De Havilland Beaver: The North American Seaplane | Immortal Beaver | Spark 

What a great documentary. The Beaver is an immortal airplane, that will be flying still long after all of us are gone. Serving the next generation of aviation enthusiasts, pilots, and people in remote areas of this planet.

This sure brings back a lot of memories for me. In 1962 I started work at DeHavilland Canada as a mail carrier. Worked my way up to Girl Friday for the big main guys. P.C. Garrett, Russ Bannock, Buck Buchanan, George Mickleborough and Slippercooper (can’t remember his first name), all wonderful bosses. It was a real pleasure to see Russ Bannock fly Olivia. I was the person that made sure P.C. Had everything in his plane before he left for his cottage in Muskoka on Friday afternoons. I remember when he had a little mishap, which could have been much worse, someone radioed him to tell him that a door was open, he landed on a runway, not sure where, closed the door and got back in his Beaver and continued on his way. He had forgotten to pull up the ladder steps before taking off and landed in the water at Muskoka where he went upside down in the lake. He lost his teeth and had a bump on his head. He had a grandson with him, all was well with both of them as they were fished out and dried off. He was a tough old bird. Oh, and Olivia was named for Olivia DeHavilland!

Just came for the innuendos..stayed for one of the best historical doccies I've seen.

I took my first, and only, ride in a Beaver almost 2 years ago. I flew out of Red Lake, Ontario, with my canoe strapped to one of the floats. They dropped me off about 50 miles into Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, and I paddled my way back to Red Lake. The flight was a check-mark on my bucket list, and the 7 days of camping, paddling, and fishing was amazing.

Lived in Tucson near Davis-Monthan AFB 'boneyard' and son of a career Army artillery 'spotter' pilot... This story of 'Olivia' pulled my heart-strings

What a perfect time for my story! My roommate and I went in his Bonanza to get a Hundred Dollar Hamburger and visit the United 232 museum down in Sioux City, IA. On the approach we were following a Gulfstream. The pilot's voice on the radio sounded familiar. After we landed, we parked next to the Gulfstream at the FBO. Going inside, it was deserted except for a couple of pilots. We asked the ramper whose plane it was. He replied "It's Harrison Ford!" As it turns out he was there to pick up his Beaver from being re-painted after completing filming for "Six Days Seven Nights". We met Mr. Ford in the FBO and chatted briefly about airplanes. The voice on approach I thought was so familiar was Han Solo himself! One of my favorite personal stories.

This Beaver story lets me know we live on a beautiful planet . With a couple tears in my eyes , I thank you for the documentary ...

"You can always rely on a Beaver." -A truer word has never been spoken

I've had the great pleasure of meeting many of these former de Haviland guys at commemorative events. It was very special seeing them again here.

I grew up in northern Manitoba, Canada and my father was a mechanic at the local airport. The beaver is a great plane and it's wonderful to see so many still flying.

Thank you for this interesting story about a great plane and the people that loved it.

This was a great video about such a great plane... I'm not an expert on the Beaver, but I know about it. I trained in a Piper Cub, and I am so glad about that. To fly by stick first, with your instructor behind you, is so classic to me. You really feel like the PIC. I loved watching this, and probably will watch it again... it really is that epic of a video.

Great video. Kinda brings a tear to my eyes. A tear of joy seeing Olivia returning to the sky.

I saw a Beaver landing in Idaho and went out to the ramp to take a look and out comes Harrison Ford. That plane was immaculate and Mr. Ford was a true gentleman. We talked planes for a while and I said the Beaver was my second favorite plane which was really dumb because he was flying one, and I still regret saying that. The Beaver, Super Cub, and Storch, those planes are legends.

I worked on the Superior National Forest from 1965 into 1972. The Forest Service had 3 or 4 Beavers that were used to fly fire patrol over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA, a 1 million acre plus Federally designated wilderness). The airplanes were fitted with water tanks that could pick pick up several hundred gallons of water while just skinning over the surface of the water to drop on fires. They were also used to carry work crews with canoes strapped onto the pontoons into the wilderness to do maintenance work at remote campsites on the many lakes within the BWCA. I had the pleasure of flying in the Beaver on many occasions. We had several outstanding pilots but one stood out to me. His name was Steve Geen, (Sp?) a full blooded Chippewa from Northern Minnesota. (I believe Steve flew with Ted Williams in the Korean War). In any event he was a hero to me. To this day I still tell the story of Steve and the Beaver picking up myself and crew from Horseshoe Lake, ( about 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais). He got the Beaver up on one float, careened around the first bay and then the second bay before lifting off in time to clear rapidly looming trees in front of us. We had maybe 6 people, two canoes and all of our tools. No problem for Steve and the Beaver.

