De Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo

infobox Aircraft
name = DHC-5 Buffalo
type = Utility aircraft
manufacturer = de Havilland Canada



caption =
designer =
first flight = 22 September 1961
introduced = 1965
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced = 1965-1972 1974 (second production run)
number built = 122
unit cost =
developed from = De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
variants with their own articles =

The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 "Buffalo" is a short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility transport, a turboprop version developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 "Caribou". The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance, able to take off in distances much shorter than even light aircraft can manage.

Design and development

The Buffalo arose from a United States Army requirement. Its first flight was on 22 September 1961 but due to a protracted test and development phase, only a pre-production run of four DHC-5As was delivered in 1965 and designated YAC-2 (later CV-7A and subsequently C-8A). Difficulties arose with the Buffalo program in the US, as despite having won the US Army competition, the contract was not awarded. Complications had arisen when US Army fixed wing operations were transferred to the United States Air Force who considered themselves adequately equipped with the American-made Fairchild C-123 Provider.

In the early 1980s, de Havilland Canada attempted to modify the Buffalo for civilian use. The aircraft was to be branded as the "Transporter." After loss of the demonstration aircraft (SN "103 C-GCTC") at the 1984 Farnborough Airshow, the project was abandoned.

A production Buffalo was used for breaking time-to-height records in 1976 while another Buffalo was employed to test aerodynamic prototypes for NASA as an XC-8A.

Operational history

The Royal Canadian Air Force (now the Canadian Forces) first acquired 15 DHC-5A designated as CC-115 for tactical transports. These were initially operated at CFB St Hubert, QC by No. 429 Squadron in a tactical aviation role as part of Mobile Command. In 1970 the Buffalo aircraft were transferred to a transport and rescue role with No. 442 Squadron RCAF, No. 413 Squadron RCAF, and No. 424 Squadron Squadrons as part of Transport Command. No. 426 Squadron also flew the aircraft as a Training Squadron. Some were leased back or loaned back to the factory for trials and eventually returned to military service.

Three of the aircraft were also deployed on UN missions to the Middle East with No. 116 Transport Unit until 1979. They had a white paint scheme which was retained while they were serving in domestic transport with 424 Sqn in between deployments. On 9 August 1974 a Buffalo (115461) was shot down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile, killing all nine CF personnel on board. This represents the single biggest loss of Canadian lives on a UN mission as well as the last Canadian military aircraft to be "shot down."

In 1975, the Buffalo dropped its tactical transport role and was converted to domestic search and rescue, except for a few that kept serving on UN missions. The initial paint scheme for the SAR converted aircraft were white and red while others still had the original drab paint. The previous drab paint and white paint were eventually replaced with the distinctive yellow and red scheme commonly seen today. The number of aircraft have been reduced to eight, with six on active service, one in storage (recently dismantled) and one used for battle damage training. The remaining operational Buffalos operate in the Search and Rescue role for No. 442 Squadron at CFB Comox. The Buffalo was replaced by the CC-130 Hercules aircraft at search-and-rescue bases in CFB Greenwood and CFB Trenton. The EADS-CASA C-295 or Lockheed/Alenia C-27J Spartan were seen as the likely replacements for the Buffalo in Canadian Forces. The C-27J is now being considered as a sole-source contract by the Government of Canada. [cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/03/defence-contract.html|title=DND to look at single bid for search planes: report]

Production of the DHC-5A ended in 1972 after sales to Brazil and Peru but restarted with the DHC-5D model in 1974. This variant sold to several overseas air forces beginning with Egypt.

There are currently two Buffalo aircraft used commercially in Canada. They operate with Arctic Sunwest Charters, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

afety Record

In total, 26 [http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?field=typecode&var=181%&cat=%1&sorteer=datekey&page=1 hull losses] have been recorded. The [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930427-2 most notable crash] involving a DHC-5 occurred on April 27 1993, when a plane carrying the Zambia national football team to a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Senegal crashed shortly after takeoff from a refuelling stop in Libreville, Gabon. All 30 people on board perished.

Variants

* DHC-5 Buffalo' : Originally designed as a twin-engined STOL tactical, utility transport aircraft for the US Army. Original US Army designation AC-2.
** YAC-2 : Test and evaluation aircraft for the US Army. Later redesignated CV-7A.
** CV-7A : Twin-engined STOL tactical, utility transport aircraft for the US Army. Later redesignated C-8A.
* DHC-5A : Twin-engined STOL tactical, utility transport aircraft for the Brazilian Air Force, Canadian Forces and Peruvian Air Force. Canadian designation CC-115.
** CC-115 : Twin-engined STOL search and rescue, utility transport aircraft for the Canadian Forces.
* DHC-5B : Proposed version, powered by two General-Electric CT64-P4C turboprop engines. Not built.
* DHC-5C : Proposed version, powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.12 turboprop engines. Not built.
* DHC-5D : Improved version, powered by two 2336-kW (3,133-shp) General Electric CT64-820-4 turboprop engines.
* DHC-5E Transporter : Civil transport version.
* NASA / DITC XC-8A : One C-8A aircraft converted into an augmentor wing research aircraft.
* XC8A ACLS : One C-8A aircraft converted into an air-cushion landing system research aircraft.
* NASA / Boeing QSRA : One C-8A converted into a quiet short-haul research aircraft.

Operators

;flag|Abu Dhabi;BRA
*Brazilian Air Force (Retired);CMR;CAN
*Canadian Forces;CHI
*Chilean Air Force (Retired);COD (previously ZAI);ECU;EGY;IDN;KEN;MRT;MEX
*Mexican Navy;OMN
*Oman Police Air Wing;PER
*Peruvian Air Force (Retired);SUD;TAN;TOG;USA
*United States Army
*NASA;ZAM

pecifications (DHC-5)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=Three
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 79 ft
length alt= 24.08 m
span main= 96 ft
span alt= 29.26 m
height main= 28 ft 9 in
height alt= 8.73 m
area main= 945 sq ft
area alt= 87.8 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 25,159 lb
empty weight alt= 11,412 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 49,200 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 22,317 kg
more general=

engine (prop)= General Electric CT64-820-4 turbine engines (upgraded from CT64-820-3 current standard in the Canadian Forces)
type of prop=
number of props=2
power main= 3,133 hp
power alt= 2,336 kW
power original=
max speed main= 290 mph
max speed alt= 467 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 690 miles
range alt= 1,110 km
ceiling main= 31,000 ft
ceiling alt= 9,450 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* DHC-4 Caribou
* Dash 7
* Dash 8

similar aircraft=
*Transall C-160
*Alenia G.222

lists=
* List of active Canadian military aircraft

see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Hotson, Fred W. "The de Havilland Canada Story." Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. ISBN 0-07-549483-3.
* Milberry, Larry. "Aviation In Canada". Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8.
* Molson, Ken M. and Harold A. Taylor. "Canadian Aircraft Since 1909". Stittsville, Ontario: Canada's Wings, Inc., 1982. ISBN 0-920002-11-0.

External links

* [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/canadair/images/dhc_5/tech.htm Diagrams of the DHC-5D]
* [http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/19wing/Aircraft/cc115_e.asp Canadian Forces CC-115 Buffalo website]