De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
De Havilland Canada · Canada · first flew 1958 · transport aircraft
The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou is a twin-engine STOL military transport built to haul cargo into short, rough airstrips.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | high, unbraced cantilever wing over a boxy, upswept rear fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- high, unbraced cantilever wing over a boxy, upswept rear fuselage
- twin radial engines with large cowlings
- steeply upswept rear fuselage for a rear loading ramp
The high, cantilever wing and sharply upswept rear fuselage with a loading ramp are distinctive among twin-piston transports.
Specifications
- The De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou has a length of 22.12 m (73 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 29.15 m (96 ft).
- Typical crew: 3 (two pilots, loadmaster).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1958, the Caribou combined a high, unbraced wing and a distinctive upswept rear fuselage with a full-width loading ramp, giving it exceptional short-field performance for its size.
Variants
Used mainly in its original piston-engined form as the C-7 Caribou, with only limited later modification programs.
Where you'll see it
It served extensively with the US Army and Air Force in Vietnam and remains in limited use with a handful of smaller air forces and civil operators today.
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