Cessna 208 Caravan Explained

The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna.The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargomaster freighter variant was developed for FedEx.The longer 208B Super Cargomaster first flew in 1986 and was developed into the passenger 208B Grand Caravan.

The strutted, high wing 208 typically seats nine passengers in its unpressurized cabin, is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A tractor turboprop and has a fixed tricycle landing gear, floats, or skis.

By 2022, 3,000 had been delivered and 24 million flight hours have been logged.Caravans have been used for flight training, commuter airlines, VIP transport, air cargo, skydiving and humanitarian missions.

Development

On November 20, 1981, the project was given a go-ahead by Cessna for its Pawnee engineering facility. John Berwick, chief engineer at Pawnee, conceived of a single engine, high-wing airplane with a large payload. Berwick had originally approached Vice President Bill Boettger with the idea and once Dwane Wallace approved it, Berwick told Russ Meyer he would design it.

The prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.[1] The production model was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in October 1984.

Deliveries began in 1985, and amphibious floats were approved that same year. A freighter variant without cabin windows was developed at the request of Federal Express as the Cargomaster. FedEx had been initially planning to build twin-engine piston-powered airplanes with Piper Aircraft, but picked the Caravan after surveying it and having flown the prototype, becoming its standard carrier.[2]

Another cargo variant for Federal Express, with a longer fuselage and a cargo pod under the belly, was developed as the 208B Super Cargomaster and flew for the first time in 1986. Stretched by, it received its FAA type certification also in 1986.A passenger model, the 208B Grand Caravan, was derived from the Super Cargomaster.[3] It was first delivered in 1990.

Since then, the Caravan has undergone a number of design evolutions, including upgrading the avionics in 2008 to provide a glass cockpit with the Garmin G1000 system.[4] In January 2013 a higher-powered (867 shp from P&WC PT6A-140) version, the Grand Caravan EX, received FAA certification.[5]

In August 2016, Textron announced that it would move the Cessna 208 production line from its Wichita headquarters to its Independence, Kansas, production facility, for manufacture alongside along the piston-powered 172, 182, 206 and TTx, and the Citation M2 light jet. The move was made to make room for production of the Citation Longitude and Denali in Wichita.[6] In 2023, the 208 Caravan unit cost was US$2.32 million and US$2.61 million for the 208B Grand Caravan EX.[7]

Chinese production

In May 2012, Cessna announced that an assembly line for the 208 would be established in China, with the government-owned China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) conducting final assembly of Caravans at its plant in Shijiazhuang for the Chinese market.[8] Chinese government approval was granted in September the following year and the first Chinese-assembled Caravan was delivered in December 2013.[9] [10] By April 2016 about 30 aircraft, assembled from kits of parts shipped from the US by Cessna, had been delivered to Chinese operators by the joint venture.[11]

Design

The Cessna 208 is a high-wing braced cabin monoplane powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop in tractor configuration. The cabin has room for nine passengers and two crew when used as a passenger aircraft with four doors: one for each crew member, an airstair door on the right side of the cabin and a cargo door on the left. The aircraft can be optionally fitted with an underslung cargo pod.

The basic 208 airframe has a fixed tricycle landing gear but can also be fitted with various types of landing gear, allowing it to operate in a wide variety of environments. Some common adaptations include floats with retractable landing gear on the Caravan Amphibian model, and skis.

The Caravan interior can be outfitted with seats or as a cargo compartment. The standard high-density airline configuration has 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.[12]

The cabin can 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 underbelly 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.[13]

The airplane typically seats nine passengers with a single pilot, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver it can seat up to fourteen passengers. The aircraft is also used for cargo operations.

The short-fuselage Caravan burns of fuel per hour at for stages.[14]

Operational history

In August 2021, fearing Taliban reprisals, pilots of the Afghan Air Force made a last minute escape from Kabul to Tajikistan on an AC-208 moments before the city fell to the Taliban.[15]

In November 2021, Egyptian Army Cessna 208s were used to fight smugglers in western Egypt.[16]

On May 11, 2022, a Cessna 208 pilot became incapacitated resulting in a passenger with no flight experience successfully making an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport. The passenger was assisted by Air Traffic Controller Robert Morgan, a certified flight instructor.[17]

On November 21, 2023, a Cessna 208 flew for the first time without any human on board. The plane was modified by Reliable Robotics to fly autonomously with a remote pilot able to send commands to the aircraft from 50 miles away via satellite communication to the onboard flight computers.[18]

Variants

Civilian

First production variant with a PT6A-114 turboprop engine and seating for up to nine passengers. The landplane variant was type approved on October 23, 1984, and the seaplane version with Wipline Model 8000 Amphibious/Seaplane Floats was type approved on March 26, 1986. Early aircraft can be modified to use the higher-powered PT6A-114A but have restricted operating limits.