I loved this video of the restoration of the De Havilland Beaver. I live in Biggin Hill in the UK and am a great fan of the restoration of lovely old flying beauties. On our Airport we have the Heritage Hanger where they restore Spitfires and other WWII aircraft.

What a great film! I've no interest in light aircraft (any aircraft) but found this really interesting. Of course the sound of the Beaver was instantly recognisable and it was nice to finally learn something about this small plane with such a huge personality. Thanks.

Heart-warming stuff. But the Pratt & Whitney Wasp was a radial engine, not rotary as the commentator said.

"Rows of old military planes, rusting in the hot desert sun." Not a chance. The reason these planes are parked in the desert is so they DON'T rust!

I flew in the #3 Beaver in the mid 70's as a young exploration geologist out of Pickle Lake, ON. Also took numerous flights in the Beaver that was photographed and used as the inspiration for the one depicted on Canadian coins. It flew out of Rapides des Joachin, PQ and was based in Carp ON. Fond memory of the sound of the Beaver landing to collect us, three days late due to heavy rain and low fog, from a remote work sits. Out of food but fortunately not out of fish!

Got to fly in a Beaver in 2003, during bad weather. Despite the weather conditions, the flight was smoother than other planes I had been in, in weather that was not as severe. What a great plane!

What a treat this video is, especially with Mr. Banach taking off and flying Olivia.

A wonderful documentary, as I've come to expect from Spark. Thank you!

Excellent Doco... from start to finish, just like Olivia's restoration... endless fine details ,all crafted together.

There's just something about a radial. Beavers and Cessna 195s... two of the best looking and best sounding aircraft out there.

Thank you, just fantastic piece of living aviation history.

I must say that in all my life I never thought I'd get to see Olivia De Haviland's beaver.

I watch seven days seven nights over and over again .vintage Harrison Ford smile with a simple.

I used to live on the glidepath to lake Hood in Anchorage and enjoyed the Beavers on floats the way to the busiest floatplane base on summer evenings.

Worked on these for the UK Army back in the 90’s, the engine itself is a thing of beauty. It can literally float at a standstill with the right wind conditions

Thank you Canada for such an amazing aircraft !

One of my all time favorite aircraft. The other is the Grumman Goose. Listening to their echo off the mountain could be heard all over town when they took off out in the channel.

In the words of the late great Leslie Nielsen "Nice Beaver"

It never occurred to me to make the connection between "Olivia" and de Havilland until about 38:00 had elapsed. How very clever of the owner to christen her in that way. And how very fortuitous that SHE would be the subject of this story of resurrection. Just wonderful.

Thank you MSFS 2020 for adding this beauty to the fleet. Olivia

That's the second video recently that I have heard someone call a radial engine a 'rotary'. A big difference!

"A moth turning into a butterfly" What? I would love to see that trick. Love the plane. Great story of Olivia. Amazing video. Thanks.

I was a crew chief at Ft Benning, we had 6 Beavers flew radio relay + other missions , as 11th air assault airmobile , later became 1St . Cav . Love those days . Got to fly it to as well a maintaining it . there are records for all known a/c still . Also found one of the a/c we had then is still flying on pontoons north of Montreal , Canada . My fault , never went after a license , regret it most ! D Lagro

WOW! I've watched this 20 times. The freaking last line in video: "it's just something that... burns it's way into your psyche... it's a beautiful thing." Soo trippy that this plane does this IRL.

I completely agree..the beaver is ground zero for reliability, longevity, comfort, and you just can't wear one out. Congrats to the millions of beavers out there, that are still taking a pounding and feel just as wonderful as that first flight..We love you, beaver.

"This plane is so safe and reliable, you can even land it on a taxiway." - Harrison Ford (probably)

When I was learning to fly at KFAX ( Fairfax airport KCKs ) in the 1960s, the Army pilots from Ft.Levenworth would practice touch and go’s at FAX, I learned about ground loops at that time, really a tough airplane.

I snickered through the whole video. Thank you.

A superb fascinating video, long may she live. I was captivated for 46 mins.

Luv them mid-90s graphics. Love the Beaver.

