderful video about restoring a military Beaver that had been left unloved for a decade . . . . . . . .nothing better than a restored military Beaver . . . . . .
I worked on the Superior National Forest from 1965 into 1972. The Forest Service had 3 or 4 Beavers that were used to fly fire patrol over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA, a 1 million acre plus Federally designated wilderness). The airplanes were fitted with water tanks that could pick pick up several hundred gallons of water while just skinning over the surface of the water to drop on fires. They were also used to carry work crews with canoes strapped onto the pontoons into the wilderness to do maintenance work at remote campsites on the many lakes within the BWCA. I had the pleasure of flying in the Beaver on many occasions. We had several outstanding pilots but one stood out to me. His name was Steve Geen, (Sp?) a full blooded Chippewa from Northern Minnesota. (I believe Steve flew with Ted Williams in the Korean War). In any event he was a hero to me. To this day I still tell the story of Steve and the Beaver picking up myself and crew from Horseshoe Lake, ( about 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais). He got the Beaver up on one float, careened around the first bay and then the second bay before lifting off in time to clear rapidly looming trees in front of us. We had maybe 6 people, two canoes and all of our tools. No problem for Steve and the Beaver.
I have had the opportunity to fly in a Beaver to get to work in a remote logging camp in BC. It's ability to take off with floats was so much quicker than any Cesna I was in landing at larger lakes. Radial engine, loud and proud.
WOW! I've watched this 20 times. The freaking last line in video: "it's just something that... burns it's way into your psyche... it's a beautiful thing." Soo trippy that this plane does this IRL.
My brothers and some friends flew to Mt. Mckinnley { Denali } summer of 2019 on K2, a Charter flight operator, and it was a great ride. The pilots raved about what an amazing aircraft it was, it did have the turbine driven prop and skiis to land on the glacier of the mountain. From my seat in the back it was a fantastic ride, and it seemed to fly much more like a larger airplane than it appears to be from this video. It leaves you feeling like you were on a commercial connector flight. Thank you De Havilland for your creation and innovation !
I love that plane. One occasion in Alaska we were being flown out of our camp via a very small like by a Beaver. My fishing partners told me to ride in front since I had been a military pilot. We started our shuddering takeoff roll using more and more of the lake but finally lifted off but the terrain and tree line was still above us. I asked the pilot if we were going to clear the trees, he answered “I think so”. I asked when would he know for sure and he said “when we get to the trees”. I have to admit that I wish Olivia had been restored as a piston powered Beaver.
I like how, in the credits, Mr Ford is listed as ‘pilot’... his actor status is downplayed so much to be almost non-existent.. typical Canadian modesty, transferred and put into filmmaking 👍
As an aircraft technician with the British army I was fortunate to work on and fly in Beavers for a few years. Initially I was a bit pissed off as I wanted to carry on playing with helicopters but I soon fell in love with the aircraft. I managed to mix doing rotary and fixed wing and that was fine by me. At the time I was serving they were used a lot in Northern Ireland for aerial reconnaissance and were fitted with a variety of large and very expensive cameras. I spent a lot of time as P2 but there was not enough room for us to wear proper aircrew body armour as the seats would not go back far enough for us to pull the controls back in order to take off, so we wore infantry flak jackets and kept our fingers crossed. 🤞There was a makrolon liner in the seat as "armour" against shots from below but we sat on the dinghy pack that was strapped to our backsides and leaned back against a parachute which I hoped I would never have to test. No comfy cushions! Back in England we did some fairly extensive maintenance on them to keep them flying and they were a joy to work on, a proper soldier's aircraft. The last Beaver I came into contact with was in Akureyri while I was training new aircraft engineers in Iceland and the owner was delighted when I mentioned I had experience with them. His aircraft was a former British army aircraft that had been recovered from somewhere in Africa, beautifully restored and fitted with floats and he was rightfully very proud of it. He said we should fly to Grimsey, an island off the north coast of Iceland, so I could get a certificate for entering the Arctic Circle and also get to see how a Beaver handled "with a couple of boats hanging off the bottom", as he put it. Sadly, on the day we'd set aside to fly it was snowing sideways at about 70 mph so I never got to fly it.
My dad who flew the Mosquito Bomber in WW2 as the navigator, talked highly of the Beaver plane . He built several altered versions of flying motorized models some in the familiar yellow colour and black stripes. Didn’t know it was built by Dehavilland just like the Mosquito. Looks like I found a new friend. Thanks for showing this video. I had really enjoyed it and learned a lot about the Beaver.
@@chucklemasters6433 Huh? Their is no mention of my dad flying a Beaver, he built the model Beavers only. The Mossie he did fly the Mosquito, not on missions maybe.
Fascinating story of a storied aircraft. I have to say It’s rather incredible that a famous actor as in Harrison Ford was so impressed with the Beaver he chose to buy one and rehab it because he knew the true value of the aircraft: the history of all those involved with the legend.
The sound a beaver makes in flight transports me back 50 years to being a wide eyed kid stopping and watching every plane that flew over a small town in northern Minnesota
The Beaver and the Otter are planes that excite me in ways only a few instances of technology can. As a Canadian the original intent of DeHaviland is part of my genetic makeup. Those who find and restore them are true heroes.
I flew as a map technician on a fire in '75 in AK. We were based on a small, kidney-shaped lake and when the pilot took off he tilted the plane onto one float to not only make the sweeping takeoff, but to reduce the drag. NEVER felt safer in a plane than this one; and I was in several different types in my five years there. Landing on floats is an experience!
Oh Lord I love the Radial Engine! The engine is so alive, it breathes our air, it converts chemical food (Fuel) to mechanical motion like we do! I was so disappointed that they didn’t put a R985 back in Olivia .
Ya Im kinda on board with this as well .. If they wanted a turbine just buy a new Cessna Caravan or a Quest Kodiac ... there is really nothing special about a Beaver with a turbine engine because there are a few new ones on the market that are way better ... The Beaver is only special with the radial .
One of the beaver conversions here ran a tpe331, other than the scream and avtur stink (and not true to the Pratt heritage I guess), the turbines is a better mousetrap all round via ROC, load, no shock cooling, etc. I can't see why you wouldn't want more capability for a bush plane.
