Range Map

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+ cargo
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1

Tank-dry, where fuel runs out at catalogue's stored cruise burn.

Excludes reserves: range beyond the dashed circle requires a leaner cruise than what we store. Great-circle, still air, book cruise. Estimates only: always verify against the POH.

Payload vs. Range

Occupants:

Fuel on board

Cargo

nm

Range

Cargo is additional payload after occupants and baggage.
full tanks
Available Range / nm
Mission capable. This load flies with full fuel.
Fuel reduced by . left aboard for nm range.
Over max payload by . At this load it cannot lift a single occupant.

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Mission Profile

In production Aircraft available new or used
170
KTAS
Cruise Speed
800
nm
Max Range
25,000
ft
Service Ceiling
19
Occupants
1,867
lbs
Wet Payload
Endorsements & ratings:
  • High-Performance
  • Multi-Engine
De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter (Air Seychelles) -- Tribalninja (Public Domain)
De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter (Air Seychelles) -- Tribalninja (Public Domain)

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

Type certificated 1966

Overview

The De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a fixed-gear, unpressurized twin turboprop that works from gravel, grass, water, snow, and ice where few other twins its size can operate. Certified in 1966 on two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turbines, it seats up to 19 and lifts a real payload out of runways around 1,500 ft. Bombardier, then Viking Air, then De Havilland Canada have kept the type certificate alive continuously, and the airplane is still built new today.

That continuity frames the central buyer decision. The classic Series 300 (1969-1988, roughly 614 built, 620 shp PT6A-27s) is the deep, well-supported used-market entry point; the current Series 400 from De Havilland Canada adds 750 shp PT6A-34s, a glass cockpit, and more useful load at new-airframe pricing. The specs here describe the -300. Whichever you choose, the mission is the same: rugged, low-and-slow access, not speed.

Key Features for GA Buyers

  • STOL access is the whole point. Certified field lengths near 1,500 ft (SFAR-23, at max landing weight) open strips and clearings closed to most faster twins in its weight class.
  • Configuration versatility. Quick-change wheels, floats, amphibious floats, and skis without structural modification. The float and amphib capability is what island, survey, and bush operators buy it for.
  • Workhorse reliability and support. PT6A ubiquity, a global parts network, and continuous type-certificate stewardship give it high dispatch reliability and strong resale in utility markets.

Trade-offs

  • Unpressurized, low and slow. The 25,000 ft ceiling is an oxygen-limited number, not a comfortable cruise; real missions run 5,000-10,000 ft at around 170 kt, with a full-fuel range near 800 nm. At that speed and altitude it is a utility hauler, not a fast cross-country machine.
  • Turbine-twin operating cost. Two PT6A-27s put direct operating cost near $1,310/hr (about 74 gph of jet-A plus a two-engine overhaul reserve), below the pressurized Beechcraft 1900D commuter but far above any piston utility single.
  • New versus used is a real fork. A -300 is the affordable, supported entry; a new -400 is a very different capital decision.

See Also

Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Wingspan 65 ft
Height
20 ft
Length
52 ft
Parking area (ft²2)
4,260 ft²
Max Takeoff Weight
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 12,500 lbs
Max Landing Weight
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 12,300 lbs
Useful Load
Source: third-party reference 4,400 lbs
Fuel Capacity
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 378 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed
Source: manufacturer figure 170 KTAS
Never-Exceed (VNE)
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 160 KIAS
Approach Speed
80 KIAS
Stall, Clean (VS1)
Source: third-party reference 56 KIAS
Range
Source: third-party reference 800 NM
Service Ceiling
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 25,000 ft
Rate of Climb
1600 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
1,490 ft
Landing over 50 ft obstacle
1,510 ft

Engines

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Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.

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Range
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Seats
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