The Immortal Beaver: The World's Greatest Bush Plane [Hardcover]

Sean Rossiter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997 | ISBN-10: 1550545191 | ISBN-13: 978-1550545197

Developed soon after World War II, the de Havilland Beaver has become one of the most successful and long-lived designs in aviation history. The Beaver was conceived as a “half-ton flying pickup truck” capable of setting down on land, water, and snow. Since its conception the Beaver has been adopted worldwide, becoming the floatplane of choice for island-hopping along the Pacific Northwest, flying into the Arctic, transporting missionaries and doctors into remote spots in Africa, and serving as a support aircraft in Antarctic expeditions. The Beaver also became “the generals’ Jeep” during the Korean War — and the generals’ favorite transport to fishing spots in peacetime.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Douglas & Mcintyre Ltd (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550545191
• ISBN-13: 978-1550545197
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,756,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He got d' Beaver Fever, May 24, 2000

By 

Theodore A. Rushton (PHOENIX, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Immortal Beaver: The World's Greatest Bush Plane (Paperback)

All aircraft are good, or else they wouldn't land safely; only a few become legends, such as the Douglas DC - 3 and the de Havilland Beaver, the world's greatest bush plane built in Canada at Downsview, Ontario, from 1947 to 1967.

The Beaver was a typically Canadian project, it is rugged, reliable, durable and practical for people who were haulers of water and hewers of wood. It is the haul-anything, go-anywhere pickup truck of the air; similar to their earthbound brothers before they became "sport utility vehicles" that are too genteel to stray from perfect pavement. The Beaver is 30 feet long, with a 48 foot wingspan, cruises at 125 miles an hour with a 1,500 pound payload -- and weighs less than most SUVs.

Phil Garratt, longtime head of DHC, created the Beaver. Think of him as an original Sam Walton with an MBWA degree -- management by walking around -- long before Walton. Garratt didn't like rules, titles or organization charts. His favorite expression was, "You know what you're here for, go do it." The people who designed and built the first Beaver were like the dot com pioneers of the Internet who became legendary for living on pizza and Pepsi and working around the clock. Under Garratt, there were no time clocks. When workers came late, they worked late. If Sunday was needed for work, then Sunday was a work day. Garratt knew he was building the world's best bush plane, he inspired that vision. People who create exciting new projects sometimes don't rest even on the seventh day.

Sean Rossiter captures the mood and spirit of de Havilland Canada. This isn't a dull, dry, `how I built an airplane' book, it's a story of teamwork, spirit, confidence and fun. When I worked in Test Flight at DHC in the 1960's, it was a company filled with pride, legends and humor. Many stories seemed too fanciful to be true, but most turned out to be solid fact. Rossiter presents facts, stories, legends and with typical Canadian spirit includes the humor. It is a superb book.

In the final analysis, when you look at anything worthwhile, people make the difference. In Canada, just after World War II, there was a glowing confidence that anything could be done. A few miles away at Malton, Canadians built the Avro Jetliner which first flew in 1949. Since neither Canada nor the world needed 1,692 superlative bush planes, most were built for military use. The US bought 980 Beavers, the first foreign planes bought in peacetime by both the US Army and Air Force. The US didn't buy any Jetliners, thus only the one was built (there's an attitude in Canada that if the US doesn't buy a product, then it's not worth buying).

The last Beaver was built in 1967, Canada's Centennial Year. The English owners of DHC closed the production line because the inventory had increased to a couple of unsold aircraft. Today, 53 years after the Beaver's first flight, a thousand or more are still flying. How do you justify making more if they won't wear out?

Several firms in Canada and the US refurbish used Beavers, and some will still fly 50 years from now. These survivors aren't pampered pets of millionaires, carefully tucked into air conditioned hangers; they fly every day over some of the world's most rugged terrain. A century is a long time for the commercial life of any aircraft; but hundreds of Beavers may achieve it.

They're like the Model T Ford, the DC-3, the World War II Jeep -- the best ever built for a specific purpose. But, the world moves on. Today, people want a Lincoln Navigator, a Boeing 737, or a Hummer. Yet, a first love lingers long. One of Canada's best bush plane operators summed up the widespread love of pilots and passengers for this plane, "He got d' Beaver fever."

They couldn't have been built in any country but Canada, and Rossiter nicely sums up this immortal plane and the unforgettable characters who made it so. Read it, and catch some of ". . . d' Beaver fever."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Book on the Greatest Bush Plane, March 15, 2003

By 

Thomas M. Kearns (Arlington, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Immortal Beaver: The World's Greatest Bush Plane (Hardcover)

I first flew in a Beaver in Viet Nam. Didn't know what it was but enjoyed the flight( didn't get shot at ). It was Olive drab with black insignias. A circle with a Beaver inside surrounded by the words" Low, Slow , Reliable" . My second experience in a Beaver was on floats in Alaska some 15 years later. This plane had fish guts, moose meat and Dall Ram intesines. It was the greatest adventure. I fell in love with the plane, along with the romance and adventures it could bring to you.

This book explains everything about the Beaver. Its conception , its improvements and finally its rightful place in aviation history. The plane has improved since it was first designed and built. Built in Canada, flown mostly by the US and reinvented again in BC and Seattle airplane restoration shops. It truly is an amazing story. This book presents it all, text, photos and anything else you might want to know or see. If you live near the water in the Northwest you will have heard and seen a Beaver. If you have flown in Ak you probaly were close to , if not inside, a Beaver. The book is simply the very best on the subject. Buy it , read it, memorize it. Have fun and happy flying. The only two things could be better than owning this book: 1) owning a real Beaver on floats - about $750K ( or more) 2) Flying a Simulator of a Beaver on Floats. About $150. The book <$20. Oh, you can build models of the Beaver; both non powered and RC vesions both wheels and floats. They just don't seem the same however.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Song to an Airplane., December 2, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Immortal Beaver: The World's Greatest Bush Plane (Paperback)

A Great Airplane, and a Great Example of Niche Marketing.

World War II was an aviation war. Literally thousands of airplanes were produced and offered for sale after the war. While this included P-51's and B-17's, it also included smaller planes such as the small observation planes. The market for most airplane companies was difficult.

de Havilland corporation in Canada looked around for a niche where they could design and build a plane that would sell in sufficient quantity to keep them alive. They decided that they would build the greatest Bush Plane that ever existed. And they did.

The thought when they were doing the design was to build the airplane equivalent of the half-ton pickup. The plane was first designed around a smaller engine, so when they decided to use the P&W 450 hp engine, it became quite a performer.

As a marketing niche during difficult times, it essentially saved de Havilland as an aircraft manufacturer. Almost 2,000 planes were build, a long way from the Cessna/Piper production numbers, but it was a much more expensive airplane.

This book is the story of the plane, and it really describes a love affair with the plane.