DHC-2 Beaver
The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engine bush aircraft operating under Part 135 certificates almost exclusively in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Powered in turbine-converted variants by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 producing 680 shp, the Turbine Beaver carries six passengers up to 395 nautical miles at 137 knots — slow, short-ranged, and entirely unconcerned with either metric. Its value is access: floatplane-configured Beavers land on lakes, rivers, and remote beaches unreachable by any wheeled aircraft. The cabin is 9 feet long and 4.2 feet wide, with no pressurization.
With 112 aircraft on US Part 135 certificates across 58 operators, the fleet is diffuse and geographically concentrated. Rainbow River Lodge Aviation (8 aircraft), Venture Travel (7), Kenmore Air Harbor (5), West Isle Air (5), Rust's Flying Service (4), and Ward Air (4) represent the operational core: lodge access services, floatplane sightseeing, and remote community transport across Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington State. The aircraft is not available through mainstream charter brokers. Operators typically sell direct, and most flights originate from specific floatplane bases.
Charter rates run $500 to $800 per hour depending on operator and configuration. Turbine-converted Beavers sell for $200,000 to $600,000 depending on airframe hours, engine time, and float configuration. Original piston-engine Beavers are collectible and often more expensive for pristine low-time examples.
Specs at a glance
Interior & cabin
| Passengers | 6 |
| Cabin length | 9.0 ft |
| Cabin width | 4.2 ft |
| Cabin height | 4.3 ft |
At 4.3 ft of cabin height, the DHC-2 Beaver is a sit-down jet. Expect to duck moving between seats.
Operator floor plans vary. Some DHC-2 Beaver cabins are configured with a divan that drops the headcount by one or two seats; confirm the layout with the operator before booking.
Range & performance
| Range | 395 nm |
| Max cruise | 137 ktas |
| Typical cruise | ~116 ktas |
With 395 nm of range, the DHC-2 Beaver is built for short-to-mid US missions. Plan a fuel stop for anything past three hours of cruise.
Distances are real great-circle nautical miles from the selected hub. Angular positions are spaced for readability, not actual bearings. Range envelope assumes no wind and a full passenger load.
Charter cost per hour
Charter the DHC-2 Beaver at roughly $2,000–$2,500 per flight hour, depending on how far ahead you book. Turboprop jets like this carry 6–9 passengers; the per-seat math improves sharply as you fill the cabin.
Rates are flight-hour pricing. Total cost depends on round-trip vs. one-way, positioning, fuel surcharges, and taxes (~15% on top of base). Run the math on your trip →
Safety Record
History
de Havilland Canada designed the Beaver as a rugged utility aircraft for remote Canadian operations, and the prototype flew on August 16, 1947. Production ran from 1948 to 1967 with 1,657 aircraft built, making it one of the most-produced Canadian aircraft of the postwar era. The piston Beaver used a Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine producing 450 hp.
In 1963, de Havilland developed a turbine variant: the DHC-2 Mk.III Turbo Beaver, which first flew on December 30, 1963 and used the PT6A-6 turboprop. Deliveries of factory-built Turbo Beavers ran from late 1964 through 1967, with 60 aircraft completed. Separately, aftermarket conversion specialists including Viking Air developed their own turbine conversions of piston-engine Beavers, fitting the more powerful PT6A-34 engine; Viking completed more than 30 such conversions. Most turbine Beavers operating in the US today are either factory Mk.III aircraft or third-party PT6A conversions of earlier airframes.
Ideal For
- Remote lodge access and wilderness transport in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and coastal Canada, where lakes and rivers serve as runways
- Scenic floatplane tours from cities like Seattle (Lake Union), Anchorage, and Ketchikan
- Fly-in fishing, hunting, and adventure tourism where the destination has no airstrip
- Small groups of two to five passengers with gear on routes under 300nm
- Backcountry ski drop-offs and glacier landings where a wheeled aircraft cannot operate
- Operators and passengers willing to accept piston-era cabin comfort in exchange for genuinely unique access
DHC-2 Beaver vs Turboprop Average
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the DHC-2 Beaver different from other charter aircraft?
The Beaver operates where other aircraft cannot. Floatplane-configured examples land on lakes, rivers, and protected coastal waters. The short takeoff and landing distance is short enough for small mountain lakes. No jet, turboprop, or helicopter offers the same combination of load capacity, range, and water operations at comparable operating cost.
How much does it cost to charter a Turbine Beaver?
Charter rates typically run $500 to $800 per hour for floatplane operations, though many operators sell by the trip rather than by the hour. A scenic flight lasting 30 to 45 minutes might run $150 to $250 per person. Access flights to remote lodges are often priced per segment.
What is the difference between a piston Beaver and a Turbine Beaver?
The original DHC-2 Beaver used a Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial piston engine producing 450 hp. The Turbine Beaver (DHC-2 Mk.III and aftermarket conversions) replaces this with a PT6A turboprop producing 578 to 680 shp depending on variant. The turbine conversion improves useful load, hot-and-high performance, and reduces the maintenance demands of the radial engine. Most Beavers in US Part 135 service today have been converted to turbine power.
Can the Beaver operate on wheels as well as floats?
Yes. The Beaver is designed for interchangeable gear configurations: wheel-type main gear for paved and unpaved strips, floats for water operations, and skis for snow and glacier landings. Many operators maintain multiple configurations or swap seasonally.
Where are most DHC-2 Beavers based in the US?
Alaska accounts for the largest concentration. Operators like Rust's Flying Service, Ward Air, Branch River Air Service, and Kenmore Air Harbor run fleets from Anchorage, Juneau, and smaller bush communities. Washington State has several operators as well, including Kenmore Air at Lake Union in Seattle.
DHC-2 Beavers for Charter (112) Page 3 of 3
Where DHC-2 Beavers actually fly
ADS-B-tracked flights from the trailing 90 days. Numbers cover aircraft on our charter database; private corporate fleets and operators using PIA registration are not in this count. Methodology →
Top routes
Busiest origins
| Everett (KPAE) | 140 |
| Seattle (KBFI) | 130 |
| Friday Harbor (KFHR) | 41 |
| Miami (KOPF) | 38 |
| Miami (KMIA) | 37 |
| Kodiak (PAKD) | 27 |
| Kodiak (PADQ) | 23 |
| Anchorage (Z41) | 22 |
| Roche Harbor (WA09) | 17 |
| Crane Island (CKR) | 13 |
Most active operators
| Operator | Aircraft | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Kenmore Air Harbor, LLC | 5 | 366 |
| MIAMI SEAPLANE TOURS INC | 1 | 87 |
| Redemption, Inc | 4 | 46 |
| RUSTS FLYING SERVICE INC | 2 | 28 |
| San Francisco Seaplane Tours, Inc. | 1 | 13 |
| Trail Ridge Air, Inc | 2 | 11 |
| Branch River Air Service, Inc | 2 | 8 |
| Kingfisher Aviation, Inc. | 1 | 8 |
| SPORTSMAN'S AIR SERVICE INC | 1 | 6 |
| Vertigo, LLC | 1 | 6 |
Comparable aircraft
Same category, similar mission profile. The framing below summarizes how each one differs from the DHC-2 Beaver on the dimensions that matter most.