Formed in 1928 at Downsview, Toronto, as a constructional
and service facility. Built 1,553 Tiger Moths (1938-
1945), erected about 40 D.H.60M Moths, a Giant Moth,
some 25 Puss Moths, and 200 Tigers (from U.K.-built
parts). Developed ski and float installations for DH products.
Built 1,134 Mosquitoes (1942-1945) and 54 Fox
Moths (postwar). Undertook design and construction of
the Tiger Moth replacement, the DHC-1 Chipmunk, built
in Canada, Britain, and Portugal. Further Canadian designs
have concentrated on STOL capability: the DHC-2 Beaver
transport, DHC-3 Otter transport, DHC-4 Caribou pistonengined
freighter (company's first
DHC-8 Dash-8
twin), DHC-5 Buffalo
twin-turboprop freighter (first flown 1964), DHC-6 Twin Otter twin turboprop transport (first flown 1965), DHC-7
Dash 7 quiet STOL four-engined airliner (first flown 1975),
and DHC-8 Dash 8Q short-range twin-turboprop regional
airliner (first flown June 1983 and remaining in major production,
with latest Series 400 for up to 78 passengers
first flown January 1998). Special variants of its aircraft
have included maritime surveillance, navigation training
and airborne over-the-horizon telemetry relay models of
the Dash 8. The company became part of the Hawker Siddeley
Group in 1960, but retained the name de Havilland.
From 1974 owned by Canadian Government, then Boeing
(as Boeing Canada) from 1986, and finally sold to Bombardier
Inc. as part of Bombardier Aerospace Group
in 1992 and since known as de Havilland Inc.