My father has a beaver! We have her at falcon field in Arizona and I cherish the time I spend in her, especially when I go up by myself. Her name is Christine and yes--she is cherry red! Amazing aircraft, that still rivals aircraft today!
So admire these men that have the desire, foresight, and the indefatigable strength ( a quite a bit of cash) to bring these warbirds back to life. It gives me great admiration to restore the planes to their former greatness for future generations to admire. Thank you Spark to bringing the fascinating story of this aviation history to those interested in their contribution to aviation and to Canadian Greatness.
I’ve been lucky to fly on two Beavers owned by Enchanted Lake Lodge in Alaska fly fishing. They are refurbished every year and look brand new. We’ve been in ponds where all of the guides and fishermen had to get off of the plane so that it could take off. It was amazing to see how it could get in and off of rivers. Give it enough space to get it on step (get the floats on plane like a motor boat) the pilot could just give a small wiggle to get one float out of the water and off you would go. I’m NOT a pilot, but I flew right seat a lot. With a little guess work and a ton of luck I feel like I could almost fly it. Landing it would be another thing 😀. I loved every flight!
What an amazing production of an amazing product. I am so proud that my dad used to work for this company in the 70’and 80’s. I wish they would dust of the tooling on the production line of this legend. I can’t imagine what this aircraft could be if they could marry todays advances in avionics with the best attributes of this legend!
de Havilland has built a number of great planes. The very versatile Mosquito of WW2, the Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter. The US military doesn't often use foreign made aircraft but had to employ the Beaver. Probably the most capable small aircraft ever built.
I was a crew chief at Ft Benning, we had 6 Beavers flew radio relay + other missions , as 11th air assault airmobile , later became 1St . Cav . Love those days . Got to fly it to as well a maintaining it . there are records for all known a/c still . Also found one of the a/c we had then is still flying on pontoons north of Montreal , Canada . My fault , never went after a license , regret it most ! D Lagro
Having served in a aviation unit in Vietnam with a dozen Beaver's and some Otter's, I got many hours in the Beaver, and with sounds a Nam Vet will never forget was the Beaver and Huey Helicopter. Those two aircraft sounds still my neck hair stand up!
When I was learning to fly at KFAX ( Fairfax airport KCKs ) in the 1960s, the Army pilots from Ft.Levenworth would practice touch and go’s at FAX, I learned about ground loops at that time, really a tough airplane.
My late father operated the world's largest civilian Beaver fleet (the US Army had the biggest one) all used on agricultural work. I think there were 50 of them at the peak. Extremely hard working and reliable machines. He converted one to a turbine and it is still flying today even though the original airframe is 60 years old.
My first ever airplane ride was in a DHC-2 Beaver on floats, in 1968 (I was then 7...). It happened at Lac (lake) Mance in La Sarre, Québec, and it was operated by "La Sarre Air Service" (now called Propair). Great video and REALLY a fanstastic airplane made by DHC in Dowsview!! (I had tears watching it, believe it or not) At the time the film was made (in 2006?), the Beaver was indeed the Canadian plane that sold the most. The Bombardier Canadair CRJ has since taken the crown with more than 2000 sold. Sadly, the CRJ is in its last year of production (in Mirabel, Qc) to make room for the Airbus A220 (CSeries) production ramp up.
When I was a child, growing up in Central Africa, I used to fly between Lilongwe and Mzuzu (in Nyasaland) to go to boarding school. My friend David and I used to take it in turns to sit beside the pilot. It was great to see the Beaver again.
Beautiful video! I got to do some work on the Beaver in the 1980's at the US Test Pilot School at NAS PAX River. In the late 80s or early 90s they purchased 2 more from the Main forestry service. The primary mission was for towing/launching gliders. I sadly never got to fly in one but will never forget the sound and throb of the engine, beautiful. The school also had one Otter.
I was a forest ranger in Nova Scotia in the 70's and was stationed at L+F Waverley. We had a Beaver stationed there and a Canso at the airport in Enfield. We also had a Hughes 500E helicopter and frankly as reliable as the old beaver was I preferred flying in the Hughes mainly because of the fumes that filled the cockpit of the Beaver (not to mention the vibration). Did anyone else have this experience?
Ketchikan, Alaska, had it's share of Beavers. I only rode a few, but never remember fumes. The US Coast Guard took charter flights to service buoys & lights on a regular basis, as Ketchikan was the industrial base for all of Alaska, and none of the technicians complained of that. After the CG air-station moved to Sitka, we had to rely on local chater services for rescues, once in awhile. The Beaver could handle worse weather, and SE Alaska has it's share of that.
@@leifjenkinson4039 I imagine the Coast Guard flying over the north Pacific had newer and better maintained Beavers than the ones we had in NS. The rivets were loose on the floats so you had to be carefull they weren't waterlogged for take-off. The Canso was a fire water bomber also made by deHaviland and it would take on water if moored for too long so you could not take off. Bush pilots back in the day were part cowboy. We flew in by helicopter to remote spots where the blades would look like they would hit a dead tree. Once we were dropped off to fight a fire and had to jump out of the helicopter into the lake with our gear to clear a spot to put down.
I flew in a Harbor Air Beaver from Vancouver, B.C. out to Salt Spring Island (now Ganges I believe) almost 40 years ago. As a pilot, it was very impressed, even as a passenger in the right-hand seat Glad I did. For any flyer, experiencing one is rather like visiting an important historical site.
5-10-2020, I liked all Harrison Ford's movie's, and I'm very impressed with this beaver air plane, I'm very sick, have a lot of health problems but before I die I sure would like to take a ride in a beaver air craft God bless you for putting this plane back to gether.
As a kid I spent a lot of time visiting my grandmother at the southern end of the mighty Moosehead lake in Greenville, Maine in the 50's & 60's. There were several float plane services in the cove - primarily Cessna's and one bad-ass Beaver. From the time I was a child into my teens - you ALWAYS knew when that bad-boy was taking off... Even now 50 years later the thought of it brings a smile.
In 2006 a friend and I paid for a sightseeing flight around the San Francisco Bay area. This was in a float equipped Beaver at Sausalito. I was seated to the right of the pilot. It was a twenty minute flight south over the Golden Gate down the coast, then east and over Candlestick Park (since demolished). Then north with Oakland on the right and downtown on the left, proceeding over Alcatraz, finally landing back on the north end of the bay. We lucked out on the weather, it was clear and sunny, unusual for the bay area! 90 knots @ 1000 feet.
