Maxcraft teamed up with several of our industry partners to restore this iconic Canadian bush plane which went on to win the Silver Lindy for the Seaplane category at the 2018 EAA Airventure Oshkosh. Modern avionics from Garmin bring high-tech features, without taking away from the classic look and feel of a vintage airframe. With a custom paint job, custom interior to perfectly match the colour of the instrument panel, and brand-new amphibious floats, this Beaver looks better than when it came out of the factory in 1991.
2018 EAA AirVenture Silver Lindy Award Winning Seaplane
1952 Dehavilland DHC-2 Beaver
Aircraft & Owner:
The de Havilland Beaver is a classic Canadian bush plane powered by a large radial engine. After World War II, de Havilland Canada was no longer needed to produce aircraft to aid in the war effort and began to shift focus to civil aircraft. After receiving feedback from pilots, de Havilland released the Beaver in 1948 and produced over 1600 between then and 1967. Although production ended over 50 years ago, the Beaver is still a Canadian legend, with many still flying today. This particular Beaver now housed at the Vintage Wings of Canada museum in Quebec.
This Beaver was flown to the 2018 EAA Airventure convention and air show, where hundreds of aircraft compete every year for a variety of awards. The best of the best are awarded a coveted Lindy award. After being judged by a panel of seaplane experts, this Beaver was awarded a silver Lindy award for its superior interior, exterior, and all-round restoration.
Named after aviator Charles Lindbergh, who completed the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, France, The Lindy Awards serve to highlight the “best of the best” and is known around the world to be the ultimate recognition of aircraft craftsmanship. You can learn more about the Lindy Awards on the EAA Website.
Need:
The owner was completing a complete restoration of this 1952 Beaver, including a brand-new custom interior, new paint, major overhaul to many of the mechanical components, including the radial engine, and of course avionics.
This project was managed by Port Interiors, who teamed up with Seair Seaplanes, and Maxcraft to produce this showroom quality example of a Canadian classic. On the avionics side of things, the owner wanted to keep things as aesthetically close to original as possible, while still introducing the classic workhorse to some modern-day luxuries.
The Beaver Undergoing Maintenance with the Wings and Cowling Removed, After the Paint was Stripped, Seair Seaplanes was tasked with performing maintenance on the radial engine, which the Beaver is known for, installing provisions for the new Wipaire amphibious floats, and making sure the rest of the airframe was in the best condition possible. Port Interiors took lead of the cosmetics inside and out, producing a stunning product which looks better than the day it came out of the factory. After all this work was completed, the aircraft was flown on wheels to Minnesota, where Wipaire installed brand new amphibious floats.
NEW EQUIPMENT LIST
| GTN 750 | GPS/NAV/COMM/MFD (Garmin) |
| FlightStream 510 | Wireless Cockpit Connectivity (Garmin) |
| GTS 800 | Active Traffic Avoidance System (Garmin) |
| System 50 | 2 Axis Autopilot System (Genesys) |
| GTX 345 | ADS-B In/Out Transponder (Garmin) |
| GDL 69A | SiriusXM Satellite Weather and Music Receiver (Garmin) |
| GNC 255A | VHF Nav/Comm Transceiver (Garmin) |
| GMA 35C | Remote Mounted Audio Panel (Garmin) |
| Digiflo-L | Digital Fuel Management System (Shadin Avionics) |
| Zulu 3 | Panel Powered Active Noise Reduction Headsets (Lightspeed) |
| LED Lighting | LED Exterior and Interior Lighting (Whelen Aerospace Technology) |
| TA202 | High Power USB Chargers (Mid-Continent) |
| MaxPanel | Custom Powder Coated Instrument Panel (Maxcraft) |
| Custom Interior | |
| Aircraft Maintenance |
The Story:
One of the most important parts of this project on our end of things was the panel, including a custom-made recessed subpanel for the GTN 750 and transponder to angle them towards the pilot. A custom circuit breaker panel was built, including laser engraved labels to make it easy to differentiate different breakers. The owner wanted everything about this aircraft to be perfect. After comparing many different options, the owner decided on a powder coat colour for the panel. After which, Port interiors color matched their interior paints and materials to be a perfect match to the panel resulting in a completely uniform colour scheme throughout.
While Port Interiors was managing the project, they also did much of the cosmetic work, including getting a one-of-a-kind custom paint scheme designed for the exterior, then repainting the entire aircraft. Along with paint, Port Interiors did what they do best, and designed a stunning interior with cherry red leather seats to match the accent stripe featured on the paint scheme. The entire interior was built outside of the aircraft on a custom wooden jig so the interior could be completed concurrently with the maintenance work which required access to the frame of the aircraft. This jig also makes it easier for the technicians to work on the interior pieces as they are in an open area instead of the cramped area inside an aircraft.
One of the most noticeable avionics upgrades was the Garmin GTN 750. This large 6.9” touchscreen display will be the hub for many of the avionics we installed, as well as being the primary VHF radio communication and navigation interface, and GPS. The FlightStream 510 installed in the GTN 750 allows for two-way flight plan transfers between a compatible smartphone or tablet using the Garmin Pilot app, or Foreflight. It also makes updating databases a breeze by automatically pulling the latest version wirelessly from a compatible device. The remote mounted GDL 69A brings SiriusXM satellite weather information to the GTN 750, as well as to compatible mobile devices through the FlightStream 510. The GDL 69A also brings SiriusXM satellite radio which can be routed through the audio panel. The GMA 35C remote audio panel distributes high quality audio to both pilots, and passengers with the ability to control all the functions through a menu on the GTN 750 freeing up valuable panel space.
The Garmin GTS 800 active traffic system increases situational awareness whether flying in busy, congested airspace, or bush flying in Canada’s remote North. The GTS 800 combines both active traffic and ADS-B traffic into one easy to read display on the GTN 750.
The Garmin GNC 255 is a VHF navigation and communications transceiver and will be a backup and secondary radio to the GTN 750.
The analog fuel gauges installed in the factory Beaver panel could at time be hard to read, or unreliable. The Digiflo-L from Shadin Avionics brings a digital fuel management system to the Beaver. This system can provide a wide range of data to the pilot without needing to manually enter data before each flight. By connecting to the fuel transducer, and the GPS, the Digiflo is able to provide highly accurate calculations such as current fuel flow, fuel remaining, and fuel needed to reach the destination. The Digiflo also integrates with the Garmin GTN 750 to transmit fuel information to be used for flight plan calculations.
One of the changes we made to this aircraft which may be hard to spot during the day is the replacement of traditional lighting with LED lighting. This included everything from interior map lights, to the exterior wing tip lights. Equipped with the ultra-bright Whelen Aerospace Technology anti-collision lights, it’ll be hard to miss this Beaver when it’s out for a night flight.
We also installed some comfort items, including the high powered TA202 USB charger from Mid-Continent. Providing 15 watts of power per port, and available with USB type C or A, all your devices will stay charged, even during the longest of flights. Each seat on this Beaver is equipped with a dedicated LEMO headset jack and a Lightspeed Zulu 3 headset. The LEMO jack and compatible headset will provide power directly from the aircraft’s electrical system to power the active noise cancellation and removes the hassle of replacing AA batteries, or worrying about them dying mid-flight.
Read More:
http://portinteriors.com/port-interiors-restored-dehavilland-beaver-c-gupm-wins-silver-at-oshkosh/