Cessna 208 Caravan

Cessna 208 Caravan
A 2004 Cessna 208B
Role	Light transport turboprop
Manufacturer	Cessna
First flight	8 August 1982
Introduction	1984
Primary user	FedEx Feeder (253)
Number built	2,000 [1]
Unit cost	US$2,022,450 (Base price, Caravan 675, 2011 price)
Variants	Soloy Pathfinder 21

The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers. The aircraft is also used for cargo feederliner operations.

Design and development

The prototype first flew in December 1982 for two years of certification and testing. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984. Since then, the Caravan has undergone a number of design evolutions. Working with FedEx, Cessna produced first the Cargomaster, and followed that with the stretched and upgraded Super Cargomaster. The passenger model, the Grand Caravan, was derived from the Super Cargomaster.

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan factory demonstrator, with under-belly baggage locker, bearing the Cessna Caravan motto "Sure Thing"

Cessna offers the 208B in many configurations. The basic 208 airframe can be outfitted with various types of landing gear, allowing it to operate in a wide variety of environments. Some common adaptations include skis, enlarged tires for unprepared runways, and floats on the Caravan Amphibian model.

In the cabin, the Caravan can be outfitted with seats or cargo holds. The standard high-density airline configuration features four rows of 1-2 seating behind the two seats in the cockpit. This variant is capable of holding up to thirteen passengers, although it is marketed as being able to make a profit carrying just four.^[2] The cabin can also be configured in a low density passenger configuration, with 1-1 seating, as a combination of passengers and cargo, or as a strictly cargo aircraft. Many variants include an under-belly cargo pod, which can be used for additional freight capacity, or for passenger baggage. A number of Caravans are operated as skydiving aircraft with the left-side cargo hatch converted to a roll-up door.^[3]

On April 28, 2008, Cessna announced that the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit will be standard equipment on all new Caravans.^[4]

Variants

Civilian

An RCMP 208A Caravan on amphibious floats.

An Iraqi Air Force Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flies over Iraq on a training sortie.

A FedEx 208A Caravan flies overhead on short approach.

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan at Centennial Airport

Green Hawk Aerobatic Team perform in SAREX 2008 at Hua Hin Airport 30 May 2008.

Seawings Caravan on amphibious floats

The cockpit of a FedEx Cessna 208B Grand Caravan at the Pacific Coast Dream Machines vehicle show at the Half Moon Bay Airport in Half Moon Bay, California

208A Caravan I

The basic introductory model, outfitted for passenger operation.

208A Caravan 675

The current production model of the basic Caravan, with higher-powered PT6A-114A engine.

208A Cargomaster

Developed with FedEx, a pure cargo version of the Caravan. Fedex took delivery of 40 of these aircraft.

208B Grand Caravan

A stretch of the Caravan I by 4 feet (1.2 m). The 208B also features a more powerful PT6A-114A engine.

208B Super Cargomaster

The cargo variant of the 208B series. FedEx took delivery of 260 of these.

Caravan Amphibian

A 208A Caravan with Wipaire 8000 floats in place of the landing gear, for water landings or land operations.^[5]

Soloy Pathfinder 21

A twin engine stretch of the 208 developed by the Soloy Corporation. This aircraft features two PT6D-114A engines driving a single propeller, and a 70-inch (1,800 mm) stretch behind the wing.^[6]

Military

U-27A

A military offering of the 208A.

C-98

The Brazilian Air Force designation for the standard U-27.

C-16

The proposed United States Army designation.

AC-208 "Combat Caravan"

A ISR version built by ATK armed with Hellfire missiles currently being marketed to the Lebanese and Iraqi air forces.^[7][8]

Operators

Civil operators

The Cessna 208 is used by governmental organisations and by a large number of companies for police, air ambulance, passenger transport, air charter, freight and parachuting operations. Fedex Feeder is the main operator of the Cessna 208, with over 250 aircraft.^[9]

Military operators

 Afghanistan

• Afghan Air Force - 26 to be delivered.^[10]

 Bahamas

• Royal Bahamas Defence Force^[11]

 Bangladesh

• Bangladesh Army^{[citation needed]}

 Brazil

• Brazilian Air Force ^[12]

 Chile

• Chilean Army^[13]

 Colombia

• Colombian Air Force ^[14]
• Colombian Army^[13]
• Colombian National Armada^{[citation needed]}

 Côte d'Ivoire^{[citation needed]}

 Iraq

• Iraqi Air Force ^[15]

