| Cessna 208 Caravan | |
|---|---|
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| A 2004 Cessna 208B | |
| Role | Turboprop |
| Manufacturer | Cessna |
| First flight | 8 August 1982 |
| Introduced | 1984 |
| Primary user | FedEx Feeder (253) |
| Number built | 1,500+ |
| Unit cost | $1.5 million to $2.2 million USD |
| 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 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.
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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.[1] 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.[citation needed]
On April 28, 2008, Cessna announced that the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit will be standard equipment on all new Caravans.[2]
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.[3]
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.[citation needed]
- AC-208 "Combat Caravan" ISR version armed with hellfire missiles currently being marketed to the Lebanese and Iraqi air forces.[4][5]
Operators
Civil operators
- Air Whitsunday
- Seair Pacific
- SlingAir
- Sefofane Air Charters
- Safari Air
- Kavango Air
- Mack Air
- Moremi Air
- SETE Linhas Aéreas
- Air Tindi
- McMurray Aviation
- Cargojet Airways
- Morningstar Air Express
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Seair Seaplanes
- Patagonia Airlines
- UAEAC
- Aerocusiana
- Viana (Vias Aéreas Nacionales)
- Sansa Airlines (Taca)
- Paradise Air
- Rex Aviation
- Salt Air
- Skyferry
- Sounds Air
- Aeroperlas (Taca)
- Air Panama
- Aerolíneas Paraguayas S.A. (ARPA)
- DELCAR Taxi Aéreo
- Concret-Mix S.A
- Aero Cóndor Perú
- Aerodiana SAC
- Sheltam Aviation
- Loch Lomond Seaplanes
- Aerodynamics Ltd
- 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
Military operators
- Lebanese Air Force - 1 aircraft[8]
- Mexican Navy - 2 aircraft ordered under the Mérida Initiative
- Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation
- Green Hawk Aerobatic Team
Specifications (208B)
Data from http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=158
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)
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
References
- ^ "Cessna Caravan. Sure Thing - Airline". Cessna Inc.. http://caravan.cessna.com/airline.chtml#. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "The Soloy Pathfinder 21". Soloy Corporation. 1999/2000. http://www.soloy.com/path21.html. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
- ^ http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_iraq0291_04_10.asp
- ^ http://www.lebaneseairforce.info/news.htm
- ^ "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.
- ^ "En guerra electrónica" (in Spanish). El Espectador. 2009-08-15. http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/nacional/articuloimpreso156336-guerra-electronica.html.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Strategy Page (February 2008). "Iraq Seeks Cessna Solution". http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20080219.aspx. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ (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.
External links
- Cessna 208 - Technical Data
- Cessna Caravan - Cessna's Caravan website
- Caravan Pilots - Cessna Caravan website; Pilot related
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