Developments at DHC
DE HAVILLAND Canada has acquired all of the shares of Fleet Canada, a supplier of parts and aerostructures for the company and a number of other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Fleet Canada operates from a 500,000sq ft facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, and has the capacity to support the growth and expansion of De Havilland Canada. The addition offers new capabilities to the airframer such as metalto-metal bonding and advanced composites. Fleet currently provides parts for the Twin Otter, Canadair 515 and Dash 8 programmes. Brian Chafe, CEO of De Havilland Canada, said: “Our focus is to keep our fleet flying and to meet the growing demand for the De Havilland Canadair 515. The acquisition of Fleet’s team and capacity will go a long way to accomplishing this.” Elsewhere, De Havilland Canada has started developing the new InSight avionics suite for the Dash 8-100 and -200 aircraft with partner Universal Avionics. The upgrade will increase navigational capabilities and improve safety by providing improved situational awareness for pilots. The Dash 8 system “adds five high-resolution LCD displays with improved synthetic vision and digital engine indication, replacing ageing CRT equipment to remove unnecessary weight, making this upgrade a significant improvement over the current avionics suite.” Certification is anticipated to be obtained in the first half of 2026 with Widerøe mooted as the launch customer.