I'm saw that Beaver, tied down just off Sausalito. It's a beautiful aircraft, predominantly yellow, as I recall. They say that Alcatraz is a great tourist destination but you made a case for the flight. I'm the son of a Pilot though the Beaver was never really on my RADAR before.
I have about 6000 hrs. in the the PT-6 powered de Havelland Twin Otters I have always admired the Beaver. I am glad to see its evolution. I have landed the 20 passanger DHC-6 in the Disney parking lot. STOL A/C landed in less than 600' Reversing Props, are more effective than Jet eng. 'Buckets'.
Like in the movie named "As Good As It Gets", those 2 birds, that sums it up very well. No matter what, something can only be so good, after that, more is just more. Might be bigger, might be faster, but they ain't better....
Back in the early 1970’s I joined the Aloha SAR squadron of the CAP at HNL. I met the most amazing airplane and pilots of my life. I started flying with a guy who had been a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam. He took me on all his Beaver flights. We took off one evening from Hilo going back to Honolulu. As he rotated and got her in the air he said “Oh Shit.” I was a Private Pilot with maybe 70hrs total time. I started wondering why the Oh Shit. Coming up over Lanai he says you got it. So I started flying this old Beaver. I tried my hardest to hold heading and altitude straight to HNL. I must have done a fairly good job because he never said a word until I turned final and he said “I got it now and oh by the way the tail wheel came off we left ITO. He then said did you see it zoom down the runway during liftoff? I said nope as he touched down & made a great landing. He convinced me to stick with flying and I did. Now 45 years later I’m retired having flown around the world got 9 type ratings and 14000+ hours with no regrets. I got to fly the Beaver about 30 more times and an L19 Birddog with Steve Chock. It was a great experience flying those planes with great people all over Hawaii for 5 years. Then I chased a blue eyed blond who had dumped me all the way to Saginaw MI where she said No again and slammed the door in my face. So I. Continued on to NYC and home. What a great start to my aviation career the people the place was a highlight of my life. Aloha nuiloa Mark S
Excellent history lesson into the DeHavilland Beaver Aircraft. DeHavilland was a well known company around Toronto and Malton areas back in the day.👍👍🇨🇦
Olivia de Havilland played Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, and even had her own musical theme in the film. She lost the Best Actress Oscar to Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy in the movie - the first African American to win an Oscar.
I have a few hundred hours flying a (DHC-2) Beaver on floats and skiis, well over a thousand on the DHC-3 Otter. Both planes were brilliantly designed. As an example, the power lever-type controls (throttle, mixture, prop pitch) were far enough apart that you could easily manipulate them while wearing thick caribou gloves in winter. Cessnas, with their push/pull controls set close together, were a pain in the butt. I've flown over 15 different types and the Beaver is the easiest plane I've ever flown. It still needed respect as it was over twice the weight of a Cessna 172. But for a working bush aircraft . . . the places you could get into . . . amazing. (Not as good as a 180hp Super Cub with a STOL kit though.)
these beauties were built for what they do best: rugged mountainous terrain flight......I noticed you mention the Piper Super Cub.........Piper made great stuff too......hell, I just remembered a crazy story involving an L-44 Grasshopper (the military version of the Cub) being turned into the noble steed of Bazooka Charlie!
These Beaver Planes are used extensively in Northern Canada.. one of these saved me by flying me to a hospital out of the Boreal Forest north of 56 parallel.. we watch these take off from the seaplane base everyday
Thankyou...that irritates me more than it should and seems to be a fairly commonly made error... Stilll imagine the Torque problems the beaver would have had WITH an ACTUAL ROTARY engine that powerful! LOL
Good old you tube i feel richer for having seen this, a truly wonderful story, planes, boats and cars why do we love them so much. New just is not the same
Decades ago, during my hunting days I was flown up into the northern Rockies in a De Havilland Beaver with that awesome Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine. My last trip was in a turbo Beaver. It just wasn't the same.
The original plane must be,for a pilot(I am not) an unforgetting journey through one's life and memories.Fitting a turboprop is a tribute to modernity,but it change the sound of the past.What is important,as we see here,is the love and craftmanship these guys put in the project.Congratulations!
What a terrific video of nostalgia and so well produced! The last time I was lucky enough to be aboard a radial beaver was during a remembrance celebrations for the crews of the double sunrise service of WW11 at which a Catalina did several fly overs of Sydney Harbour. Now there's another radial engine sound you won't forget! I went in honour of my father who flew this "other immortal" flying boat. Yes, I know- its not a float plane but they are both long range, work horse, amphibians and Oh So wonderful to see and hear flying. H
My late father-in-law flew Beavers, Otters and Turbo-Beavers for Ontario's Lands & Forests/Ministry of Natural Resources from about 1950 to 1981. There's a short clip of C-FOBS at the 20:48 mark where it's demonstrating water bombing, and he's likely the pilot!
What a great documentary. The Beaver is an immortal airplane, that will be flying still long after all of us are gone. Serving the next generation of aviation enthusiasts, pilots, and people in remote areas of this planet.
This sure brings back a lot of memories for me. In 1962 I started work at DeHavilland Canada as a mail carrier. Worked my way up to Girl Friday for the big main guys. P.C. Garrett, Russ Bannock, Buck Buchanan, George Mickleborough and Slippercooper (can’t remember his first name), all wonderful bosses. It was a real pleasure to see Russ Bannock fly Olivia. I was the person that made sure P.C. Had everything in his plane before he left for his cottage in Muskoka on Friday afternoons. I remember when he had a little mishap, which could have been much worse, someone radioed him to tell him that a door was open, he landed on a runway, not sure where, closed the door and got back in his Beaver and continued on his way. He had forgotten to pull up the ladder steps before taking off and landed in the water at Muskoka where he went upside down in the lake. He lost his teeth and had a bump on his head. He had a grandson with him, all was well with both of them as they were fished out and dried off. He was a tough old bird. Oh, and Olivia was named for Olivia DeHavilland!
Thank -you for the memories!
and you worshipped this dildo? what a moron!
my god what a nimrod, he should have his license revoked just like your most famous devotee harrison ford. what a dufus!
