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harbor . The DHC-2 Beaver , a much smaller seaplane that sits just six passengers , flies to destinations with slightly lower demand . Fourteen of these planes are flying for Harbour Air today .
Finally , the DHC-6 Twin Otter , the largest member of the fleet , can fly up to 19 passengers on each service . It is used almost exclusively on the longest and most in-demand routes out of Vancouver : Victoria and Seattle . Just three units are operating at the moment .
Finally , there is one last airplane to mention . It is not formally part of the fleet yet , but is probably the most valuable and significant Harbour Air plane . Unlike its peers , it is not painted in white , but in yellow , and is fitted with a revolutionary electric engine . We are talking about the eBeaver .
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HARBOUR AIR ’ S BET ON SUSTAINABILITY
One of the most talkedabout topics in aviation is the challenging transition from fossil fuel to electric power . To make that happen , we need to start with the smallest planes — and these can be found in regional airlines .
Harbour Air stated its intentions toward sustainability as early as 2007 . That year , the carrier became the first in all of North America to become fully carbon-neutral in both flights and corporate operations .
It achieved this by introducing a carbon offset for each ticket sold , producing compensation for all the carbon emissions from its seaplanes .
But the biggest news came in March 2019 , when Harbour Air
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announced its participation in the electric aircraft race . The carrier is in the race to become the world ’ s first airline to operate a fully-electric fleet .
The mainstay of this project ? A modified De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver that features a brandnew electric engine provided by MagniX . The engine had already been installed on the airframe and took off for the first time just nine months after the project ’ s start . It is referred to as the ‘ DHC eBeaver ’.
Airways had the privilege of visiting this exciting prototype at Harbour Air ’ s maintenance center , south of Vancouver Airport . As we looked at the attractive yellow plane , the lead engineer of the eBeaver project , Erika Holtz , and VP of Maintenance Shawn Braiden filled us in .
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10 As of today , the “ eBeaver ” prototype is powered by the Magni500 engine , provided by the pioneering manufacturer Magnix . |
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