Summary

  • De Havilland Canada's history includes being a UK subsidiary and producing iconic aircraft like the Chipmunk and Beaver.
  • The company transitioned from British ownership to Canadian to American, ultimately landing under Longview's umbrella.
  • Longview's acquisition of the Dash 8 program led to rebranding De Havilland Canada and uniting its aviation assets.

De Havilland Canada was founded nearly 96 years ago, in August 1928, as a subsidiary of the United Kingdom aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Aircraft. In the last century, the Canadian company has changed many hands. In the early days, the company designed and built Moth aircraft to train Canadian airmen. In the 1980s, the company was privatized before being sold to Boeing in 1986.

In 1992, it was acquired by Bombardier Aerospace after Boeing declared losses of $636 million over five years. In later years, various aircraft programs and type certificates were acquired by other companies.

This article delves deeper into the history of De Havilland Canada and its repeated transitions over the years, as highlighted by Viking Air.

The earliest years

During the First and Second World Wars, De Havilland Canada stayed true to its status as a British subsidiary, building aircraft designed by its parent company. Airplanes produced included the Tiger Moth and Fox Moth before WWII, as well as the Mosquito during the major conflict.

Several people celebrating near an old De Havilland Canada aircraft.
Photo: De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

After the war, De Havilland Canada would stand up on its own and build its own designs - those that were better suited to the harsh Canadian environment. According to BAE Systems, the first true De Havilland Canada type was the DHC1 Chipmunk. This aircraft was chosen to be the standard primary trainer for the UK's Royal Air Force. It was also during this post-war period that the firm developed the DHC2 Beaver, DHC3 Otter, and DHC4 Caribou.

BAE Systems explains that the 1970s would see DHC focus on "commercial feeder-liners" with short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities in areas of strict noise limits. This led to the development of the DHC Dash 7 and, subsequently, the fairly popular DHC Dash 8.

Dozens of workers near an aircraft parked outside a De Havilland Aircraft hangar.
Photo: De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

Up until the 1970s, De Havilland Canada remained a subsidiary of a UK company. While the firm managed to retain its name and identity, it was indeed made part of the UK's Hawker Siddeley Group in 1959.

The first handovers

Then, in 1974, the Canadian government purchased De Havilland Canada from its British owner, Hawker Siddeley Aviation. However, DHC's status as a "Crown Corporation" will not last long. Indeed, over the span of a decade, the firm would be privatized and sold off to US planemaker Boeing.

The LA Times noted in 1985 that, under the terms of the agreement, Boeing would pay $155 million (Canadian). This consisted of a cash payment of $90 million and a deferred payment of $65 million. The media outlet also reported Boeing had intentions to "make significant additional investments for ongoing product development and modernization of the de Havilland plant." The purchase of DHC by Boeing was a move to gain favor with the Canadian government, as the US firm was competing with Airbus for a contract for new jets with Air Canada (a government-owned airline at the time).

Boeing would eventually lose the Air Canada contract to Airbus in 1988 and put DHC up for sale, jeopardizing the company. 1988 would also see the end of the production of the DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Dash 7. It was in 1992 that the US planemaker announced that it had completed the sale of DHC to Quebec-based Bombardier and the province of Ontario.

From Boeing to Bombardier

Commenting on the sale to Bombardier, Bruce Gessing, executive vice president of the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group and chairman of Boeing of Canada, said that De Havilland Canada was now "a leaner, better equipped and more efficient organization." While it might be dramatic to say that DHC had fallen at this point, it was undoubtedly a fraction of what it used to be. Bombardier would narrow its focus to the Dash 8, which would eventually take on the name "Bombardier Dash 8 Q400." For quite some time, Bombardier would produce the Dash 8, right up until 2019, in fact.

An Air New Zealand Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 flying in the sky.
Photo: Jordan Tan | Shutterstock

Also during this period, in 2005, Viking Air purchased assets of Bombardier's Commercial Service Centre (CSC), including the Product Support and Spare Parts business for the DHC-6 Twin Otter. This allowed Viking to work directly with operators to supply new parts and technical support concerning the Twin Otter.

A year later, Viking acquired Type Certificates for seven De Havilland legacy aircraft, including the DHC-1 Chipmunk, DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, DHC-4 Caribou, DHC-5 Buffalo, and Dash 7. This made Viking the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and provided the exclusive right to restart production for any of the aircraft.

From Bombardier to a subsidiary of Longview

In 2019, Bombardier would sell its Dash 8 program to Longview Aviation Capital Corporation - also the parent company of Viking Air. Longview would acquire all Dash 8 Type Certificates, including the 100, 200, and 300 series, as well as the in-production 400 program. At this point, Longview would re-establish a link between the "De Havilland Canada" name and the Dash 8-400.

An Air Canada Dash 8 Q400 on an airport apron.
Photo: Air Canada

Years later, Longview Aviation Capital announced that De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited would "become the operating brand" for companies currently operating as Longview Aviation, Viking Air, Pacific Sky Training, and De Havilland Canada.

"Our acquisition of the De Havilland Dash-8 program from Bombardier in 2019 united the entire De Havilland product line for the first time in decades, and we are proud to consolidate our aviation assets under the iconic De Havilland banner," -Longview Aviation Capital owner, Sherry Brydson.

The newly restructured De Havilland Canada notes that it will begin "integrating the people and operations" of Longview's subsidiary companies over the coming weeks. As indicated in Brydson's quote, all aviation assets are once again under the De Havilland banner. This includes aircraft ranging from the DHC-1 right up through to the Dash 8.

While this latest move may not necessarily be the full and triumphant "rise again" of De Havilland Canada, it's undoubtedly a significant step in piecing together a historic company and name that has been broken up over the past few decades.

What do you think of all of this corporate restructuring? Does De Havilland Canada have a shot at becoming famous once again? Let us know by leaving a comment.