 Jordan

• Royal Jordanian Air Force- 5 Cessna 208 Recce^{[citation needed]}

 Lebanon

• Lebanese Air Force - 1 aircraft in active service, 2 to be delivered^[16]

 Liberia

• Military of Liberia bought two Caravans in 1986, one of which crashed in 1987.^[17]

 Mexico

• Mexican Navy - 2 aircraft ordered under the Mérida Initiative^{[citation needed]}

 South Africa

• South African Air Force^[18]

 United Arab Emirates

• United Arab Emirates Air Force^[19]

Specifications (208B Super Cargomaster)

Data from airliners.net^[20]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: nine passengers or 14 with FAR Part 23 waiver
• Length: 12.67 m (41 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 15.88 m (52 ft 1 in)
• Height: 4.32 m (14 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 26.0 m² (280 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 2,073 kg (4,570 lb)
• Gross weight: 3,970 kg (8,752 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A , 505 kW (677 hp)
• Propellers: 3-bladed Hartzell variable pitch

Performance

• Cruising speed: 317 km/h (197 mph; 171 kn)
• Range: 2,000 km (1,243 mi; 1,080 nmi) with max fuel and reserves
• Rate of climb: 3.9 m/s (770 ft/min)

See also

Related development

• Soloy Pathfinder 21
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Antonov An-2
• de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
• Gavilán G358
• PAC 750XL
• Pilatus PC-12
• Quest Kodiak
• Technoavia SM92 Finist
  

References

1. ^ "Cessna Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Caravan". Cessna. April 2010. http://cessna.com/NewReleases/New/NewReleaseNum-1192317237562.html. Retrieved 9 July 2010. 
2. ^ "Cessna Caravan. Sure Thing - Airline". Cessna Inc.. Archived from the original on 2006-06-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20060629080826/http://caravan.cessna.com/airline.chtml#. Retrieved 2006-07-19. 
3. ^ "Skydiving aircraft in use at Netheravon, a UK dropzone". http://www.netheravon.com/aircraft.html. Retrieved 2010-04-05. 
4. ^ "Cessna Certified to Build Caravans with Garmin G1000, TKS Ice Protection". Cessna Inc.. http://www.cessna.com/news/article.chtml?ID=M8FD18hKcfHm9INZRmOXtY5k7b3Oi74EWFqgkU0f1y9Z8qMKPw. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
5. ^ Caravan Amphibian
6. ^ "The Soloy Pathfinder 21". Soloy Corporation. 1999/2000. http://soloy.portal.acrosonic.com/Products/Fixed+Wing+Aircraft/Soloy+Dual+Pac/default.aspx. Retrieved 2006-07-19. 
7. ^ Worldtribune.com
8. ^ Lebaneseairforce.info
9. ^ Federal Aviation Administration (July 2010). "FAA Registry - Name Inquiry Results". http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Name_Results.aspx?Nametxt=FEDERAL%20EXPRESS&sort_option=1&PageNo=1. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
10. ^ Defense Industry Daily (May 2011). "“Bird Dog” Light Planes for Afghanistan". http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Bird-Dog-Light-Planes-for-Afghanistan-06889/#more-6889. Retrieved 7 September 2011. 
11. ^ Flight International 15–21 December 2009, p. 36.
12. ^ "Cessna 208 Caravan I - History of the Brazilian Air Force". August 2008. http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/en/c-98.html. Retrieved 2008-08-09. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Flight International 15–21 December 2009, p. 38.
14. ^ "En guerra electrónica" (in Spanish). El Espectador. 2009-08-15. http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/nacional/articuloimpreso156336-guerra-electronica.html. 
15. ^ Strategy Page (February 2008). "Iraq Seeks Cessna Solution". http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20080219.aspx. Retrieved 2008-02-19. 
16. ^ "تسلم القوات الجوية طائرة نوع Cessna caravan 208 B" (in Arabic). Lebanese Armed Forces. April 16, 2009. http://www.lebarmy.gov.lb/article.asp?ln=ar&id=21469. Retrieved 2009-04-16. 
17. ^ Flight International 3 December 1988, p. 60.
18. ^ (12) Department of Defence (October 2007). "Republic of South Africa Air Force Aircraft". http://www.af.mil.za/equip/aircraft.html. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
19. ^ Flight International 15–21 December 2009, p. 51.
20. ^ Airliners.net

• Hatch, Paul F. "World's Air Foces 1988". Flight International (3 December 1988): pp. 22–87. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%203428.html. 
• "Directory: World Air Forces". Flight International (15–21 December 2009): pp. 33–53. 

External links

• Cessna 208 - Technical Data
• Official Cessna Caravan website