Marketing designation for the 208 Caravan with a higher-powered PT6A-114A engine.

208A Cargomaster
  • A pure-cargo version of the Caravan developed with Federal Express (now FedEx); 40 aircraft produced.[19] All 208A aircraft were serialized as 208 models.
    Officially named the 208B Caravan but marketed as the Grand Caravan. The 208B is 4feet longer than the 208; extending the cabin by the same amount. The 208B has a PT6A-114A engine. It was originally certified as a two-seater cargo version on October 9, 1986, and as an 11-seater passenger aircraft on December 13, 1989.

    Marketing name for upgraded version of the 208B Caravan certified in December 2012, with a more powerful 8670NaN0 Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-140 that improves the rate of climb by 38% and was developed by Pratt & Whitney Canada specifically to power the 208B.[20] [21] The unladen weight is 807lb more but maximum payload is only 90lb more. While the 192hp more powerful PT6A-140 gives a 11knots higher cruise speed – and rate of climb is improved by 94ft/min, range is reduced to on a similar fuel capacity. It requires a longer take off run at 2160feet and its landing roll is at 1871feet.[22] In early October 2019, after just under six years in production, the company had delivered 500 Grand Caravan EXs.[23]

    Marketing name for the cargo variant of the 208B series. FedEx purchased 260 of this variant.

    Caravan Amphibian
  • A 208 or 208B with either Wipaire 8000 or 8750 floats that have retractable landing gear, for water landings or land operations.[24] [25]

    Aftermarket variants

    Production aircraft modified after delivery by Supplemental Type Certificates:

    Soloy Pathfinder 21
  • Single example of a twin-engined stretched fuselage development of the 208 by the Soloy Corporation. Two PT6D-114A engines mounted side-by-side drove a single propeller; and the fuselage was extended by 70inches behind the wing. The project was abandoned as the design was unable to meet certification requirements.[26]
    850 Caravan
  • 208 with an 8500NaN0 Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701S engine, installed by Aero Twin Inc.[27]
    950 Grand Caravan
  • 208B with a 10000NaN0 Honeywell TPE331-12JR-704AT engine, installed by Aero Twin Inc.
    Blackhawk Caravan
  • 208 and 208B conversion to 8500NaN0 PT6A-42A.[28]
    Supervan 900
  • 208B with a 8500NaN0 (9000NaN0 flat-rated) Honeywell TPE331-12JR engine, installed by Texas Turbine Conversions, Inc.[29]
    XP42A Upgrade
  • 208B with an 8500NaN0 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A engine, installed by Blackhawk[30]

    Experimental

    The eCaravan is an electric aircraft modification of the 208B built by AeroTEC and magniX powered by a motor and a, 750 V lithium-ion battery.

    The plane's 30-minute first flight happened from Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, on May 28, 2020, consuming US$6 worth of electricity, needing 30–40 min of charging.

    The Magni500-powered variant can fly 100nmi with 4–5 passengers while keeping reserve power, and aims for a certification by the end of 2021, hoping to operate 100nmi flights with a full load of nine passengers with better batteries.[31]

    Military

    U-27A
  • United States Department of Defense designation for the Cessna 208.
    C-16
  • United States Department of Defense designation for proposed variant to be used by the United States Army in El Salvador and Nicaragua during the 1980s.
    C-98
  • Brazilian Air Force designation for the standard U-27.[32]
    AC-208 Combat Caravan
  • Caravan with wing hardpoints. An ISTAR version built by ATK armed with Hellfire missiles is used by the Iraqi Air Force.[33] The AC-208 received its combat debut in January 2014 when the Iraqi Air Force began employing it against insurgents in Anbar province.[34] One aircraft crashed in March 2016.[35]
  • The Lebanese Air Force requested a new AC-208 and the conversion of the 208 it already operated.[36] Between 2009 and 2019, Northrop Grumman delivered two AC-208Bs and one RC-208B (an ISTAR variant) to the Lebanese Air Force.[37]
  • Other AC-208s are scheduled to be delivered to countries in the Middle East and Africa through the Foreign Military Sales program. Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso are possible recipients of these AC-208 Combat Caravans.[38]
    MC-208 Guardian
  • The MC-208 Guardian multi-role aircraft is built on the Cessna Caravan, capable of performing aerial surveillance, close air support, casualty and medical evacuations, air mobility, and precision strike all in one mission without the need for reconfiguration, eliminating the need to deploy and operate multiple aircraft. It was selected as one of five finalists for the United States Special Operations Command's (USSOCOM's) Armed Overwatch program.

