Cessna 208 Caravan

Cessna 208 Caravan Overview

The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single-engine ten or fourteen-seat light turboprop utility aircraft produced by the US-American manufacturer Cessna Aircraft Company, today a brand of Textron Aviation.

With sales exceeding the 1000 mark the useful Caravan is a popular utility workhorse worldwide. Design work for the Caravan dates back to the early eighties. The first flight of a prototype occurred on December 9 1982 and certification was granted in October 1984. When production began the following year it became the first all-new, single-engine turboprop powered aircraft to achieve production status.

Cessna Aircraft Usage

The Caravan I has had a close association with US package freight specialist Federal Express (FedEx), on whose request Cessna especially developed two pure freight versions. The first of these was the 208A Cargomaster (40 delivered), and the second was the stretched 208B Super Cargomaster (260 delivered). The first Super Cargomaster flew in 1986 and features a 1.22m (4ft) stretch and greater payload capacity, including an under-fuselage cargo pannier. FedEx’s aircraft lack cabin windows. The 208B Grand Caravan first flew in 1990 and like the Super Cargomaster is a stretched version of the basic Caravan powered by a 505kW (675shp) PT6A-114. It can seat up to 14 passengers. Announced at the 1997 NBAA convention, the 208-675 has replaced the basic 208. It combines the standard length airframe of the 208 with the more powerful PT6A-114 of the 208B. Underbelly cargo pods, floats, and skis are offered as options on the Caravan I family, and the type is easily converted from freight to passenger configurations. A military/special missions version of the 208A dubbed the U-27A, is also on offer. The Brazilian Air Force designation is C-98. Soloy is offering a dual-engine conversion of the 208B, named Pathfinder 21. This version is powered by a 991kW (1329shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada/Soloy Dual Pac powerplant, consisting of two PT6D-114A engines driving a single propeller. Other distinguishing features of the Pathfinder 21 include a 72-inch cabin stretch behind the wing and a large integral cargo pod.

Cessna 208 Caravan Variants

Civilian

• 208 Caravan I – The basic introductory model, outfitted for passenger operation.
• 208 Caravan 675 – The current production model of the basic Caravan, with a higher-powered PT6A-114A engine.
• 208A Cargomaster- Developed with FedEx, a pure-cargo version of the Caravan. The “A” designation has caused some confusion over the years. It denotes a specific option package for FedEx aircraft only and not a distinct model. All 208A aircraft were produced and serialized as 208 models. FedEx purchased 40 of this version.
• 208B Grand Caravan- A 4 feet (1.2 m) stretch of the Caravan I. The 208B features a more powerful PT6A-114A engine.
• 208B Grand Caravan EX – Version certified in December 2012, powered by an 867 hp (647 kW) Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-140 that improves climb by 38%. The model’s upgrade is aimed at float operators and will compete with aftermarket conversions.
• 208B Super Cargomaster – The cargo variant of the 208B series. FedEx purchased 260 of this model.
• Caravan Amphibian. – A 208 Caravan with Wipaire 8000 floats in place of the landing gear, for water landings or land operations.
• Soloy Pathfinder 21 – A twin-engined stretch of the 208 that was developed by the Soloy Corporation. This aircraft features two PT6D-114A engines driving a single propeller and a 70-inch (1,800 mm) fuselage stretch behind the wing.
• 850 Caravan – 208 with an 850 hp (634 kW) Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701S engine, installed by Aero Twin Inc.
• 950 Grand Caravan – 208B with a 1,000 hp (746 kW) Honeywell TPE331-12JR-704AT engine, installed by Aero Twin Inc.
• Blackhawk Caravan – 208 and 208B conversion to 850 hp (634 kW) PT-6A-42A.^[11]
• Supervan 900 – 208B with an 850 hp (634 kW) (900 hp (671 kW) flat-rated) Honeywell TPE331-12JR engine, installed by Texas Turbine.
• XP42A Upgrade – 208B with an 850 hp (634 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A engine, installed by Blackhawk^.

Military Variations of the 208

• U-27A – A military offering of the 208.
• C-98 – The Brazilian Air Force designation for the standard U-27.
• C-16 – The proposed United States Army designation.
• AC-208 “Combat Caravan” – An ISTAR version built by ATK armed with Hellfire missiles is used by the Iraqi Air Force. The AC-208 received its combat debut in January 2014 when the Iraqi Air Force began employing it against insurgents in Anbar province. One aircraft crashed in March 2016.

Aircraft Data

RocketRoute has added advanced performance data for the following profiles:

• Climb (High-speed climb, Normal climb, climb 115 KIAS w/Cargo Pod, climb 115 KIAS w/o Cargo Pod, climb Max rate w/Cargo Pod, climb Max rate w/o Cargo Pod)
• Cruise (Max speed cruise, Long range cruise, Normal cruise, cruise LR 1600RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise LR 1600RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise LR 1750RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise LR 1750RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise LR 1900RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise LR 1900RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1600RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1600RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1750RPM CargoPod CabHeat, cruise Max 1750RPM CargoPod CabHeat Separator, cruise Max 1750RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1750RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1900RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise LR 1900RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1600RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1600RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1750RPM CargoPod CabHeat, cruise Max 1750RPM CargoPod CabHeat Separator, cruise Max 1750RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise Max 1750RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise Normal 1900RPM w/Cargo Pod, cruise Normal 1900RPM w/o Cargo Pod, cruise SE Normal Cruise).
• Descent ( Normal)
• Holding (Anti-Ice On, Anti-Ice Off)
• Mass and Balance