1996 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan C-GZIZ (sn 208B0546) North-Wright Airways Ltd. Picture taken Jul. 2009 Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport, NWT Canada (YEV / CYEV) Photo © AirplaneMart.com

1995 Cessna 208B Caravan N1301K (sn 208B0488) Photo taken Apr. 2007 Lakeland Linder, FL - USA (LAL / KLAL) Photo © AirplaneMart.com

The Cessna 208 Caravan, is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the USA 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 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. 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.

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

Variants

Civilian
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. Amphibious versions of the floats are available to permit land operations.

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.

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 for an armed version of the U-27 that was intended to be used in Central America for counter guerrilla/insurgency warfare. However this aircraft was rejected due to the aircraft's vulnerability to ground fire.

AC-208 "Combat Caravan" ISR version armed with Hellfire missiles currently being marketed to the Lebanese and Iraqi air forces.

Operators

Civil operators

Australia - Air Whitsunday, Seair Pacific, SlingAir

Botswana - Sefofane Air Charters, Safari Air, Kavango Air, Mack Air, Moremi Air

Brazil - SETE Linhas Aéreas

Belize - Tropic Air

Canada - Air Tindi, Cargojet Airways, McMurray Aviation, Morningstar Air Express, Nakina Air Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sander Geophysics, Seair Seaplanes

Chile - Patagonia Airlines

Colombia - UAEAC, Aerocusiana, Viana (Vias Aéreas Nacionales)

Costa Rica - Sansa Airlines (Taca), Paradise Air

France - Air Caraïbes, Atlantic Air Lift, Finist'air, St Barth Commuter

Greece - Aeroland Airways

Guyana - Trans Guyana Airways

Mexico - Aéreo Calafia, Aéreo Servicio Guerrero

New Zealand - Rex Aviation, Salt Air, Skyferry, Sounds Air

Panama - Aeroperlas (Taca), Air Panama

Paraguay - Aerolíneas Paraguayas S.A. (ARPA), DELCAR Taxi Aéreo, Concret-Mix S.A

Peru - Aero Cóndor Perú, Aerodiana SAC

South Africa - Sheltam Aviation

Thailand - SGA Airlines

United Kingdom - Loch Lomond Seaplanes, Aerodynamics Ltd

Uruguay - Aeromas

United Arab Emirates - Seawings

United States - Airnet Express, Air Serv International, Bering Air, Castle Aviation, CSA Air, FedEx, GeorgiaSkies, Hageland Aviation Services, Island Airlines, Kenmore Air, KentuckySkies, Mokulele Airlines, Mountain Air Cargo, New Mexico Airlines, Pacific Wings, Priority Air Charter, Seaplanes of Key West, Wright, Air Service

Venezuela - Línea Turística Aereotuy, Rutaca

Military operators

Bahamas - Royal Bahamas Defence Force

Brazil - Brazilian Air Force

Colombia - Colombian Air Force, Colombian Army, Colombian National Armada

Chile - Chilean Army

Côte d'Ivoire

Iraq - Iraqi Air Force

Lebanon - Lebanese Air Force - 1 aircraft in active service, 2 to be delivered

Mexico - Mexican Navy - 2 aircraft ordered under the Mérida Initiative

South Africa - South African Air Force

Thailand - Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, Green Hawk Aerobatic Team

United Arab Emirates - United Arab Emirates Air Force

Specifications (208B)

General characteristics
Crew: 1-2 (Aircraft is certified for single pilot operation)
Capacity: 14 passengers
Length: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
Wingspan: 52 ft 1 in (15.88 m)
Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
Wing area: 279.4 ft² (26 m²)
Empty weight: 4,570 lb (2,078 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 8,750 lb (3,970 kg)
Powerplant: 1× PT6A-114 turboprop, 675 hp (505 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 171 kts (324 km/h)
Range: 1,080 nautical miles (2,000 km)
Rate of climb: 770 ft/min (3.9 m/s)