What is a Mk I beaver?

[clarence oveur]

can someone please tell me what the Mk. I after DHC2 implies? And is there only a MK I or are there II's and III's? Thanks.[/u]

[CLguy]

It is the first series of Beaver produced. Yes there is other Marks but I don't know to what series they got too before production stopped. I don't know what the differences are in each series but you can bet there are a few suttle changes in each series.

[J31]

The Mark 1 is the piston Beaver with Pratt & Whitney R985 Wasp Junior (450 hp) and the Mark III is the "Turbo Beaver" with the Pratt & Whitney PT6A turbine. I'm not sure but I think the Mark II was the piston Beaver for the US military.

Airliners.net has some details http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=178

[Dog]

Mk III was a beaver with a 550 HP Alvis Leodine British engine. Two were made. Both were later converted back to Mk I's.

[Boss Hawg]

Mk III was a beaver with a 550 HP Alvis Leodine British engine. Two were made. Both were later converted back to Mk I's.

Almost. The Mk II (not III) was the Leodine. I thought I read there was only one made, may have been two, but at any rate it was later converted. The Mk III is the turbo.

[NorthernDuck]

As mentioned above the MKI had the P&W 450 HP Jr. Wasp engine.

The MkII had the same frame but an inch shorter and a 550 hp Alvix Leonides 502 engine. Only one MkII was built and later converted to have the Jr. Wasp engine.

The MkIII is the Turbo Beaver, but not to be confused with the turbine conversions you can get now adays. DeHavilland did build 60 original turbo Beavers.

If you get a chance, pick up "The Immortal Beaver" by Sean Rossiter. Tells the whole story.

[Dog]

Yup MkII. I must have had a spaz typing that. Another good book by the same author was The Universal Airplane. The story of the Otter and Twin Otter.

[oldtimer]

I read somewhere that the original Beaver was destined to have a Gypsy Queen engine of doubtful power and reliability but saner minds prevailed and the P & W R985 was the engine of choice, partly because P & W Canada was tasked with the overhaul and support of all P & W radials in the post war period. This will partially explain why the slab sided fuselage is narrower than the round engine, leaving that big gap. That is when DHC surveyed Canadian bush operators on what features they wanted in a new airplane. Made sense to me at thetime.

[Northern Skies]

^That's why the nose is so short, and the oil fill in the cockpit (right?)...... to make up for the balance with a heavier engine.

[t34ag]

Been a vary long time since I worked on Beavers ,but if memory searves me right,the Mk1 Beaver had the air inlet scoop on the bottom of the cowling. The Mk11 had the air scoop up on the right side of the upper cowling.Also I think that the throttle/prop leavers were reversed,which led to a few funny start ups from the bouys for those who were jumping out of one too the other.

[Boss Hawg]

Think the air scoop on the top right and the throttle/prop levers reversed was a US military thing, as are the skylights in the Army Beavers. I'm guessing they probably had some other mods as well but not sure what they all are. Anybody else know?

[Dog]

ya, the Mk I has both upper and lower induction depending on the plane. The upper induction was filtered both for heated and un-heated air so it has a emegency direct air handle in the cockpit. I think that most Beavers have had the direct air filter removed now though.
I'm not sure if the throttle prop mix or prop throttle mix was a millitary thing or not. I know a few other planes like the Be-18 had the same layout.