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2003-04-14 |
Trigull in Production - finally? |
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C-FTRI in Viking Air hangar on 11 April 2003
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Beaver
to bring back bush aircraft KATE
SARSFIELD / LONDON Canadian
manufacturer reveals goal of reviving production of
35-year-old utility lines and refloating amphibian A
Canadian company is planning to restart the de Havilland Canada DHC-2
Beaver and DHC-3 Otter utility aircraft lines, 35 years after
production ended. Beaver
Aircraft Canada also intends to breathe life into the four-seat
Trident Aircraft Tri-Gull amphibian. This programme, now owned
by Canada's Viking Aircraft, was shelved during development in
the 1970s due to lack of funding. The
all-metal, single-engined, high-wing Beaver made its first
flight in August 1947 and around 1,650 of the six-seat aircraft
were built. Of these more than half are still flying, says
Beaver Aircraft director Mark Sager. The larger, 16-seat Otter entered service in 1953 and when production ceased in 1968, around 460 aircraft had been built. Sager says: "We have an overwhelming response from the market worldwide, which is keen to see these rugged short take-off and landing bush aeroplanes back in service, particularly the Beaver, which is widely regarded as one of the most perfectly designed and robust small utility aircraft ever built." Beaver
Aircraft has acquired Viking Air, which owns the production jigs
and drawings for all three aircraft. The Victoria, British
Columbia-based company builds spare parts and specialises in the
reconstruction and modification of Beaver and Otter designs. Although
development details are being kept under wraps, Sager says the
Otter will be offered only with a modern turbine engine. The
Beaver will be available in two variants. One will be faithful
to the old design, perhaps powered by second-hand radial engines
such as the Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp, while the other
could encompass a number of modifications added to the aircraft
over the years such as new avionics, engines and doors. The
Beaver is likely to be stretched to accommodate nineseats, Sager
says. The Tri-Gull will also be turbine-powered and is likely to
be renamed, he adds. "There are still a few balls to go through the hoops before we can turn the light back on in the factory. But when that day comes, we expect prototype, flight testing and certification [for all three models] will take about two to three years," he says. The first aircraft to enter service could be the Otter, followed by the Tri-Gull and the Beaver. The company is predicting sales of around 600 Beavers, 490 Otters and 365 Tri-Gulls in the first 10 years, Sager says. "There is a large market for the Beaver and Otter from private owners, through to maritime surveillance, and passenger/commuter operators. The Tri-Gull will mainly be targeted at recreational flyers," he adds Source: Flight International 08 April 2003 |
You can read more at www.canada.com.
Trigull C-FTRI
Brent Wallace reports that he spotted Trigull prototype C-FTRI in one of Viking Air's hangars at Victoria International Airport, BC, Canada - on his visit 2003-01-23. C-FTRI was hangared together with Republic Seabee N6483K (s/n 727) and the DHC-3T Otter turbine engine conversion C-GVTO. The Trigull looked magnificent! Brent sent these great photos;
C-FTRI at Viking Air 2003-01-21
Photo: © Brent Wallace
Instrument panel of C-FTRI
Photo: © Brent Wallace
Thank you so much, Brent!
Viking Air's plans for the Trigull are not
known... If you have any Trigull news or know anything about
Viking Air's plans, please e-mail
me!