Lived in Tucson near Davis-Monthan AFB 'boneyard' and son of a career Army artillery 'spotter' pilot... This story of 'Olivia' pulled my heart-strings
Just came for the innuendos..stayed for one of the best historical doccies I've seen.
This Beaver story lets me know we live on a beautiful planet . With a couple tears in my eyes , I thank you for the documentary ...
What a perfect time for my story! My roommate and I went in his Bonanza to get a Hundred Dollar Hamburger and visit the United 232 museum down in Sioux City, IA. On the approach we were following a Gulfstream. The pilot's voice on the radio sounded familiar. After we landed, we parked next to the Gulfstream at the FBO. Going inside, it was deserted except for a couple of pilots. We asked the ramper whose plane it was. He replied "It's Harrison Ford!" As it turns out he was there to pick up his Beaver from being re-painted after completing filming for "Six Days Seven Nights". We met Mr. Ford in the FBO and chatted briefly about airplanes. The voice on approach I thought was so familiar was Han Solo himself! One of my favorite personal stories.
Very cool! I met him in Driggs Idaho when I was working down there building the golf course. My dad flew in to visit and we met while he was parked on the tarmac. He really is a great guy and lover of aircraft!
Great story on H. Ford, thanks.
Great story
I met Harrison Ford in Washington DC back in the 90s and he was a total asshole!
Ted Langston Every time I see a comment like yours I wonder how many times you had a bad day and how many people would say the same about you.
In the words of the late great Leslie Nielsen "Nice Beaver"
Leslie Neilson being a Canadian spent a lot of time in the bush.
Hey, we're talkin about an airplane here Scott. Not a furry lil animal.
@Peter Lorimer Hot and cold running beaver, you say?
Thank you, I just had it stuffed!
Oohrah!
I grew up in northern Manitoba, Canada and my father was a mechanic at the local airport. The beaver is a great plane and it's wonderful to see so many still flying.
I'm a 'toban as well, born and raised. I'd like to find a way to say that I've saw a lot of beavers in my time growing up there, but ... Doh! I just said it.
Hi I grew up in Churchill as well, any chance that was where you were.
My dad was a air radio operator and weather man for Minastry of Trasportation stationed at Enadi Lake NWT and he seen a beaver flying backwards he explained how was in a heavy headwind pilot could reduce power wile maintaing airspeed the plane would just not be able to gain forward movement. Not another aircraft built could fit in to all the factors to do that.
@@thebotformalityknownasdale2564 The Pas near Clearwater Lake in the 50's to the 70's
"Rows of old military planes, rusting in the hot desert sun." Not a chance. The reason these planes are parked in the desert is so they DON'T rust!
Right. All the rubber and plastic parts probably get really damaged.
@@turrettooling1968 ....which is why antique and classic vehicles from the desert are highly sought after.
Most "rust belt" vehicles have good rubber and plastic parts which are stripped off and put on them.
@@keithlucas6260 I have a 73' Mach One. Virtually showroom. Original Interior. The vinyl and rubber are fine IF you keep them OUT of the sun.
It's not the temperature, it the UV
I keep it in my garage in the dark... no windows. Yes, I do drive it, mostly at night. You should see the underside. Original textured coating.
@@turrettooling1968 ,
@@turrettooling1968 Damged? You mean they disintegrate, they fall apart. Just like Apple rubbers does after 2-3 years ;)
I've had the great pleasure of meeting many of these former de Haviland guys at commemorative events. It was very special seeing them again here.
"You can always rely on a Beaver."
-A truer word has never been spoken
I saw a Beaver landing in Idaho and went out to the ramp to take a look and out comes Harrison Ford. That plane was immaculate and Mr. Ford was a true gentleman. We talked planes for a while and I said the Beaver was my second favorite plane which was really dumb because he was flying one, and I still regret saying that. The Beaver, Super Cub, and Storch, those planes are legends.
Oh Lord I love the Radial Engine! The engine is so alive, it breathes our air, it converts chemical food (Fuel) to mechanical motion like we do! I was so disappointed that they didn’t put a R985 back in Olivia .
Ditto on the Storch aircraft.
Back in 1974 I worked in Northern Manitoba doing geophysical exploration, and we flew into remote lakes using one of these aircraft, as well as the successor aircraft, single otter, and twin otter. I'm glad to see that they are still flying today.
I took my first, and only, ride in a Beaver almost 2 years ago. I flew out of Red Lake, Ontario, with my canoe strapped to one of the floats. They dropped me off about 50 miles into Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, and I paddled my way back to Red Lake. The flight was a check-mark on my bucket list, and the 7 days of camping, paddling, and fishing was amazing.
gymcoachdon my first and only flight in a Beaver was a canoe fishing trip 2008 in the Silver Falls area Lake Saganaga/Saganagons for a week was the best ever experience and vacation!! 30 year old female pilot! Great video!!
that is a freaking amazing camping/outdoor adventure
I must say that in all my life I never thought I'd get to see Olivia De Haviland's beaver.
Geeeee........I bet it was real slick 😋
ya sick bastard !
And fully rejuvenated no less...
Everyone was thinking it Bob!😂
@ sick and magnificent!
There's just something about a radial. Beavers and Cessna 195s... two of the best looking and best sounding aircraft out there.
I flew in the #3 Beaver in the mid 70's as a young exploration geologist out of Pickle Lake, ON. Also took numerous flights in the Beaver that was photographed and used as the inspiration for the one depicted on Canadian coins. It flew out of Rapides des Joachin, PQ and was based in Carp ON.
Fond memory of the sound of the Beaver landing to collect us, three days late due to heavy rain and low fog, from a remote work sits. Out of food but fortunately not out of fish!
I loved this video of the restoration of the De Havilland Beaver. I live in Biggin Hill in the UK and am a great fan of the restoration of lovely old flying beauties. On our Airport we have the Heritage Hanger where they restore Spitfires and other WWII aircraft.
😢
This was a great video about such a great plane... I'm not an expert on the Beaver, but I know about it. I trained in a Piper Cub, and I am so glad about that. To fly by stick first, with your instructor behind you, is so classic to me. You really feel like the PIC. I loved watching this, and probably will watch it again... it really is that epic of a video.
I used to live on the glidepath to lake Hood in Anchorage and enjoyed the Beavers on floats the way to the busiest floatplane base on summer evenings.
Every man should have the opportunity to enjoy a beaver.
