Canadian conversion specialist Viking Air has begun design work to re-engine the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver utility and floatplane with the Orenda Aerospace 450kW (600shp) turbocharged OE600 vee-8 water-cooled piston engine.
The British Columbia-based company already holds supplemental type certificates for re-engineing the Beaver with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 and -34, but says that the Orenda conversion could cost less than that for the turboprop. The modification should be available by the third quarter of 1998, pending successful flight tests early in the year.
In combination with a new, three-bladed Hartzell HC-B3TN propeller, the Orenda-powered Beaver is expected to have a 50% shorter take-off run, of 580m (1,900ft), to clear a 50ft obstacle. The aircraft will also have a 70% higher climb rate at 900ft/min (4.5m/s) and a 125kt (230km/h) cruise speed, or roughly 20% higher than that of the P&W Wasp Junior-powered original.
Meanwhile, US floatplane operator Kenmore Air Harbor is searching for old and discarded Beaver airframes, as demand for the aircraft continues to grow.
Kenmore, which specialises in modifying and re-building DHC-2s and operates a fleet of ten piston and turbine-powered variants from its base in Seattle, has rebuilt 130 of the aircraft to date. Over 1,600 were built from 1947.
The company claims to have a production rate of around two-and-a-half aircraft a year. "We only have four airframes left to rebuild," says Kenmore.
Source: Flight International
