Our Float Plane Fleet
We operate a fleet of DeHavilland Beavers; the most rugged and reliable workhorses the bush has ever seen. Able to carry large loads and both take off and land in very short distances, the Beaver is the perfect airplane for the flying we do, and we are proud to fly these iconic aircraft over 70 years after they were first introduced for this very purpose. Our rigorous maintenance program ensures that our aircraft are always performing at the highest possible level. Come see these amazing airplanes at work! Contact us today!
N123EF
Serial Number 735 Manufactured 1953
735 Was delivered to the US Army December 21, 1954. After serving in the military for 19 years, it was sold to a private owner in Quebec, Ontario Canada in 1973 and registered C-GUIG. Then, after 4 years it was put to work in Atlin, British Columbia where it worked commercially for a brief stint, and then it was re-registered as C-GSRS and flown until it was brought to Alaska in 1994 where it has been hard at work ever since! Chad Hewitt has flown this airplane for over 20 years, and looks forward to another 20!
N62230
Serial Number 707 Manufactured 1953
707 Was delivered in October of 1954 to the US Army where it served 20 years. Then, it was sold do North Orange County Community College in California where it spent 11 years. In June of 1985 the airplane was purchased by Iliamna Air Taxi where it was used heavily to haul freight and both hunters and fishermen during the boom of Bristol Bay. Caribou hunting is where this airplane made its mark as a workhorse. This airplane was bought by Rainbow River Aviation in September of 2015, and since then, Devyn Powell has been at the reins leading her through the remote skies of the Last Frontier.
N65223
Serial Number 996 Manufactured 1955
996 Spent from June, 1956 through 1976 serving in the US Army for the Kentucky National Guard, and spent 4 more years working for the USDA. From 1980 to 1983 the airplane was stored at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona prior to a Wipaire restoration in 1984 where it picked up its unique and more modern features such as electric flaps, a key-operated ignition system, and the moniker “Super Beaver.” Then, it was sold to a private owner in Chico, CA in 1989 where it spent 11 years. In 2000 No-See-Um Lodge in King Salmon brought the airplane to Alaska where it has served ever since. Rainbow River Aviation purchased the airplane in 2019, and she has been a well-performing machine for the company since!
N338TP
Serial Number 932 Manufactured 1955
932 Was delivered to the US Army on June 11, 1956. It served in the Army until 1973 where it was stored at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona for a year. From 1974-1979 the airplane was used by the Genessee County Sherriff Patrol in Flint, Michigan. After that, it was sold twice in the next year, eventually ending up moving to Canada where it was registered C-GKII, and bounced from Takyesi Lake, British Columbia, to Air North Charters in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, then to a private party in Frasier Lake, British Columbia prior to a restoration at Kenmore Air Harbor in Washington State. After its restoration, the airplane was registered in the US as N338TP, and it moved to Alaska where it lived in the Lake Clark area in Port Alsworth. Rainbow River Aviation picked up this gem of an airplane is 2019, and Chris Hartis, proudly displays her gorgeous colors every summer against the wild background of Southwestern Alaska.
N9RW
Serial Number 1095 Manufactured 1956
1095 is the newest of Rainbow River Aviation’s fleet, and was delivered to the US Army in May of 1957. While specific records are unavailable, it’s likely that this airplane served some very unique purposes for the Army as it still has it’s hard points on the wings where wing mounted rockets were once held. After its time in the military, it was sold to Sabourin Lake Airways in Cochenour, Ontario in 1980. The airplane bounced around from 1980 until 2002 working for Selkirk Aviation in Selkirk, Manitoba, Air Park Aviation in Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba, Green Airways in Red Lake, Ontario, and finally Keyamawun Lodge in Deer Lake, Ontario. It was then sold and brought to Alaska in 2002, and has been the workhorse of Royal Wolf Lodge ever since. This great performer is the airplane Forrest Carpenter flies, and the two will likely be inseparable for decades to come.
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