It never occurred to me to make the connection between "Olivia" and de Havilland until about 38:00 had elapsed. How very clever of the owner to christen her in that way. And how very fortuitous that SHE would be the subject of this story of resurrection. Just wonderful.
I was just thinking that
That's engineering
The balance
One of my all time favorite aircraft. The other is the Grumman Goose.
Listening to their echo off the mountain could be heard all over town when they took off out in the channel.
Worked on these for the UK Army back in the 90’s, the engine itself is a thing of beauty. It can literally float at a standstill with the right wind conditions
Wings on your back. Heavenly!
I watch seven days seven nights over and over again .vintage Harrison Ford smile with a simple.
Great film, seen it many times myself, Anne Hecht, DH Beaver, and of course Mr Ford what's not to love.
In 1957,8,9, I was in Security at the Nevada Test Site. Before each of the above-ground nuclear tests, my assignment was to assure that no people were present in the projected fallout paths. Major Harry Elmendorf, Commanding Officer of (then) Indian Springs AFB, flew me in a Beaver on the air sweeps, through canyons and ravines, often just a few feet off the ground. He was a great pilot, and the Beaver was an incredible aircraft, landing on rough dirt roads, grunting and shuddering, while it pulled us up out of box canyons, and gliding like an eagle, when we ran out of fuel. I'll never forget it.
What a great film! I've no interest in light aircraft (any aircraft) but found this really interesting. Of course the sound of the Beaver was instantly recognisable and it was nice to finally learn something about this small plane with such a huge personality. Thanks.
It's exciting to see planes being restored from a complete wreck, left out in very bad weather conditions , and forgotten. It's good to see them up in the sky again. Keep it up boys and girls.
Great video. Kinda brings a tear to my eyes. A tear of joy seeing Olivia returning to the sky.
I completely agree..the beaver is ground zero for reliability, longevity, comfort, and you just can't wear one out. Congrats to the millions of beavers out there, that are still taking a pounding and feel just as wonderful as that first flight..We love you, beaver.
Not quite millions sir, sadly only 1673 were made!
That's the second video recently that I have heard someone call a radial engine a 'rotary'. A big difference!
I was incandescent with radial rage :)
The first radials were called rotaries because the crankcase and cylinders spun around a stationary crankshaft. The Canadians still use the term for radials on occasion.
@@LordMekanicus if the cylinders are spinning around a stationary crankshaft, doesn't that make it a rotary?
@igbc1876. That makes it a Rotary-Piston. Weird little things they are. Ignition switch is the throttle.
Sorry i got your handle wrong, me an my thumbs don't often agree. Igvc1876, sorry about the typo.
What a wonderful video about restoring a military Beaver that had been left unloved for a decade . . . . . . . .nothing better than a restored military Beaver . . . . . .
Heart-warming stuff. But the Pratt & Whitney Wasp was a radial engine, not rotary as the commentator said.
I worked on the Superior National Forest from 1965 into 1972. The Forest Service had 3 or 4 Beavers that were used to fly fire patrol over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA, a 1 million acre plus Federally designated wilderness). The airplanes were fitted with water tanks that could pick pick up several hundred gallons of water while just skinning over the surface of the water to drop on fires. They were also used to carry work crews with canoes strapped onto the pontoons into the wilderness to do maintenance work at remote campsites on the many lakes within the BWCA. I had the pleasure of flying in the Beaver on many occasions. We had several outstanding pilots but one stood out to me. His name was Steve Geen, (Sp?) a full blooded Chippewa from Northern Minnesota. (I believe Steve flew with Ted Williams in the Korean War). In any event he was a hero to me. To this day I still tell the story of Steve and the Beaver picking up myself and crew from Horseshoe Lake, ( about 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais). He got the Beaver up on one float, careened around the first bay and then the second bay before lifting off in time to clear rapidly looming trees in front of us. We had maybe 6 people, two canoes and all of our tools. No problem for Steve and the Beaver.
Great Story Thanks for that!
I have had the opportunity to fly in a Beaver to get to work in a remote logging camp in BC. It's ability to take off with floats was so much quicker than any Cesna I was in landing at larger lakes. Radial engine, loud and proud.
Gotta love that Beaver!
WOW! I've watched this 20 times. The freaking last line in video: "it's just something that... burns it's way into your psyche... it's a beautiful thing." Soo trippy that this plane does this IRL.
Thank you Canada for such an amazing aircraft !
My brothers and some friends flew to Mt. Mckinnley { Denali } summer of 2019 on K2, a Charter flight operator, and it was a great ride. The pilots raved about what an amazing aircraft it was, it did have the turbine driven prop and skiis to land on the glacier of the mountain. From my seat in the back it was a fantastic ride, and it seemed to fly much more like a larger airplane than it appears to be from this video. It leaves you feeling like you were on a commercial connector flight. Thank you De Havilland for your creation and innovation !
I love that plane. One occasion in Alaska we were being flown out of our camp via a very small like by a Beaver. My fishing partners told me to ride in front since I had been a military pilot. We started our shuddering takeoff roll using more and more of the lake but finally lifted off but the terrain and tree line was still above us. I asked the pilot if we were going to clear the trees, he answered “I think so”. I asked when would he know for sure and he said “when we get to the trees”. I have to admit that I wish Olivia had been restored as a piston powered Beaver.
What a treat this video is, especially with Mr. Banach taking off and flying Olivia.
A great tribute to a great aircraft. Thanks. Don't forget the Beaver's bigger sister, the DHC Otter too.
Nada to touch it - a most remarkable piece of engineering design and achievement. SIMPLICITY, FUNCTIONALITY, RELIABILITY...Great stuff!!
What a great documentary! Nice that Harrison Ford was a part of this.
I like how, in the credits, Mr Ford is listed as ‘pilot’... his actor status is downplayed so much to be almost non-existent.. typical Canadian modesty, transferred and put into filmmaking 👍
As an aircraft technician with the British army I was fortunate to work on and fly in Beavers for a few years. Initially I was a bit pissed off as I wanted to carry on playing with helicopters but I soon fell in love with the aircraft. I managed to mix doing rotary and fixed wing and that was fine by me.
