de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
de Havilland Canada · Canada · first flew 1951 · light aircraft
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a large single-engine STOL utility transport designed for bush operations, carrying up to ten passengers or 1,066 kg of cargo from short and unprepared strips, rivers, or lakes.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Large single-engine high-wing STOL utility with slab-sided rectangular fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Large single-engine high-wing STOL utility with slab-sided rectangular fuselage
- Radial engine in a prominent rounded cowling, or turboprop conversion with a pointed nose
- Fixed splayed main undercarriage on landplane; twin Edo floats common
Larger and more slab-sided than the DHC-2 Beaver, with a noticeably bigger engine, high-set strut-braced wing, and a squared-off fuselage with a large port-rear cargo door. The fixed main undercarriage splays outward in a distinctive wide A-frame stance. Turbine conversions have a pointed rather than rounded nose cowling.
Specifications
- The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter has a length of 12.8 m (42 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 17.68 m (58 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 257 km/h (160 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
De Havilland Canada flew the Otter prototype on 12 December 1951 as a scaled-up successor to the DHC-2 Beaver, intended for larger bush transport and military utility roles. The original Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial engine was retained on all 466 production aircraft built between 1952 and 1967, though many survivors have since been re-engined with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops.
Variants
A single standard production variant was built; post-production turbine conversions by Viking Air, Vazar, and Cox Air using PT6A-27 or PT6A-34 engines are informally known as Turbo Otters. Viking Air of Victoria, British Columbia, now holds all DHC type certificates.
Where you'll see it
The Otter served with the Canadian Armed Forces, US Army, and numerous other military users in utility and medevac roles; many remain in civilian service as floatplanes and bush transports across Canada, Alaska, and the Pacific Islands.
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