    Operators

    See main article: List of Cessna 208 Caravan operators.

    The 1,000th was delivered in 1998; the 1,500th in 2005; the 2,000th in 2010;[39] the 2,500th in 2015;[40] and the 3,000th in 2022.[41] By March 2022, 24 million flight hours have been logged.[42]

    Certified in 100 countries, Caravans are used for flight training, recreation, commuter airlines, VIP transport, cargo carriers and humanitarian missions.[43] It is also used by government agencies in law enforcement, air ambulance services, police and military.

    Civil operators

    The Cessna 208 is used by governmental organizations and by a large number of companies for police, air ambulance, passenger transport, air charter, freight and parachuting operations. FedEx operates 239 aircraft.[44]

    Military operators

    A total of 123 Cessna 208s were in military service as transport in 2024.[45]

    Accidents

    As of 31 December 2017, there have been 216 Caravan hull losses from all causes, including 206 accidents causing 427 fatalities – an average of fatalities per hull-loss, with 29.7% of all occupants surviving fatal accidents; and six hijackings causing one fatality.For the 198 out of the 216 hull-loss occurrences where the aircraft was in use and its flight nature is known, 36.9% were passenger flights, 33.8% cargo flights, 8.1% military flights, 5.6% special flights – agriculture, survey, etc., 4% private and business flights, 3% test or flight training and 8.1% miscellaneous uses – demonstrations, deliveries, illegal.[46]

