De Havilland Canada

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited was established in 1928 at De Lesseps Field in Toronto before relocating to Downsview a year later to build De Havilland 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.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada at Downsview, Toronto

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

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

The 2-seater DHC1 Chipmunk soon became the primary trainer for both the Canadian and British Air Forces

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada became part of the Hawker Siddeley Group during the take-over of the parent De Havilland Aircraft Company in 1959 and after a short period they were eventually merged with Avro Canada although the De Havilland Canada name continued.

In the 1970’s 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. Many DHC-7 Dash 7 and DHC-8 Dash 8 aircraft are still in operation around the world today.

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

Genealogy