At the time I was serving they were used a lot in Northern Ireland for aerial reconnaissance and were fitted with a variety of large and very expensive cameras. I spent a lot of time as P2 but there was not enough room for us to wear proper aircrew body armour as the seats would not go back far enough for us to pull the controls back in order to take off, so we wore infantry flak jackets and kept our fingers crossed. 🤞There was a makrolon liner in the seat as "armour" against shots from below but we sat on the dinghy pack that was strapped to our backsides and leaned back against a parachute which I hoped I would never have to test. No comfy cushions!
Back in England we did some fairly extensive maintenance on them to keep them flying and they were a joy to work on, a proper soldier's aircraft.
The last Beaver I came into contact with was in Akureyri while I was training new aircraft engineers in Iceland and the owner was delighted when I mentioned I had experience with them. His aircraft was a former British army aircraft that had been recovered from somewhere in Africa, beautifully restored and fitted with floats and he was rightfully very proud of it. He said we should fly to Grimsey, an island off the north coast of Iceland, so I could get a certificate for entering the Arctic Circle and also get to see how a Beaver handled "with a couple of boats hanging off the bottom", as he put it. Sadly, on the day we'd set aside to fly it was snowing sideways at about 70 mph so I never got to fly it.
My dad who flew the Mosquito Bomber in WW2 as the navigator, talked highly of the Beaver plane . He built several altered versions of flying motorized models some in the familiar yellow colour and black stripes. Didn’t know it was built by Dehavilland just like the Mosquito. Looks like I found a new friend. Thanks for showing this video. I had really enjoyed it and learned a lot about the Beaver.
seems there are quite a few things you don't know! beaver plane? flew as the navigator? the navigator never got anywhere NEAR the controls dear.
@@chucklemasters6433 Huh? Their is no mention of my dad flying a Beaver, he built the model Beavers only. The Mossie he did fly the Mosquito, not on missions maybe.
Fascinating story of a storied aircraft. I have to say It’s rather incredible that a famous actor as in Harrison Ford was so impressed with the Beaver he chose to buy one and rehab it because he knew the true value of the aircraft: the history of all those involved with the legend.
It's RUclips content like this makes television obsolete. Great video!
but this is a tv show from 2008
A new beaver every day sounds like a life goal.
The longer I keep watching this video,the more I forget that they are talking about a plane... I just hear "beaver". Pits a different spin on it
Harrison Ford says that it makes him happy to get in his Beaver. Gotta trust him on that.
The sound a beaver makes in flight transports me back 50 years to being a wide eyed kid stopping and watching every plane that flew over a small town in northern Minnesota
The Beaver and the Otter are planes that excite me in ways only a few instances of technology can. As a Canadian the original intent of DeHaviland is part of my genetic makeup. Those who find and restore them are true heroes.
Piper Cubs probably edge onto that list too
Gutsy litle STOL beasts
Thank you for this interesting story about a great plane and the people that loved it.
Thank you Mr. Ford for contributing to this fantastic documentary. Happy flying sir!
I've heard that in between crashes and accidents he does enjoy some happy flying!
I flew as a map technician on a fire in '75 in AK. We were based on a small, kidney-shaped lake and when the pilot took off he tilted the plane onto one float to not only make the sweeping takeoff, but to reduce the drag. NEVER felt safer in a plane than this one; and I was in several different types in my five years there. Landing on floats is an experience!
Oh Lord I love the Radial Engine! The engine is so alive, it breathes our air, it converts chemical food (Fuel) to mechanical motion like we do! I was so disappointed that they didn’t put a R985 back in Olivia .
Steven Whalen ah , lived , learned to skydive with a Cessna 195 with a wasp jr radial , just a sweet sound
A beaver MUST have a radial engine. The new one changes the beavers look completely.
My buddy has a Broussard. Definitely inspired by the Beaver. It would be wrong to have anything but a Wasp Junior in it.
Ya Im kinda on board with this as well .. If they wanted a turbine just buy a new Cessna Caravan or a Quest Kodiac ... there is really nothing special about a Beaver with a turbine engine because there are a few new ones on the market that are way better ... The Beaver is only special with the radial .
One of the beaver conversions here ran a tpe331, other than the scream and avtur stink (and not true to the Pratt heritage I guess), the turbines is a better mousetrap all round via ROC, load, no shock cooling, etc. I can't see why you wouldn't want more capability for a bush plane.
My father has a beaver! We have her at falcon field in Arizona and I cherish the time I spend in her, especially when I go up by myself. Her name is Christine and yes--she is cherry red! Amazing aircraft, that still rivals aircraft today!
I was a crew chief in one of these in Vietnam . U-6A R-985 Call sign good Guys tail number 794 Great memories !
Thanx for your service and welcome home, Brother! ^v^
@@taproom113 Thanks !
So admire these men that have the desire, foresight, and the indefatigable strength ( a quite a bit of cash) to bring these warbirds back to life. It gives me great admiration to restore the planes to their former greatness for future generations to admire. Thank you Spark to bringing the fascinating story of this aviation history to those interested in their contribution to aviation and to Canadian Greatness.
I’ve been lucky to fly on two Beavers owned by Enchanted Lake Lodge in Alaska fly fishing. They are refurbished every year and look brand new. We’ve been in ponds where all of the guides and fishermen had to get off of the plane so that it could take off. It was amazing to see how it could get in and off of rivers. Give it enough space to get it on step (get the floats on plane like a motor boat) the pilot could just give a small wiggle to get one float out of the water and off you would go. I’m NOT a pilot, but I flew right seat a lot. With a little guess work and a ton of luck I feel like I could almost fly it. Landing it would be another thing 😀. I loved every flight!
What an amazing production of an amazing product. I am so proud that my dad used to work for this company in the 70’and 80’s. I wish they would dust of the tooling on the production line of this legend. I can’t imagine what this aircraft could be if they could marry todays advances in avionics with the best attributes of this legend!
Well said !...I second that !
de Havilland has built a number of great planes. The very versatile Mosquito of WW2, the Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter. The US military doesn't often use foreign made aircraft but had to employ the Beaver. Probably the most capable small aircraft ever built.
Thank you MSFS 2020 for adding this beauty to the fleet. Olivia
- Nice Beaver!
- Thank you. I just had it stuffed.
Beauty Naked Gun reference...
Lmao
Bahaha
Hehe
I miss Leslie Nielsen . Fart , excuse me.