    Notes and References

    1. Book: Simpson, R.W. . Airlife's General Aviation . 1991 . Airlife Publishing . 1-85310-194-X . Shrewsbury, England . 103.
    2. Book: Jeffrey L. Rodengen . The Legend of Cessna . 1998 . Write Stuff Enterprises . 0-945903-30-8 . 205.
    3. Book: Frawley, Gerald . The International Directory of Civil Aircraft 1997/98 . 1997 . Aerospace Publications . 1-875671-26-9 . Fyshwick ACT . 76.
    4. News: Goyer . Robert . April 26, 2008 . Cessna Caravan Perfected? . Flying . Flying Magazine . 23 May 2017.
    5. Pia Bergqvist, Cessna Grand Caravan EX Certified, Flying, March 2013 issue, p. 14
    6. Web site: August 29, 2016 . Cessna Moving Caravan Production to Independence Plant . Aviation International News.
    7. News: Second Quarter 2023 . Purchase planning handbook – turboprops table . .
    8. News: Pew . Glenn . May 7, 2012 . Cessna Caravans Final Assembly In China . AVweb . May 7, 2012.
    9. News: . April 11, 2017 . With 100 Caravan Sales In China, Cessna Focuses On Fleet Support . Aviation Week . Penton . 23 May 2017.
    10. News: Wynbrandt . James . April 13, 2015 . Cessna highlights deliveries of the first China-built XLS+ . AINonline . The Convention News Company . 23 May 2017.
    11. News: Waldron . Greg . 13 April 2016 . ABACE: Cessna Caravan powers ahead in China . FlightGlobal . Reed Business Information . 23 May 2017.
    12. Web site: Cessna Caravan. Sure Thing – Airline . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060629080826/http://caravan.cessna.com/airline.chtml%23 . 2006-06-29 . 2006-07-19 . Cessna Inc..
    13. Web site: Skydiving aircraft in use at Netheravon, a UK dropzone . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100416113835/http://www.netheravon.com/aircraft.html . 2010-04-16 . 2010-04-05.
    14. Richard N. Aarons . July 1988 . Special Report: Cessna's Caravans . Business & commercial aviation.
    15. Web site: Brewster . Murray . Former Afghan Air Force pilots plead with Canada for rescue after daring escape . 2021-08-28 . . . August 26, 2021 . Twelve pilots and one aircrew chief tumbled into one of the Afghan Air Force's single-engine AC-208 Eliminators, known by their crews as a 'Cessna with Hellfire', a reference to its air-to-surface missile. … CBC News interviewed three of the pilots via cell phone from Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Their identities have been verified through military records, but their names are being withheld to protect their lives and the lives of the families they left behind in Afghanistan..
    16. Web site: Opération SIRLI . 2021-11-22 . Disclose.ngo . November 21, 2021.
    17. Web site: Jamiel Lynch, Dakin Andone and Pete Muntean . May 11, 2022 . A passenger with no flying experience landed a plane at a Florida airport after the pilot became incapacitated . CNN.
    18. Web site: December 11, 2023 . Reliable Robotics Completes Historic Cargo Flight—With No One on Board . FLYING.
    19. News: . June 9, 1995 . Cessna Caravan Service Kit SK208-35B, Revision B . The Cessna Aircraft Company.
    20. News: Niles . Russ . January 13, 2013 . Cessna Certifies New Caravan, Starts M2 Production . AVweb . January 14, 2013.
    21. News: Goyer . Robert . June 12, 2013 . Cessna Grand Caravan EX . Flying . Flying Magazine . 23 May 2017.
    22. Web site: Grand Caravan EX . 13 November 2016 . Textron Aviation . Specifications.
    23. News: Kate Sarsfield . 2019-10-02 . Textron Aviation delivers 500th Grand Caravan EX . Flightglobal .
    24. News: Cessna Caravan . . July 25, 2017.
    25. Web site: FAA Approved Model List for Installing Wipaire Floats Models 8000/8750 .
    26. Web site: 2000 . The Soloy Pathfinder 21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070224151946/http://soloy.portal.acrosonic.com/Products/Fixed+Wing+Aircraft/Soloy+Dual+Pac/default.aspx . February 24, 2007 . July 19, 2006 . Soloy Corporation . 1999.
    27. http://850caravan.com/index2.htm 850 Caravan
    28. Thomas Horne . Blackhawk Boost . AOPA Pilot . T-11.
    29. http://www.texasturbines.com/supervan-900/ Supervan 900
    30. http://www.blackhawk.aero/commercial-products/details/xp42a-upgrade/cessna-caravan/ XP42A Upgrade
    31. News: Jon Hemmerdinger . 29 May 2020 . All-electric Grand Caravan makes maiden flight . Flightglobal .
    32. Web site: Brasileira . Força Aérea . Parque de Material Aeronáutico de Lagoa Santa capacita militares para manutenção de C-98 . 2019-04-09 . Força Aérea Brasileira . pt-br.
    33. Web site: Iraq to triple its air force with U.S. help by 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160326162335/http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_iraq0291_04_10.asp . 26 March 2016 . 18 March 2016 . worldtribune.com . dmy-all.
    34. Web site: Cenciotti . David . January 10, 2014 . AC-208 Combat Caravan . March 17, 2014 . The Aviationist.
    35. Web site: 16 March 2016 . Iraqi army plane crashes, IS claims downing it . 18 March 2016 . Yahoo News.
    36. Web site: 2014-09-13 . US to deliver armed aircraft to Lebanon . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160326230422/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/14113-us-to-deliver-armed-aircraft-to-lebanon . 26 March 2016 . 18 March 2016 . Middle East Monitor.
    37. Web site: Northrop Grumman Celebrates Ten Years of Collaboration with the Lebanese Air Force . 2021-01-27 . Northrop Grumman Newsroom . en.
    38. Web site: AC-208 Combat Caravan's For Africa And The Middle East . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141205015320/http://aviation.confero.info:8080/ac-208-fms-africa-middle-east/ . 2014-12-05 . 2014-09-20.
    39. Textron Inc – Cessna's 2000th Caravan Goes to DHL partner Air St. Kitts-Nevis . September 15, 2010 . Textron .
    40. News: Matt Thurber . September 28, 2015 . Textron Rolls Out 2,500th Caravan . AIN online .
    41. Textron Aviation delivers 3,000th Cessna Caravan family aircraft; Grand Caravan EX joins Azul Conecta airline fleet in Brazil . January 13, 2023 . Textron Aviation .
    42. Cessna Grand Caravan EX fleet to grow in Africa in support of Tunisian Air Force . 7 March 2022 . Textron Aviation .
    43. Textron Aviation begins delivery of 10 Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprops to support charter service in Botswana . Nov 14, 2017 . Textron Aviation .
    44. Web site: September 20, 2016 . Financial and Operating Statistics . FedEx Corporation.
    45. News: 2024 . 2024 World Air Forces Directory. . 11 July 2024. PDF.
    46. Web site: Cessna 208 Statistics . 18 November 2017 . . Flight Safety Foundation.

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