The Twin Otter is a design that has endured and continues to attract new customers. Dino Carrara and Tom Kaminski examine Viking Air Limited’s Twin Otter special mission variant that is being targeted at government and military roles.
Air Limited has breathed new life into the Twin Otter with its new production Series 400 and is further building on the type’s versatility by developing the Guardian 400. The 19-passenger DHC-6 Twin Otter was developed by de Havilland Canada, and first flew in prototype form on May 20, 1965.
Built as an unpressurised rugged short take-offand landing (STOL) commuter aircraft, it features a high wing and fixed tricycle landing gear and twin turboprop engines. It was designed to carry passengers and cargo into remote unimproved locations and be able to operate with wheels, skis and floats. Six Series 1 prototypes were powered by two 550shp (410kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-20 engines.