de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo

John Davies - CYOW Airport Watch)
de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 15456).

The Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility transport turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou. The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off in distances much shorter than most light aircraft can manage.

The Buffalo arose from a 1962 US Army requirement for a STOL transport capable of carrying the same payload as the CH-47A Chinook helicopter. DHC based its design to meet the requirement on an enlarged version of its DHC-4 Caribou, already in large-scale service with the US Army, to be powered by General Electric T64 turboprops. The Buffalo was chosen as the winner of the US Army competition in early 1963, with four DHC-5s, designated YAC-2 (later CV-7A and subsequently C-8A) ordered. The first of these aircraft made its maiden flight on 9 April 1964. All four aircraft were delivered in 1965, the Buffalo carrying nearly twice the payload as the Caribou while having better STOL performance.

Company data claims a takeoff distance over a 50 ft (15 m) obstacle of 1,210 ft (369 m) at 41,000 lb (18,597 kg) and a landing distance of over a 50 ft (15 m) obstacle of 980 ft (299 m) at 39,100 lb (17,735 kg) for the DHC-5A model. A production DHC-5D Buffalo was used for breaking time-to-height records for the weight category 12,000-16,000 kg (26,430-35,242 lb) on 16 February 1976, reaching 3,000 m (9,836 ft) in 2 min 12.75 sec, 6,000 m (19,672 ft) in 4 min 27.5 sec and 9,000 m (29,508 ft) in 8 min 3.5 sec.

The RCAF first acquired 15 DHC-5A designated as CC-115 for tactical transports. These were initially operated at CFB St Hubert, QC by 429 Squadron in a tactical aviation role as part of Mobile Command. In 1970, the Buffalo aircraft were transferred to a transport and rescue role with 442 Squadron, 413 Squadron, 424 Squadron as part of Transport Command. 426 Squadron also flew the aircraft for training. Some were leased back or loaned back to the factory for trials and eventually returned to military service.

Three of the aircraft were also deployed on UN missions to the Middle East with 116 Transport Unit until 1979. They had a white paint scheme which was retained while they were serving in domestic transport with 424 Sqn in between deployments. On 9 August 1974, CF CC-115 Buffalo (Serial No. 115461) was shot down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile, killing all nine CF personnel on board. This represents the single biggest loss of Canadian lives on a UN mission as well as the most recent Canadian military aircraft to be shot down.

In 1975, the Buffalo dropped its tactical transport role and was converted to domestic search and rescue, except for a few that kept serving on UN missions. The initial paint scheme for the SAR converted aircraft was white and red while others still had the original drab paint. The previous drab paint and white paint were eventually replaced with the distinctive yellow and red scheme commonly seen today. The number of aircraft have been reduced to eight, with six on active service, one in storage (recently dismantled) and one used for battle damage training. The remaining operational Buffalos operate in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role for 442 Squadron at CFB Comox, British Columbia. Air Command was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 2011, meaning the CC-115 has served with the RCAF, Air Command and now the RCAF once again. The Buffalo was replaced by the Lockheed CC-130 Hercules aircraft at search and rescue bases in CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia and CFB Trenton, Ontario. In 2016, the Department of Defense awarded Airbus a contract for 16 C-295s with delivery scheduled to begin in 2019 and running through 2022. Production of the DHC-5A ended in 1972 after sales to Brazil and Peru but restarted with the DHC-5D model in 1974. This variant sold to several overseas air forces beginning with Egypt. Production of the DHC-5D ended in December 1986. Harold Skaarup web page with revisions

de Havilland Buffalo

Wikipedia de Havilland Buffalo

Harold A Skaarup Web Page

CC-115 Buffalo - Kestrel Publications

CC-115 DHC-5 Buffalo Engine Start-up and Takeoff

Buffalo 9461

The Province (Vancouver British Columbia Canada) · 20 Dec 1974 Friday source:newspapers.com

Delivered to 429 (Tac T) Squadron on 16 May 1968. Seen at Gatwick, UK on 3 June 1968.

With 424 (T & R) Squadron, CFB Trenton, Ontario. Seen at Gatwick, UK on 23 May1973. Lent from 424 Squadron. to 116 Air Transport Unit for use with the United Nations in the Middle East, late 1973. Only Buffalo lost during RCAF/CAF service. In 2002, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario acquired company number 85, ex Sudan Air Force number 811, ex Sudan Airways ST-AHP, in the US. It has been restored to the markings of 115461 when it was shot down.

Canadian Armed Forces (United Nations paint scheme) Buffalo 115461 (formerly RCAF 9461)

• Aircraft was operating in service of United Nations, painted white with blue UN lettering (flight 51)
• Aircraft was on a peacekeeping mission with RCAF personnel on board, and was unarmed
• The Buffalo does not in any way resemble or have any flying characteristics of a fighter plane
• Flight plan filed with ICAO gave them similar protections as those for civilian commercial aircraft
• 3 missiles were fired at the Buffalo, with the second one directly hitting the port wing and engine, and the third destroying the fuselage (dismissing any notion that this was the accidental firing of a single missile)
• Outcome: 09 August 1974 became the worst civil aviation tragedy with the greatest loss of life in a single event by Canadian peacekeepers, operating under the United Nations.

Remembering the Buffalo Nine

Avaition Safety Network