The Aero Experience: Big River Aviation Provides Maintenance Support for U.S. Forest Service Aircraft

By Carmelo Turdo

Big River Aviation welcomed the arrival of an increasingly rare aircraft earlier this month to St. Louis Downtown Airport: a U.S. Forest Service 1959 DeHavilland Beaver. The aircraft is temporarily based in central Missouri for fire patrol along the Mark Twain National Forest before being redeployed back to Ely, MN to work the Superior National Forest for the summer fire season. The aircraft, N192Z, is one of three Beavers operated by the USFS and is known as Beaver 2. It is currently still sporting DeHavilland factory skis on the main landing gear but will later be converted to the float plane configuration.

Three DeHavilland Beavers on floats at their Ely, MN base (USFS photo)

Beaver 2 was flown by pilot Joe Schoolcraft to Big River Aviation from Rolla, MO National Airport on March 9 to undergo a 50-hour inspection, which, along with a post-inspection engine run-up, was completed by the end of the day. The following day, Schoolcraft made a test flight in the Beaver before departing back to Rolla. The Aero Experience was on site to provide this inside look at the inspection process and learn more about the Beaver's mission.

The U.S. Forest Service DeHavilland Beaver arrived at Big River Aviation at 8:00 A.M. on Thursday, March 9, and was immediately towed into the hangar.

The inspection team gathered around the aircraft to discuss the process with Schoolcraft, who familiarized them with the aircraft's layout and systems. Along with Big River Aviation owner and A&P/IA Paul Voorhees, the inspection team consisted of Ron Brown, Ed Schertz and A&P Apprentice Noah Klein, who has already seen a wide variety of aircraft come through this hangar. Ed Schertz, recipient of the FAA's Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, flew and maintained Beavers in Alaska and currently serves as a volunteer in the Wings of Hope hangar. Here Schertz and Schoolcraft discus the first steps of the inspection.

Most of the 50-Hour Inspection on the Beaver is firewall-forward, focusing on the 450hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine. The major engine components and accessories are inspected, and the oil is drained. The engine on this Beaver was pristine, with about 200 hours logged since installation. According to Schoolcraft, each of the USFS Beavers fly just over 300 hours per year, or about 1,000 hours between them. Here Ed Schertz and Ron Brown begin work on the engine inspection items, and Noah Klein joins them and adds 5.5 gallons of oil through the cockpit floor spout.

Following the inspection, the Beaver was pushed out of the hangar for a run-up and leak test. With dusk approaching, the crew called it a day and made plans to complete the paperwork and test flight the next morning before Schoolcraft would fly back to Rolla.

During the inspection, The Aero Experience asked pilot Joe Schoolcraft about his aviation experience and flying for the U.S. Forest Service. He grew up in Tehachapi, CA where there are two airports in close proximity to each other with regular general aviation traffic overhead. Schoolcraft took a Young Eagles Flight in a Cessna 180 at nine years old, and he was hooked on flying. He soloed in a glider at age fifteen and a year later passed his check ride. He has since flown a variety of aircraft around the country, including float planes in Alaska, before joining the U.S. Forest Service.

The DeHavilland Beaver has been in use by civilian operators, government agencies and military services since its inception, with 1692 being produced from 1947-1967. It is truly a utility aircraft jack-of-all-trades and master of most. The design incorporates the versatility to carry an impressive useful load while operating on wheels, skis or floats, from deserts to polar regions, and with potential for modernization over six decades. Beaver 2's cockpit incorporates thoroughly modern Garmin displays in the instrument panel, making navigation, communication, engine monitoring and other tasks manageable for single-pilot bush flying operations. Schoolcraft and his fellow Beaver pilots fly fire scout, fire suppression (using scoop and 125-gallon belly tank), firefighter and equipment transport, search and rescue/medevac, wildlife surveys and other support missions. During the fire season, one aircraft may make 10 or more drops in one deployment.

The next morning, Friday, March 10, the Big River Aviation crew completed the inspection paperwork and the Beaver was rolled out of the hangar. Schoolcraft took off for a test flight in the pattern at St. Louis Downtown Airport around 11 A.M.

Upon his return, Schoolcraft was greeted by a surprise visitor. Local pilot, Jerry Hawkins and his wife, Marlene, arrived in time to meet him and check out the aircraft before the departure for Rolla. Jerry Hawkins flew Beavers for law enforcement during his professional pilot career, and after seeing The Aero Experience Facebook post about the Beaver being in town, asked to see it before it took off. Hawkins and Schoolcraft shared stories of their adventures flying the Beaver in government service often under challenging conditions. We captured the visit here and in the video below.