De Havilland Canada

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited was established in 1928 at De Lesseps Field, Toronto although they relocated to Downsview just a year later in order to build De Havilland DH60 Moth aircraft for the training of Canadian airmen. Over 1,700 of the 7,000 Tiger Moths produced were built in Canada, the majority being the DH82C closed cockpit version.

After the war the company began designing and building indigenous aircraft, especially those best suited to the harsh Canadian environment.  The first true De Havilland Canada type was the DHC1 Chipmunk which was also selected as the standard primary trainer for the RAF in the UK and is still a favourite amongst pilots today.

A number of aircraft designed specifically for Canadian Operators followed such as the DHC2 Beaver, DHC3 Otter and DHC4 Caribou, the latter being a tactical transport aircraft for the US and Canadian Army.

Air to air photograph of De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk prototype CF-DIO-X

In the 1970s, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada turned its focus to commercial feeder-liners with short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities in areas of strict noise limits. Even today, many DHC7 Dash 7 and DHC8 Dash 8 aircraft are still in daily operation around the world.

In 1980, the Canadian Government forced the privatisation of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada and in 1986 it sold the company to Boeing. The company and name is now in the ownership of Bombardier Aerospace.

Genealogy