de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou

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DHC-4 Caribou
A Royal Australian Air Force Caribou at Bundaberg Airport
Role STOL transport aircraft
National origin Canada
Manufacturer de Havilland Canada
First flight 30 July 1958
Introduction 1961
Retired RAAF (2009)
Status Retired from military operators, limited service. Some turboprop conversions in active service.
Primary users Royal Canadian Air Force
United States Army
United States Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Produced 1958–1968
Number built 307
Developed into de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo

The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 and although mainly retired from military operations, is still in use in small numbers as a rugged bush airplane.

The design was further developed as the de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo, adding turboprop engines and other changes that further improved its short-field performance to the point where it competes with light aircraft even with a full load.

Design and development[edit]

C-7B Caribou aircraft of the U.S. Army/California Army National Guard
RAAF DHC-4 Caribou (A4-299) from No. 38 Squadron.

The De Havilland Canada (DHC) company's third short takeoff and landing (STOL) design was a big increase in size compared to its earlier DHC Beaver and DHC Otter, and was the first DHC design powered by two engines. The Caribou was similar in concept in that it was designed as a rugged STOL utility aircraft. The Caribou was primarily a military tactical transport that in commercial service found itself a small niche in cargo hauling. The United States Army ordered 173 in 1959 and took delivery in 1961 under the designation AC-1, which was changed to CV-2 Caribou in 1962.

The majority of Caribou production was destined for military operators, but the type's ruggedness and excellent STOL capabilities requiring runway lengths of only 1200 feet (365 metres)[1] also appealed to some commercial users. U.S. certification was awarded on 23 December 1960. Ansett-MAL, which operated a single example in the New Guinea highlands, and Amoco Ecuador were early customers, as was Air America (a CIA front in South East Asia during the Vietnam War era for covert operations). Other civil Caribou aircraft entered commercial service after being retired from their military users.

Today only a handful are in civilian use.

The Turbo Caribou Program[edit]

PEN Turbo Aviation of Cape May, NJ, has undertaken the re-engineering of the DHC-4A Caribou to a turbine powered variant, designated DHC-4A Turbo Caribou. The conversion uses PT6A-67T engines and Hartzell 5 bladed HC-B5MA-3M Constant Speed/Reversing propellers. Overall performance has improved and "new" basic weight is reduced while maximum normal take-off weight remained at 28,500 pounds (12,900 kg) Maximum payload is 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg). Both Transport Canada and the US Federal Aviation Administration have issued supplemental type certificates for the Turbo Caribou. As of September 17, 2014, only 3 air frames had been converted.[2] PEN Turbo has stockpiled dozens of air frames at their facility in NJ for possible future conversion. PEN Turbo Aviation named their company after Perry E. Niforos, who died in the 1992 crash of an earlier turboprop Caribou converted by a different firm, NewCal Aviation.[2]

Operational history[edit]

A Royal Australian Air Force Caribou transport aircraft on landing approach, Vietnam War

In response to a United States Army requirement for a tactical airlifter to supply the battlefront with troops and supplies and evacuate casualties on the return journey, de Havilland Canada designed the DHC-4. With assistance from Canada's Department of Defence Production, DHC built a prototype demonstrator that flew for the first time on 30 July 1958.

Impressed with the DHC4's STOL capabilities and potential, the U.S. Army ordered five for evaluation as YAC-1s and went on to become the largest Caribou operator. The AC-1 designation was changed in 1962 to CV-2, and then C-7 when the U.S. Army's CV-2s were transferred to the U.S. Air Force in 1967. U.S. and Australian Caribou saw extensive service during the Vietnam War.

The U.S. Army purchased 159 of the aircraft and they served their purpose well as a tactical transport during the Vietnam War, where larger cargo aircraft such as the Fairchild C-123 Provider and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules could not land on the shorter landing strips. The aircraft could carry 32 troops or two Jeeps or similar light vehicles. The rear loading ramp could also be used for parachute dropping (also, see Air America).

Under the Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966, the Army relinquished the fixed wing Caribou to the United States Air Force in exchange for an end to restrictions on Army rotary wing operations. On 1 January 1967, the 17th, 57th, 61st Aviation Companies (12th Combat Aviation Group) and the 92nd, 134th, and 135th Aviation Companies of the U.S. Army were inactivated and their aircraft transferred respectively to the newly activated 537th, 535th, 536th, 459th, 457th, and 458th Troop Carrier Squadrons of the USAF (This was Operation "Red Leaf"). On 1 August 1967 the "troop carrier" designations were changed to "tactical airlift".

