de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter

Floatplane Aircraft [ 1953 ]

Despite its 1950s origins, the versatile de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter series aircraft remains in operational service today.

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The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 "Otter" became the evolutionary step for what was the earlier DHC-2 "Beaver" of 1948 (detailed elsewhere on this site). The DHC-3 was first-flown on December 12th, 1951 and introduced as soon as 1953. Production of the series, which reached 466 units, spanned from 1951 until 1967 with operators worldwide.

The Beaver had already proven itself a commercial success by this time with some 1,657 ultimately produced. This airframe utilized strong qualities allowing for excellent Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capabilities. A braced, high-wing mainplane was fitted and the nose held the single engine installation. From this framework was born the dimensionally larger specimen, the DHC-3, that continued the excellent STOL traits with more power to boot. Work on the design began in January of 1951 and led to the aforementioned first-flight. Certification then followed in November of 1952.

Power was from a single Pratt & Whitney R-1340 air-cooled radial piston engine of 600 horsepower. The larger dimensions allowed for more passengers to be carrier (up to eleven) and the wider-spanning wing mainplane gave better control and additional lift/drag for short take-off and landing actions. The undercarriage was made to switch out wheeled legs, floats or even skis.

Seven named models of the Otter series ultimately emerged. DHC-3 was used for the initial production systems while the product was taken into service by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as the CSR-123 "Otter". The United States Army began their own evaluation of the platform and procured six of the type under the designation of YU-1. These became the U-1A in actual service. The United States Navy (USN) followed suit and adopted the series as the UC-1. These were later redesignated U-1B after the 1962 American military realignment. A PWC turbo-prop-powered form became the DHC-3-T "Turbo-Otter". Those Otter examples coming from Airtech Canada with Polish PZL "Kalisz ASz-62IR engines were designated DHC-3/1000.

There were a plethora of operators committed to the DHC-3 line ranging from Argentina and Australia to the United Kingdom and the United States. It served at both military and civilian levels where its qualities were put to the test. The DHC-3 went on to form the foundation for de Havilland Canada's next-in-line aircraft, the DHC-6 "Twin Otter" - a twin-engined offshoot of the original, detailed elsewhere on this site.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

de Havilland Canada - Canada
Manufacturer(s)

Argentina; Australia; Bangladesh; Burma; Cambodia; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Ethiopia; Ghana; India; Indonesia; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Norway; Panama; Paraguay; Philippines; United Kingdom; United States
Operators

1953
Service Year

Canada
National Origin

Active
Project Status

1
Crew

466
Units

MARITIME / NAVY
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

COMMERCIAL AVIATION
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

RUGGED AIRFRAME
Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE
Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

MARITIME OPERATION
Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)
Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

42.0 ft
(12.80 meters)
Length

58.0 ft
(17.69 meters)
Width/Span

12.6 ft
(3.83 meters)
Height

4,431 lb
(2,010 kilograms)
Empty Weight

8,001 lb
(3,629 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+3,569 lb
(+1,619 kg)
Weight Difference

monoplane / shoulder-mounted / straight
Mainplane Arrangement

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.

Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

1 x Pratt & Whitney R-1340-S1H1-G "Wasp" 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine developing 600 horsepower driving a three- or four-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

160 mph
(257 kph | 139 knots)
Max Speed

18,799 ft
(5,730 m | 4 miles)
Ceiling

944 miles
(1,520 km | 821 nm)
Range

850 ft/min
(259 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

None.

DHC-3 "Otter" - Base Series Designation.

DHC-3-T "Turbo-Otter" - Fitted with 1 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 or -34 turboprop engines.

CSR-123 - Royal Canadian Air Force utility model.

YU-1 - U.S. Army evaluation aircraft; six examples.

UC-1 - United States Navy utility model.

U-1A - U.S. Army utility model.

U-1B - 1962 redesignation of USN UC-1 models.

DHC-3/1000 "Otter" - Airtech Canada models fitted with PZL ASz-62IR series engines.

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