As an aircraft technician with the British army I was fortunate to work on and fly in Beavers for a few years. Initially I was a bit pissed off as I wanted to carry on playing with helicopters but I soon fell in love with the aircraft. I managed to mix doing rotary and fixed wing and that was fine by me. At the time I was serving they were used a lot in Northern Ireland for aerial reconnaissance and were fitted with a variety of large and very expensive cameras. I spent a lot of time as P2 but there was not enough room for us to wear proper aircrew body armour as the seats would not go back far enough for us to pull the controls back in order to take off, so we wore infantry flak jackets and kept our fingers crossed. 🤞There was a makrolon liner in the seat as "armour" against shots from below but we sat on the dinghy pack that was strapped to our backsides and leaned back against a parachute which I hoped I would never have to test. No comfy cushions! Back in England we did some fairly extensive maintenance on them to keep them flying and they were a joy to work on, a proper soldier's aircraft. The last Beaver I came into contact with was in Akureyri while I was training new aircraft engineers in Iceland and the owner was delighted when I mentioned I had experience with them. His aircraft was a former British army aircraft that had been recovered from somewhere in Africa, beautifully restored and fitted with floats and he was rightfully very proud of it. He said we should fly to Grimsey, an island off the north coast of Iceland, so I could get a certificate for entering the Arctic Circle and also get to see how a Beaver handled "with a couple of boats hanging off the bottom", as he put it. Sadly, on the day we'd set aside to fly it was snowing sideways at about 70 mph so I never got to fly it.

I have had the opportunity to fly in a Beaver to get to work in a remote logging camp in BC. It's ability to take off with floats was so much quicker than any Cesna I was in landing at larger lakes. Radial engine, loud and proud.

I love that plane. One occasion in Alaska we were being flown out of our camp via a very small like by a Beaver. My fishing partners told me to ride in front since I had been a military pilot. We started our shuddering takeoff roll using more and more of the lake but finally lifted off but the terrain and tree line was still above us. I asked the pilot if we were going to clear the trees, he answered “I think so”. I asked when would he know for sure and he said “when we get to the trees”. I have to admit that I wish Olivia had been restored as a piston powered Beaver.

I’m in love 😍!!!!! Amazing story

In 1957,8,9, I was in Security at the Nevada Test Site. Before each of the above-ground nuclear tests, my assignment was to assure that no people were present in the projected fallout paths. Major Harry Elmendorf, Commanding Officer of (then) Indian Springs AFB, flew me in a Beaver on the air sweeps, through canyons and ravines, often just a few feet off the ground. He was a great pilot, and the Beaver was an incredible aircraft, landing on rough dirt roads, grunting and shuddering, while it pulled us up out of box canyons, and gliding like an eagle, when we ran out of fuel. I'll never forget it.

What a great documentary! Nice that Harrison Ford was a part of this.

It's RU-vid content like this makes television obsolete. Great video!

A great tribute to a great aircraft. Thanks. Don't forget the Beaver's bigger sister, the DHC Otter too.

Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed the history of a great STOL aircraft

de Havilland has built a number of great planes. The very versatile Mosquito of WW2, the Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter. The US military doesn't often use foreign made aircraft but had to employ the Beaver. Probably the most capable small aircraft ever built.

Hey!!!, that one guy looked like Harrison Ford! 🤣...Thanks for the interview Mr. Ford & of course "Spark" for the post!

If any plane not only deserved, but truly was needed to be brought back into production it is the De Havilland Beaver.. Long may the beauty fly...

Always wanted to fly one. My flying career was cut short by a flook accident unrelated to flying. I guess watching vids like this have to fill that void!

What a wonderful film! Thank you very much!!

I'm an R/C pilot and the Beaver is my favorite plan in my hanger, just the way they look and how they fly is amazing!!

Flew in one of these a few years back. Front seat. Loved it. Up in Thompson Manitoba, lake hopping.

Nada to touch it - a most remarkable piece of engineering design and achievement. SIMPLICITY, FUNCTIONALITY, RELIABILITY...Great stuff!!

Fascinating story of a storied aircraft. I have to say It’s rather incredible that a famous actor as in Harrison Ford was so impressed with the Beaver he chose to buy one and rehab it because he knew the true value of the aircraft: the history of all those involved with the legend.

I was a crew chief in one of these in Vietnam . U-6A R-985 Call sign good Guys tail number 794 Great memories !

My father built this plane back when De Havilland was a company.

Beautiful restoration jobs the plane looks like it's smiling

Great story about great aviation history. Service to the community fantastic thank you for restoring and preserving.

The Beaver and the Otter are planes that excite me in ways only a few instances of technology can. As a Canadian the original intent of DeHaviland is part of my genetic makeup. Those who find and restore them are true heroes.

Makes me happy to get in a beaver, that's all I can say!

Good old you tube i feel richer for having seen this, a truly wonderful story, planes, boats and cars why do we love them so much. New just is not the same

Great vid!! the company i work for actually has parts for these was neat to see them in actual use!

Thank you Mr. Ford for contributing to this fantastic documentary. Happy flying sir!

What a wonderful video about restoring a military Beaver that had been left unloved for a decade . . . . . . . .nothing better than a restored military Beaver . . . . . .

It's exciting to see planes being restored from a complete wreck, left out in very bad weather conditions , and forgotten. It's good to see them up in the sky again. Keep it up boys and girls.

