By 
In December 1951, the first DHC-3 Otter flew out of de Havilland Canada’s hangars and entered the annals of Canadian history. Needing a larger, stronger aircraft for use in the Canadian wilderness, de Havilland began work on the Otter (originally named the “King Beaver”) in January 1951 and had the first aircraft airborne by the end of the year. The 1950s were a time of Arctic exploration and the previous wild plane, the Beaver, was not capable of long-distance flight. The Otter’s configuration was generally the same as the Beaver’s, but it was designed with a larger fuselage, longer wingspan, and was heavier. It also had the ability to be equipped with floats and skis that allowed access to the lakes and ice fields of northern Canada.
When the Otter went into full production in 1952, the United States Army purchased the aircraft and used them for its own scouting needs. While in service, the Otter was used on mapping and surveying missions in the Americas to the south and the Alaskan border. It was even flown to North Africa and used to map terrain that was unbearable for overland travel. As a transport aircraft, it was highly regarded and the US Army again used the Otter extensively in the Vietnam War. 184 aircraft were delivered to the US Army under the name U-1A Otter and these aircraft saw combat action for ten years in Vietnam. The Canadian Army also used the Otters to drop supplies on maneuvers and continued in service until helicopters replaced this role. It was also a valuable search and rescue aircraft due to its ability to stay airborne longer and reach harder-to-reach areas. By the end of its military service, it was operated by the Primary Air Reserves in Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg, with approximately 10 aircraft at each base. After the Canadian government ended it, Otter passed mainly to private use where it remains today.
Primarily, the Otter is a “bush plane,” meaning it’s rugged and reliable in the wild, where there can be little contact with radio towers and airstrips. The Otter’s Pratt & Whitney engine was designed for low propeller revs, meaning the plane flew at a lower airspeed. This gives it the ability to fight tougher conditions like wind and snow and also gave the pilot more control on difficult landings. The more powerful turboprop engine installed later as engine technology advanced gave the Otter more power on takeoff, increasing the aircraft’s safety. The success of the single-engine Otter led to a twin-engine aircraft that featured two of the Pratt & Whitney engines and made the Otter faster and better on a shorter runway. It is a STOL (short take off and landing) aircraft which makes it ideal for runways that have been carved out of the woods or on the smaller lakes where most otter sized aircraft would have no chance of landing.
The Otter can normally fit eight people comfortably and still have room for gear. The huge floats fitted to some of the amphibious aircraft add extra space for excursions north and are necessary to support the Otter’s considerable weight. Still in use today and still a sought after aircraft for those who like to explore fishing lakes inaccessible by car, the DHC-3 Otter has been the dependable aircraft that is a proud part of Canadian aviation history.