![]() ![]() The all-aluminium equipment, each with nine compartments, are sized to provide flotation of 180% of the aircraft's maximum allowed gross weight. Kenmore's Beavers are mounted on Edo floats. Adding floats to an aircraft limits its ultimate performance capabilities while at the same time liberating it from runways and terra firma. ![]() While a stock Beaver is a capable aircraft, a Beaver on floats is a different animal. On the ground I found the Beaver easier to handle than a Pitts S2, a type I had flown several times with an air force colleague. While my recollections of that flight have faded over the intervening 30 years, I remembered that once airborne it was a docile and honest aircraft that required a bit of footwork to keep in co-ordinated flight. Having learned to fly in tricycle-gear aircraft, I initially found its tail dragger stance and radial engine intimidating. The Beaver was designed to be equipped with both floats and skis, but my first experience with the type was in a wheeled Beaver as a student at the US Air Force test pilot school. The Beaver, perhaps the world's most recognisable "bush plane", was designed after the Second World War to tackle the needs of the Canadian back-country.Ī huge commercial success, more than 1,600 Beavers had been delivered when production ceased in 1967. For my familiarisation flight we would fly one of the piston Beavers. Kenmore Air operates eight piston DHC-2 Beavers, two turbine Beavers and six DHC-3T Otters. The aircraft was a joy to handle on Lake Hamilton, a body of water between the USA and Canada. The second flight was in a Bombardier 415 amphibian, operated by the province of Ontario, in which I was able to practise scoop and drop operations, essential to fight forest fires. That turbine-powered aircraft sported conventional floats and seemed at home in the shallow waters surrounding St Croix. The first was in a de Havilland Twin Otter in the US Virgin Islands, hosted by Seaborne Airlines. Decade of Airline Excellence Awards 2020īefore my visit to Kenmore Air, my seaplane experience was limited to two flights, both on assignment for Flight International.Airline Business special: CEOs to watch in 2021.FlightGlobal Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2021. ![]()
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