Really enjoyed watching this. My father Bob Davis told me many stories of how enjoy this airplane. Flying it for about 10 years in Prince Rupert Canada as a bush pilot. He did this after flying PBY planes in world war II as Royal Canadian air Force. Then Lockheed in Palmdale California recruited him.

In 2006 a friend and I paid for a sightseeing flight around the San Francisco Bay area. This was in a float equipped Beaver at Sausalito. I was seated to the right of the pilot. It was a twenty minute flight south over the Golden Gate down the coast, then east and over Candlestick Park (since demolished). Then north with Oakland on the right and downtown on the left, proceeding over Alcatraz, finally landing back on the north end of the bay. We lucked out on the weather, it was clear and sunny, unusual for the bay area! 90 knots @ 1000 feet.

Thanks for sharing. Epic!

-- Wow! Wonderful documentary. Thank you to all.

I’ve been lucky to fly on two Beavers owned by Enchanted Lake Lodge in Alaska fly fishing. They are refurbished every year and look brand new. We’ve been in ponds where all of the guides and fishermen had to get off of the plane so that it could take off. It was amazing to see how it could get in and off of rivers. Give it enough space to get it on step (get the floats on plane like a motor boat) the pilot could just give a small wiggle to get one float out of the water and off you would go. I’m NOT a pilot, but I flew right seat a lot. With a little guess work and a ton of luck I feel like I could almost fly it. Landing it would be another thing 😀. I loved every flight!

- Nice Beaver! - Thank you. I just had it stuffed.

The sound a beaver makes in flight transports me back 50 years to being a wide eyed kid stopping and watching every plane that flew over a small town in northern Minnesota

Great documentary indeed. Although I really had to sleep, couldn't stop watching.

Loved flying all the Beaver versions in Microsoft Flight. Sill out flys the rest even in simulation. Thanks for the fun.

My dad who flew the Mosquito Bomber in WW2 as the navigator, talked highly of the Beaver plane . He built several altered versions of flying motorized models some in the familiar yellow colour and black stripes. Didn’t know it was built by Dehavilland just like the Mosquito. Looks like I found a new friend. Thanks for showing this video. I had really enjoyed it and learned a lot about the Beaver.

Wonderful documentary. Thank-you.

Excellent history lesson into the DeHavilland Beaver Aircraft. DeHavilland was a well known company around Toronto and Malton areas back in the day.👍👍🇨🇦

Absolutely fabulous, loved it all, I’d like to have one one day.

A new beaver every day sounds like a life goal.

Fantastic documentary! Thank you for sharing!

Wow! It's A beaver, the most reliable durable planes ever. Yes Harrison it is!. Its so safe even you would have a hard time crashing or colliding with it on ANY taxi way in the world!

The Canadian version of the DC-3. It's Immortal. Truly among my favorite airplanes of all time. Makes me proud as a Canadian.

I flew in a Harbor Air Beaver from Vancouver, B.C. out to Salt Spring Island (now Ganges I believe) almost 40 years ago. As a pilot, it was very impressed, even as a passenger in the right-hand seat Glad I did. For any flyer, experiencing one is rather like visiting an important historical site.

I’ve flown fishing in Alaska in a Beaver in 1977. I’m glad to say that as a pilot and National Fly casting champ!

These Beaver Planes are used extensively in Northern Canada.. one of these saved me by flying me to a hospital out of the Boreal Forest north of 56 parallel.. we watch these take off from the seaplane base everyday

What a terrific video of nostalgia and so well produced! The last time I was lucky enough to be aboard a radial beaver was during a remembrance celebrations for the crews of the double sunrise service of WW11 at which a Catalina did several fly overs of Sydney Harbour. Now there's another radial engine sound you won't forget! I went in honour of my father who flew this "other immortal" flying boat. Yes, I know- its not a float plane but they are both long range, work horse, amphibians and Oh So wonderful to see and hear flying. H

Having served in a aviation unit in Vietnam with a dozen Beaver's and some Otter's, I got many hours in the Beaver, and with sounds a Nam Vet will never forget was the Beaver and Huey Helicopter. Those two aircraft sounds still my neck hair stand up!

what a great plane and beautiful documental story, thanks a lot for the upload!

I flew as a map technician on a fire in '75 in AK. We were based on a small, kidney-shaped lake and when the pilot took off he tilted the plane onto one float to not only make the sweeping takeoff, but to reduce the drag. NEVER felt safer in a plane than this one; and I was in several different types in my five years there. Landing on floats is an experience!

Wonderful documentary the De Haviland beaver has always been one of my favorite aircraft I wish I could own one but a 1/8 scale RC model with floats will have to do, and is my favorite model to fly in my backyard I live on a lake It’s the closest I can come. Thank you for a wonderful film keep up the good work

I saw this plane a lot when I lived in Tucson and worked at the Pima Air Museum. So cool to see Olivia fly again