Airliners routinely fly in jet streams with winds exceeding 150 mph over the U.S. during the winter. Options below affect the visual display.


The rugged single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven DHC-3 Otter was conceived in January 1951 by de Havilland Canada as a larger, more powerful version of its highly successful DHC2 Beaver STOL utility transport. These aircraft remain very busy year round supporting airborne marine mammal, hydrological, remote sensing, air chemistry and emergency response programs. Offered as a versatile airframe that can be customized for unique configuration requirements, the Guardian 400’s low acquisition cost and flexible architecture allows operators to mix and match sensors and interior layouts to meet their specific mission profiles. After an extensive market analysis was conducted, it was determined that an overwhelming demand existed to bring the Twin Otter back into production, thus the Viking Series 400 Twin Otter Production Program was announced in 2007. As such, Viking is not responsible for Google Translate™. Designed as a rugged Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) commuter, the Twin Otter was capable of carrying passengers and cargo into remote unimproved locations, including ski and water-based operations. It'...NOAA’s Twin Otters are among the agency's most versatile aircraft. Normal crew size is two pilots with a cabin capable of seating six people with smaller science equipment installed. With an endurance of 4-6 hours at survey speeds, the Twin Otter is more than capable of covering over 600+ nautical miles of low altitude survey in a given flight at max fuel loads. The first production aircraft was delivered in 2010 and by mid 2015, 75 of the new series had been delivered.The Series 400 Twin Otter picks up where the original De Havilland Series 300 Twin Otter left off, introducing upgraded Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 engines, fully integrated Honeywell Primus Apex digital avionics suite, internal and external LED lighting, and approximately 800 other modifications incorporated to improve upon the original production model.However, like its predecessor, the Series 400 Twin Otter retains the ability to operate economically, safely and reliably from remote and unimproved airfields due to its robust design, equalized A Special Missions variant of the Series 400, the Twin Otter Guardian 400, has also been developed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. A testimony to its rugged construction and incredible STOL performance, the Twin Otter became the best-selling 19 passenger aircraft of all time, still unmatched for its dependability and versatility.In 2005, Viking purchased the Type Certificates for all of the out-of-production De Havilland aircraft (DHC-1 through DHC-7), including the Twin Otter. Viking is holding a Guardian 400 World Tour from 2019-2020, which will feature detailed briefings and demonstration flights at The De Havilland Twin Otter experienced a production span of twenty-three years before the line was officially shut down in 1988, after a total of 844 aircraft were delivered. To keep the STOL abilities of the Otter, the DHC-6 got two powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engines with 410 kW produced by each turbine in the first version, the DHC-6-100.In 1968, the Twin Otter was developed to a new version, the -20… It is often said that the only thing that can replace a Twin Otter is another Twin Otter, which explains the high demand in the market to keep the nearly 500 remaining legacy aircraft in operation.To date, Viking has sold hundreds of aircraft to commercial, corporate, government and private operators in 30 countries around the world. Dubbed the "King Beaver" during design, it would be the veritable "one-ton truck" to the Beaver's "half-ton" role. The DHC-6 Twin Otter is the further development version of the DHC-3 Otter of the same manufacturer. Choices are stored using browser cookies.The low bandwidth option causes most images to disappear and stops external fonts from loading.The underlined links option causes all website links to become underlined, making them easier to distinguish.The high contrast option causes colors to change to mostly black and white.Why aren't NOAA's Hurricane Hunter planes torn apart in storm?Planes are generally not destroyed by strong winds while in flight. Internal baggage capac… In 1965, De Havilland Canada developed the DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft – a high winged, un-pressurized twin engine turbine powered aircraft with fixed tricycle land gear. The development of the Twin Otter began in 1964, it's first flight was on May 20, 1965. These aircraft remain very busy year round supporting airborne marine mammal, hydrological, remote sensing, air chemistry and emergency response programs. Known for their reliability, short takeoff and landing capabilities, payload capacity and excellent external visibility, they are a perfect asset to support NOAA science in even the harshest environments.With an endurance of 4-6 hours at survey speeds, the Twin Otter is more than capable of covering over 600+ nautical miles of low altitude survey in a given flight at max fuel loads. Designed as a rugged Short Take Off and Landing (“STOL”) commuter, the Twin Otter was capable of carrying passengers and cargo into remote unimproved locations, including ski and water-based operations.The Twin Otter aircraft have been sold around the world to customers operating in the harshest environments, including sub-zero temperatures in Antarctica, the hottest deserts of North Africa, the mountainous regions of the Himalayas, and the open water of the Indian Ocean archipelagos. Passenger and baggage amounts can greatly effect the performance of an aircraft since minimum runway lengths, range and speed are all effected by its weight.Typical passenger configuration is the typical number of passengers the jet is configured to accommodate 19 passengers, however each jet will have a custom configuration to accommodate an owners specific needs and will therefore vary. Known for its stability at slower speeds, the Twin Otter is capable of surveying between 90-140 knots over the ground, making it ideal for missions that require a slower aircraft for data collection.You are here: https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/aircraft-operations/aircraft/dehavilland-twin-otter-dhc-6 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sealNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)Click for download, licensing and other information Click for download, licensing and other information