Some U.S. Caribou were captured by North Vietnamese forces and remained in service with that country through to the late 1970s. Following the war in Vietnam, all USAF Caribou were transferred to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard airlift units pending their replacement by the C-130 Hercules in the 1980s.

Ex U.S. Army CV-2A, operated by Chieftain Aviation, at Opa-locka Airport near Miami in 1989

All C-7s have now been phased out of U.S. military service, with the last example serving again under U.S. Army control through 1985 in support of the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute demonstration team. Other notable military operators included Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia and Spain.

In September 1975, a group of 44 civilians, including armed supporters of the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), commandeered a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Caribou, A4-140, on the ground at Baucau Airport in the then Portuguese Timor, which was in the middle of a civil war. The Caribou had landed at Baucau on a humanitarian mission for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The civilians demanded that the RAAF crew members fly them to Darwin Airport (also RAAF Base Darwin) in Australia, which they did. After the Caribou arrived there, the Australian government detained the civilians for a short period, and then granted refugee visas to all of them. The Guardian later described A4-140 as "the only RAAF plane ever hijacked", and the incident as "one of the more remarkable stories in Australia’s military and immigration history".[3]

The RAAF retired A4-140, by then its last Caribou, on 27 November 2009.[4] The aircraft, which was manufactured in 1964, was donated to the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.[5]

Civilian operations[edit]

After retirement from military use, several examples of the Caribou have been purchased by civilian operators for deployment in areas with small airfields located in rugged country with few or poor surface transport links.

Variants[edit]

Royal Australian Air Force DHC-4
DHC-4 Caribou
STOL tactical transport, utility transport aircraft.
CC-108
Royal Canadian Air Force designation for the DHC-4 Caribou.
YAC-1
This designation was given to five DHC-4 Caribou, sold to the United States Army for evaluation.
AC-1
United States Army designation for the first production run of 56 DHC-4 Caribou. Later redesignated CV-2A in 1962.
CV-2A
United States Army AC-1 redesignated in 1962.
CV-2B
This designation was given to a second production run of 103 DHC-4 Caribou, which were sold to the U.S. Army, with reinforced internal ribbing.
C-7A/B
These designations were applied to all 144 Caribou transferred to the U.S. Air Force by the U.S. Army.
DHC-4A Caribou
Similar to the DHC-4, but this version had an increased takeoff weight.
DHC-4T Turbo Caribou
A conversion of the baseline DHC-4 Caribou powered by the PWC PT6A-67T turboprop engines designed, test flown and certified by the Pen Turbo Aviation company.

Operators[edit]

Military operators[edit]

 Abu Dhabi/  United Arab Emirates
Caribou at the RAAF museum.
 Australia
 Canada
 Cameroon
 Cambodia
 Ghana
 India
  • Indian Air Force – India received 20 new build Caribou, supplementing them with four ex-Ghanaian Caribou in 1975.[8]
The only Iranian DHC-4 Caribou
 Pahlavi Iran
 Kenya
 Kuwait
 Liberia
  • Liberian Army – Two refurbished aircraft were delivered to the Air Reconnaissance Unit in 1989.[12] The aircraft were destroyed during the civil war.
RMAF Caribou on display at the Malaysian Army Museum, Port Dickson.
 Malaysia
 Oman
 Spain
  • Spanish Air Force – received 12 new Caribou later supplemented by 24 former United States Air Force C-7As.[15] Final retirement 12 June 1991.[16]
 South Vietnam
 Sweden
 Tanzania
 Thailand
 Uganda
 United States
 Vietnam
 Zambia

Civil operators[edit]

 Australia
 Canada
  • La Sarre Air Services
    • acquired C-GVGX in 1977 (delivered 1961) and unknown status after 1981 when Propair formed from merger of La Sarre Air Services (used in El Salvador to Nicaragua 1986)[21]
 Costa Rica
 Ecuador
 Gabon
 Indonesia
 Malta
 Papua New Guinea
 Taiwan
 United States

Aircraft on display[edit]

Australia[edit]

Airworthy
On display
A4-228 at Caboolture (2021).
C-7A 60-3767 at Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center
  • A4-228 - DHC-4 on display at Caboolture Warplane and Flight Heritage Museum, Caboolture Airfield, Caboolture, Queensland.[29]
  • A4-231 - DHC-4 on display at National Vietnam Veterans Museum, Phillip Island, Victoria.[29]
  • A4-236 – DHC-4 on static display at the Aviation Heritage Center, RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland.[33]
  • A4-275 - DHC-4 stored at Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, Albion Park, New South Wales.
  • A4-299 - DHC-4 on static display at Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Heritage Aviation Association Museum at Evans Head, New South Wales.