I was a crew chief at Ft Benning, we had 6 Beavers flew radio relay + other missions , as 11th air assault airmobile , later became 1St . Cav . Love those days . Got to fly it to as well a maintaining it . there are records for all known a/c still . Also found one of the a/c we had then is still flying on pontoons north of Montreal , Canada . My fault , never went after a license , regret it most ! D Lagro
Having served in a aviation unit in Vietnam with a dozen Beaver's and some Otter's, I got many hours in the Beaver, and with sounds a Nam Vet will never forget was the Beaver and Huey Helicopter. Those two aircraft sounds still my neck hair stand up!
Were you in the 1st MIBARS ?
@@TheGG794 224th Avn Bn, TanSoNhut.
When I was learning to fly at KFAX ( Fairfax airport KCKs ) in the 1960s, the Army pilots from Ft.Levenworth would practice touch and go’s at FAX, I learned about ground loops at that time, really a tough airplane.
"A moth turning into a butterfly" What? I would love to see that trick. Love the plane. Great story of Olivia. Amazing video. Thanks.
This is actually commonplace with writers who mix their similar nouns. Not so much in nature.
My late father operated the world's largest civilian Beaver fleet (the US Army had the biggest one) all used on agricultural work. I think there were 50 of them at the peak. Extremely hard working and reliable machines. He converted one to a turbine and it is still flying today even though the original airframe is 60 years old.
My first ever airplane ride was in a DHC-2 Beaver on floats, in 1968 (I was then 7...).
It happened at Lac (lake) Mance in La Sarre, Québec, and it was operated by "La Sarre Air Service" (now called Propair).
Great video and REALLY a fanstastic airplane made by DHC in Dowsview!! (I had tears watching it, believe it or not)
At the time the film was made (in 2006?), the Beaver was indeed the Canadian plane that sold the most.
The Bombardier Canadair CRJ has since
taken the crown with more than 2000 sold.
Sadly, the CRJ is in its last year of production (in Mirabel, Qc) to make room for the Airbus A220 (CSeries) production ramp up.
When I was a child, growing up in Central Africa, I used to fly between Lilongwe and Mzuzu (in Nyasaland) to go to boarding school. My friend David and I used to take it in turns to sit beside the pilot. It was great to see the Beaver again.
Luv them mid-90s graphics. Love the Beaver.
Beautiful video! I got to do some work on the Beaver in the 1980's at the US Test Pilot School at NAS PAX River. In the late 80s or early 90s they purchased 2 more from the Main forestry service. The primary mission was for towing/launching gliders. I sadly never got to fly in one but will never forget the sound and throb of the engine, beautiful.
The school also had one Otter.
I was a forest ranger in Nova Scotia in the 70's and was stationed at L+F Waverley. We had a Beaver stationed there and a Canso at the airport in Enfield. We also had a Hughes 500E helicopter and frankly as reliable as the old beaver was I preferred flying in the Hughes mainly because of the fumes that filled the cockpit of the Beaver (not to mention the vibration). Did anyone else have this experience?
Ketchikan, Alaska, had it's share of Beavers. I only rode a few, but never remember fumes. The US Coast Guard took charter flights to service buoys & lights on a regular basis, as Ketchikan was the industrial base for all of Alaska, and none of the technicians complained of that. After the CG air-station moved to Sitka, we had to rely on local chater services for rescues, once in awhile. The Beaver could handle worse weather, and SE Alaska has it's share of that.
@@leifjenkinson4039 I imagine the Coast Guard flying over the north Pacific had newer and better maintained Beavers than the ones we had in NS. The rivets were loose on the floats so you had to be carefull they weren't waterlogged for take-off. The Canso was a fire water bomber also made by deHaviland and it would take on water if moored for too long so you could not take off. Bush pilots back in the day were part cowboy. We flew in by helicopter to remote spots where the blades would look like they would hit a dead tree. Once we were dropped off to fight a fire and had to jump out of the helicopter into the lake with our gear to clear a spot to put down.
I have been in that aircraft and it is absolutely immaculate. Real beauty inside and out.
I flew in a Harbor Air Beaver from Vancouver, B.C. out to Salt Spring Island (now Ganges I believe) almost 40 years ago. As a pilot, it was very impressed, even as a passenger in the right-hand seat Glad I did. For any flyer, experiencing one is rather like visiting an important historical site.
5-10-2020, I liked all Harrison Ford's movie's, and I'm very impressed with this beaver air plane, I'm very sick, have a lot of health problems but before I die I sure would like to take a ride in a beaver air craft God bless you for putting this plane back to gether.
Hope you got to fly in one 1last time ,,one of the most awesome rides you can have .
Come on up to Montreal and we will go to an amazing fishing lodge in a Beaver!
If any plane not only deserved, but truly was needed to be brought back into production it is the De Havilland Beaver.. Long may the beauty fly...
As a kid I spent a lot of time visiting my grandmother at the southern end of the mighty Moosehead lake in Greenville, Maine in the 50's & 60's. There were several float plane services in the cove - primarily Cessna's and one bad-ass Beaver. From the time I was a child into my teens - you ALWAYS knew when that bad-boy was taking off... Even now 50 years later the thought of it brings a smile.
In 2006 a friend and I paid for a sightseeing flight around the San Francisco Bay area. This was in a float equipped Beaver at Sausalito. I was seated to the right of the pilot. It was a twenty minute flight south over the Golden Gate down the coast, then east and over Candlestick Park (since demolished). Then north with Oakland on the right and downtown on the left, proceeding over Alcatraz, finally landing back on the north end of the bay. We lucked out on the weather, it was clear and sunny, unusual for the bay area! 90 knots @ 1000 feet.
I'm saw that Beaver, tied down just off Sausalito. It's a beautiful aircraft, predominantly yellow, as I recall. They say that Alcatraz is a great tourist destination but you made a case for the flight. I'm the son of a Pilot though the Beaver was never really on my RADAR before.
I have about 6000 hrs. in the the PT-6 powered de Havelland Twin Otters I have always admired the Beaver. I am glad to see its evolution. I have landed the 20 passanger DHC-6 in the Disney parking lot. STOL A/C landed in less than 600' Reversing Props, are more effective than Jet eng. 'Buckets'.
I'm an R/C pilot and the Beaver is my favorite plan in my hanger, just the way they look and how they fly is amazing!!
