One of the greatest bushplanes to come out of aviation’s short history was the De Havilland Otter. Designed as an enlarged Beaver (called a “King Beaver’ while on the drawing boards), the Otter has not needed to ride on the coattails of the Beaver. It has proven itself in service in the remote territories of over thirty countries as a landplane, skiplane, and most commonly these days as a floatplane. Also used by the military, the Otter saw service in Vietnam (as the U.S. Air Force’s U-1) among its other duties. The airplane has made its real mark, however, in the civilian bush passenger (seats up to 14) and freight (12.5 x 5 x 5 foot cabin) field. Over 400 examples of the Otter were built between 1955 and 1963, and, with their relatively common 600 hp Pratt & Whitney engines, they are still working (with no end in sight) all over the world. There are even amphibious floats available for this airplane to give it that go-anywhere ability.
