Tough as nails, able to get in and out of small unimproved runways or high mountain lakes, while carrying a ton of freight, ponderously slow and superbly stable, the Beaver led a renaissance in backcountry air service. It also set standards for safety and reliability in the far-flung wilderness of northern North America.

It spread those attributes around the world, achieving previously impossible results from the Sahara to Mount Everest and both poles. There were 1,167 built, and they remain coveted and useful platforms in myriad roles almost 80 years after the first was finished in 1947.

• READ MORE: WWII-Era ‘Philippine Mars’ Transport Seaplane Headed to Arizona Museum

CF-JOS (now C-FJOS) has toiled most of its life on British Columbia’s rugged West Coast, initially as a lifeline for loggers, miners, and anglers, and most recently, as one of dozens of Beavers providing scheduled floatplane passenger service for Harbour Air Seaplanes between Vancouver and Seattle and about a dozen coastal communities. 

C-FJOShas been written off twice and rebuilt (Beavers are often rebuilt from the data plate alone), has tens of thousands of hours and a million stories, including its own electrifying one. Now, at 68 years old, this seemingly vintage aircraft sits at the forefront of a massive technological renaissance in air travel. 

In 2019, Harbour Air fitted C-FJOS with a magniX electric motor, batteries, and control system, and it has since accumulated more than 78 flights. Based on the experience of the past four years with C-FJOS, Harbour Air has ordered 50 electric propulsion systems from magniX to convert its whole fleet of Beavers and will likely become the first airline to use electric power in scheduled passenger service, possibly by 2026.

In doing so, the chunky, awkward-looking, sheet-metal creation of another era will climb slowly past sleekly modern multicopters and other futuristic designs to serve the market the new aircraft were supposed to generate.

It’s a story of innovation tempered with practicality that is a common thread in the development of aviation as it takes on a future that demands a nimble and responsible industry.

The original Beaver was a fuel hog whose radial engine spewed so much oil in normal operation that de Havilland put an oil filler spout in the cockpit so the sump could be replenished in flight. That unrestrained use of petroleum products is receiving considerable scrutiny these days and the public, through its governments and regulators, want an aviation industry that can get it anywhere on earth in less than a day without beating up the planet.

• READ MORE: Elfly Adds Facilities at Torp Airport to Build Fjord-Hopping Electric Seaplane

It’s a tall order. It takes a lot of energy to hoist a few hundred people to 35,000 feet and move them thousands of miles. But progress is being made, and the goal of making aviation a net-zero-carbon creator by 2050 is considered doable.

Electric aviation is just part of that solution. Hybrid systems using hydrogen show promise, but it’s unlikely that hydrocarbon-fueled aircraft will become obsolete anytime soon. But with developments in the production of sustainable aviation fuels, much of it from agricultural waste and overcapacity, they can be made much better for the environment.

The quest for environmental stewardship in aviation has already paid dividends. The latest  aircraft engines are up to 30 percent more fuel efficient and have the side benefit of being much quieter than previous generations because noise is the sound of energy being wasted.

The environmental shift is also leading to a change in aircraft design philosophy, although it’s fair to say that most of the futuristic designs on the drawing boards are nothing new. 

The physics of flight are well understood, and the blended bodies and truss-braced wing concepts now being explored are the results of technology catching up to those seemingly radical designs.

In the longer term, there are concepts that seem right out of science fiction that are being seriously studied. One that stands out is using nuclear fusion to power aircraft.

• READ MORE: Connecticut Airport Keeping Seaplanes on the River

But if that sounds ridiculously far-fetched (and by the way the concept of nuclear-powered aircraft emerged in the late 1950s), imagine telling one of the folks at de Havilland in 1956 building CF-JOS that it would fly on electric power. 

The plane was built at the height of the Beaver’s popularity. Orders were pouring in from all over the world, and its many innovative and performance features for the time made it a state-of-the-art aircraft.

Creativity and big ideas have always driven aviation, and there’s no sign of that letting up. But what’s interesting and different about the industry is that when something is developed that just plain works, its life is practically endless through continuous improvement. Just ask a Harbour Air pilot, or the crew of a B-52, which is about the same age as a Beaver and is forecast to have a service life of 100 years.

This feature first appeared in the Summer 2024 Ultimate Issue print edition.

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According to the insurance provider, airlines will contribute approximately 35 percent of the premiums, while general aviation is expected to account for 47 percent. Allianz says the surge in premiums comes as 2024 air traffic is anticipated to reach a record high—growing by 10.4 percent year over year, predominantly driven by the Asia-Pacific and North American regions.

The report highlights that most of the value in aviation insurance claims comes from collisions, crashes, and issues with defective products which together account for 85 percent of total claims. Contributing factors to rising premiums include an increase in aircraft repair costs due to higher labor rates, increased prices for aircraft parts, and inflation.

The report also mentions the transition to next-generation aircraft continues to impact claims, especially with engine disassembly and repair costs. Additionally, a growing shortage of aircraft mechanics and less experienced technicians could influence future claims, potentially leading to higher repair costs and increased risk, according to Allianz.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post New Report Projects Aviation Insurance Premiums Will Reach 20-Year High appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Belvoir Media Group’s aviation portfolio complements our content-rich brands and will expand what we offer to readers, subscribers, and advertisers. Last quarter, we acquired Plane & Pilot Magazine and the LSA-focused website, ByDanJohnson.com, all with the goal of creating the deepest resource of general aviation content and information.” Craig Fuller, CEO of FLYING Media Group stated.

The Belvoir Media Group brands include:

AVweb.com is the largest independent aviation news site in the world, providing breaking news and information. AVweb.com has a remarkable ability to break stories. The editorial team of AVweb have their pulse on the industry and is unmatched in covering aviation news. 

Aviation Consumer is built to be the Consumer Reports of general aviation, providing editorialized product reviews for general aviation, ranging from aircraft, accessories, avionics, maintenance, and safety products. There is also a very robust used aircraft guide, which provides reviews of aircraft ranging from vintage to modern, all with an effort to empower buyers with unbiased information before their next purchase. Aviation Consumer comes in monthly print, as well as a database of decades worth of reviews. Next time you are thinking of buying an aviation product, ask “What Does Aviation Consumer Say?”

Aviation Safety is the premier safety-only aviation monthly magazine, with up-to-date reporting from accident investigators and safety counselors on real-life scenarios from pilots. With 40 years of archives and new reports every month, focusing on best practices and accident reconstruction, there is a massive library of content covering nearly every potential scenario that a pilot may encounter and many more they hope to never have. So much of being a successful pilot is centered around safety and decision-making, making Aviation Safety a must-read. 

KITPLANES is the Homebuilt Aircraft Authority, covering topics relevant to anyone who has ever dreamed of building or owning an experimental aircraft. The depth and detail of its coverage is unmatched in the aviation industry.

FLYING Media Group plans to preserve the heritage and unique voice of each of these publications, along with significantly increasing investments in content, reader experience, and digital sites. The plan will be to continue to offer the print versions of the publications and hope to introduce a bundled solution, where readers of all the FLYING Media Group properties can take advantage of the great library of content, across brands. 

FLYING Media Group plans to retain Belvoir’s aviation brands’ editorial staff and contributors.

FLYING Media Group (FMG) is the leading media portfolio in aviation. FMG brands include FLYING Magazine, Plane and Pilot, ByDanJohnson, Aircraft for Sale, Business Air, AVweb.com, Aviation Consumer, Aviation Safety, IFR Magazine, and KITPLANES.

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