Costa Rica[edit]

On display
  • MSP002 - DHC-4 on static display at Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport, Liberia, Costa Rica

India[edit]

On display

Malaysia[edit]

On display

Spain[edit]

On display

Thailand[edit]

On display

United States[edit]

CV-2B 62-4149
C-7 on display at the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum, once used by the Golden Knights parachute team
detail of C-7A Caribou at Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB
Airworthy
On display

Specifications (DHC-4A)[edit]

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1969-70 [61]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 + loadmaster
  • Capacity: 30 pax (civil) / 32 troops / 26 fully-equipped paratroops / 22 stretchers, 4 sitting patients and 4 attendants
  • Length: 72 ft 7 in (22.12 m)
  • Wingspan: 95 ft 7.5 in (29.147 m)
  • Height: 31 ft 9 in (9.68 m)
  • Wing area: 912 sq ft (84.7 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 10
  • Airfoil: centre-section: NACA 643A417.5; tip: NACA 632A615
  • Basic operating weight: 18,260 lb (8,283 kg)
  • Maximum payload: 8,740 lb (3,964 kg)
  • Maximum zero fuel weight: 27,000 lb (12,247 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 28,500 lb (12,927 kg)
  • Maximum permissible weight for ferry missions: 31,300 lb (14,197 kg)
  • Maximum landing weight: 28,500 lb (12,927 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 690 imp gal (830 US gal; 3,100 L)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2000-7M2 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,450 hp (1,080 kW) each
  • Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard type 43D50-7107A fully-feathering constant-speed reversible-pitch propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 187 kn (215 mph, 346 km/h) at 6,500 ft (2,000 m)
  • Cruise speed: 158 kn (182 mph, 293 km/h) at 7,500 ft (2,300 m) (maximum & econ)
  • Stall speed: 59 kn (68 mph, 109 km/h)
  • Never exceed speed: 208 kn (239 mph, 385 km/h)
  • Range: 1,136 nmi (1,307 mi, 2,104 km) with maximum fuel inc. 45 minutes reserve
211 nmi (243 mi; 391 km) with maximum payoad inc. 45 minutes reserve
  • Service ceiling: 24,800 ft (7,600 m)
  • Service ceiling on one engine: 8,800 ft (2,700 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,355 ft/min (6.88 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 31.2 lb/sq ft (152 kg/m2) maximum
  • Power/mass: 0.102 hp/lb (0.168 kW/kg)

Avionics
Blind flying instrumentation standard fit

See also[edit]