The Canadian version of the DC-3. It's Immortal. Truly among my favorite airplanes of all time. Makes me proud as a Canadian.
Like in the movie named "As Good As It Gets", those 2 birds, that sums it up very well. No matter what, something can only be so good, after that, more is just more. Might be bigger, might be faster, but they ain't better....
I like them all. The Beaver, the TurboBeaver and Olivia De Havilland. She’s still alive in Paris And she’ll be 104 on July 1st.
Back in the early 1970’s I joined the Aloha SAR squadron of the CAP at HNL. I met the most amazing airplane and pilots of my life. I started flying with a guy who had been a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam. He took me on all his Beaver flights. We took off one evening from Hilo going back to Honolulu. As he rotated and got her in the air he said “Oh Shit.” I was a Private Pilot with maybe 70hrs total time. I started wondering why the Oh Shit. Coming up over Lanai he says you got it. So I started flying this old Beaver. I tried my hardest to hold heading and altitude straight to HNL. I must have done a fairly good job because he never said a word until I turned final and he said “I got it now and oh by the way the tail wheel came off we left ITO. He then said did you see it zoom down the runway during liftoff? I said nope as he touched down & made a great landing. He convinced me to stick with flying and I did. Now 45 years later I’m retired having flown around the world got 9 type ratings and 14000+ hours with no regrets. I got to fly the Beaver about 30 more times and an L19 Birddog with Steve Chock. It was a great experience flying those planes with great people all over Hawaii for 5 years. Then I chased a blue eyed blond who had dumped me all the way to Saginaw MI where she said No again and slammed the door in my face. So I. Continued on to NYC and home. What a great start to my aviation career the people the place was a highlight of my life. Aloha nuiloa Mark S
A true testament to a Beaver's longevity.
Yes she is , but there's not a hair left on her beaver !.
Excellent history lesson into the DeHavilland Beaver Aircraft. DeHavilland was a well known company around Toronto and Malton areas back in the day.👍👍🇨🇦
Olivia de Havilland , a silver screen legend was born on July 1, 1916 in Tokyo Japan recently passed away on July 26, 2020 .She lived to 104 years.
Is she any connection with the airplane?
@@guyphilps3938 Geoffrey De Havilland , aviation pioneer and legendary aircraft designer was her cousin.
Olivia de Havilland played Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, and even had her own musical theme in the film. She lost the Best Actress Oscar to Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy in the movie - the first African American to win an Oscar.
@@chrislaveen543 Thanks for sharing this...I was wondering, too.
She was one of the most beautiful actresses to ever graced the big screen. I've always wondered if she was related to Geoffrey de Havilland.
I’ve flown fishing in Alaska in a Beaver in 1977. I’m glad to say that as a pilot and National Fly casting champ!
Thank you, just fantastic piece of living aviation history.
I did FF parachute jumps many times out of an AAC Beaver in Germany. Fierce prop wash even when throttled back for our exit. Marvellous aircraft.
I have a few hundred hours flying a (DHC-2) Beaver on floats and skiis, well over a thousand on the DHC-3 Otter. Both planes were brilliantly designed. As an example, the power lever-type controls (throttle, mixture, prop pitch) were far enough apart that you could easily manipulate them while wearing thick caribou gloves in winter. Cessnas, with their push/pull controls set close together, were a pain in the butt. I've flown over 15 different types and the Beaver is the easiest plane I've ever flown. It still needed respect as it was over twice the weight of a Cessna 172. But for a working bush aircraft . . . the places you could get into . . . amazing. (Not as good as a 180hp Super Cub with a STOL kit though.)
these beauties were built for what they do best: rugged mountainous terrain flight......I noticed you mention the Piper Super Cub.........Piper made great stuff too......hell, I just remembered a crazy story involving an L-44 Grasshopper (the military version of the Cub) being turned into the noble steed of Bazooka Charlie!
@@airplanemaniacgaming7877 A
These Beaver Planes are used extensively in Northern Canada.. one of these saved me by flying me to a hospital out of the Boreal Forest north of 56 parallel.. we watch these take off from the seaplane base everyday
A superb fascinating video, long may she live. I was captivated for 46 mins.
Great documentary indeed. Although I really had to sleep, couldn't stop watching.
P&W R-985 is a Radial engine, not Rotary
Thankyou...that irritates me more than it should and seems to be a fairly commonly made error... Stilll imagine the Torque problems the beaver would have had WITH an ACTUAL ROTARY engine that powerful! LOL
@@trooperdgb9722 Not to mention fuel consumption!
It's the RX-7 of the sky! lol
Lol
@Creeguy Vernon Piston all the way! That cold morning starting sound!
Good old you tube i feel richer for having seen this, a truly wonderful story, planes, boats and cars why do we love them so much. New just is not the same
Makes me happy to get in a beaver, that's all I can say!
What a wonderful film! Thank you very much!!
Decades ago, during my hunting days I was flown up into the northern Rockies in a De Havilland Beaver with that awesome Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine. My last trip was in a turbo Beaver. It just wasn't the same.
The original plane must be,for a pilot(I am not) an unforgetting journey through one's life and memories.Fitting a turboprop is a tribute to modernity,but it change the sound of the past.What is important,as we see here,is the love and craftmanship these guys put in the project.Congratulations!
Hey RUclips, this is the kind of content I want to see! Thank you very much.
What a terrific video of nostalgia and so well produced! The last time I was lucky enough to be aboard a radial beaver was during a remembrance celebrations for the crews of the double sunrise service of WW11 at which a Catalina did several fly overs of Sydney Harbour. Now there's another radial engine sound you won't forget! I went in honour of my father who flew this "other immortal" flying boat. Yes, I know- its not a float plane but they are both long range, work horse, amphibians and Oh So wonderful to see and hear flying. H
My late father-in-law flew Beavers, Otters and Turbo-Beavers for Ontario's Lands & Forests/Ministry of Natural Resources from about 1950 to 1981. There's a short clip of C-FOBS at the 20:48 mark where it's demonstrating water bombing, and he's likely the pilot!
It's a shame DH can't bring the Turbo Beaver back when there is a growing market for the old birds. I'd love to see new production.
It may happen, DH Canada has new owners committed to the brand.
Great story about great aviation history. Service to the community fantastic thank you for restoring and preserving.