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Caribou Sales Brochure – 1962." c-7acaribou.com, 26 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b Boring, War Is (22 September 2014). "The Turbo Caribou Is One of the World's Best and Rarest Airlifters". Medium.
  3. ^ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (16 January 2021). "'It was life or death': the plane-hijacking refugees Australia embraced". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Defence 'workhorse' makes final flight." ABC News, 27 November 2009. Retrieved: 27 November 2009.
  5. ^ a b c Fitzgibbon, Joel (9 March 2009). "HONOURING THE CARIBOU'S SERVICE TO AUSTRALIA". Australian Government Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 10 May 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b Henley and Ellis Air Enthusiast March/April 1998, p. 24.
  7. ^ a b c d "A4 DHC-4 Caribou". RAAF Museum Point Cook. 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e Henley and Ellis Air Enthusiast March/April 1998, p. 26.
  9. ^ "Fuerza Pública revive avión militar Caribú – SUCESOS – La Nación" (in Spanish). Archived 11 January 2013 at archive.today Nacion.com. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
  10. ^ Andrade 1982, p. 141.
  11. ^ "Kuwait Air Force (KAF)." Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Scramble.nl. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
  12. ^ Henley and Ellis Air Enthusiast March/April 1998, pp. 26, 28.
  13. ^ "Malaysian Forces Overview." Archived 7 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Scramble.nl. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
  14. ^ "Royal Air Force of Oman." Archived 1 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine Scramble.nl. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
  15. ^ Andrade 1982, p. 204.
  16. ^ Soupart Air Enthusiast March–May 1992, p. 47.
  17. ^ a b Buser, Wayne. "Caribou Roster." Dhc4and5.org, 4 September 2010. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
  18. ^ "Royal Thai Police."[permanent dead link] fader.dyndns.org. Retrieved: 27 January 2012.
  19. ^ Andrade 1982, p. 231.
  20. ^ Taylor 1971, p. 19.
  21. ^ "VH-BFC. de Havilland DHC-4A Caribou. c/n 23." aussieairliners.org. Retrieved: 18 November 2012.
  22. ^ "Serial MSP002 C-7A MSN 149." Archived 23 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine Scramble.nl. Retrieved: 26 May 2011.
  23. ^ "Hore! Setelah Pom Bensin, Kini Kabupaten Puncak Papua Punya Pesawat". detik.com. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  24. ^ Commercial Caribou Users (DHC-4) Page 6 Caribous on Malta. the deHavilland Caribou (DHC-4) and Buffalo (DHC-5) web site. Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  25. ^ "DHC-4T (Turbo Caribou) | Flightworks".
  26. ^ a b "De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou". HARS. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Aircraft Register [VH-VBA]". Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
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  29. ^ a b c d e f g h "RAAF A4 De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou". ADF-SERIALS. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  30. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, s/n A4-140 RAAF, c/n 140". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  31. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, s/n A4-152 RAAF, c/n 152". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  32. ^ "DE HAVILLAND CANADA CARIBOU A4-173 C/N 173". Queensland Air Museum. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  33. ^ "Caribou". RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Center. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  34. ^ a b "De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou". Bharat Rakshak. Bharat-Rakshak.com. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  35. ^ Sharma, Sanjeev (January 2004). "Reconstructing Caribou : A Heritage Rebuilt". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 30 March 2004. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  36. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou, s/n M21-04 TUDM, c/n 270". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  37. ^ "Aircraft wreck or relic at San Torcuato, Spain". SpottingMode. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  38. ^ "Aircraft wreck or relic at Fuenlabrada, Spain". SpottingMode. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  39. ^ "Aircraft wreck or relic at Villanubla, Spain". SpottingMode. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  40. ^ "Exposición exterior del Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica" (in Spanish). Ejército del Aire. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  41. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada C-7A Caribou, s/n T.9-25 EdA, c/n 053". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  42. ^ "De Havilland Canada DHC-4A Caribou 12271". Fotolibra. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  43. ^ "FAA Registry [N6080]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  44. ^ "De Havilland CV-2B Caribou". Cavanaugh Flight Museum. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  45. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N149HF]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  46. ^ Sullivan, Cole (1 January 2024). "Historic Addison flight museum announces closure". WFAA. Dallas, Texas. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada YC-7A Caribou, s/n 57-3079 US, c/n 005, c/r CF-LKF-X". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  48. ^ "Fixed Wing". United States Army Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
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  50. ^ " The History of Dyess Air Force Base, 1941 to the present"; by Lt. Col. George A. Larson (Ret),Shiffer Publishing, Atglen, Pa.,2016. Pg. 208
  51. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada YC-7A Caribou, s/n 57-3083 US, c/n 8". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  52. ^ Veronico, Nick. "Outdoor Exhibits - DeHavilland C-7A "Caribou"". Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center. Travis Heritage Center. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  53. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada C-7A Caribou, s/n 60-3767 US". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  54. ^ "de Havilland C-7A 'Caribou'". New England Air Museum. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  55. ^ "De Havilland C-7A Caribou". National Museum of the US Air Force. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  56. ^ "C-7A "Caribou"". Museum of Aviation. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  57. ^ "C-7B Caribou". Hill Air Force Base. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  58. ^ "C-7A Caribou". Air Mobility Command Museum. AMC Museum Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  59. ^ "Airframe Dossier - de Havilland Canada-deHavilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, s/n 63-9719 US, c/n 150". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  60. ^ "Aircraft Inventory". Flight Test Historical Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  61. ^ Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1969). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1969-70 (60th ed.). London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company. pp. 17–18.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Andrade, John. Militair 1982. London: Aviation Press, 1982. ISBN 0-907898-01-7.
  • The C-7A Caribou Association
  • Caribou Roster deHavilland Caribou (DHC-4) and Buffalo (DHC-5) website.
  • "Caribou to Bow Out Early". Air International, Vol. 76. No. 4, April 2009, p. 5.
  • Green, William. Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1964.
  • Harding, Stephen (November–December 1999). "Canadian Connection: US Army Aviation's Penchant for Canadian Types". Air Enthusiast (84): 72–74. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Henley, Don and Ken Ellis. "Globetrotting Reindeers: De Havilland Canada's Caribou – an Airlift Legend". Air Enthusiast, No. 74, March/April 1998, pp. 20–33. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Hotson, Fred W. The de Havilland Canada Story. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. ISBN 0-07-549483-3.
  • Kuwait Air Force (KAF) entry at the Scramble (magazine) website:
  • Malaysian Forces Overview entry at the Scramble magazine website.
  • Royal Air Force of Oman entry at the Scramble magazine website.
  • Soupart, Roger. "Adios Muchachas!". Air Enthusiast, No. 45, March–May 1992. pp. 44–51. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Taylor, John W.R. (ed.). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971–72. London: Janes's Yearbooks, 1971. ISBN 978-0-7106-1262-5.

External links[edit]