Cessna 208 (Caravan)

History of the Cessna 208 (Caravan)

The Cessna 208 Caravan is a multipurpose aircraft built by Cessna. The project began on November 20, 1981, and the prototype flew for the first time 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 4-foot (1.2 m) 208B Super Cargomaster first flew in 1986 and was further developed into the 208B Grand Caravan for passenger aircraft.

The braced high-wing 208 normally accommodates nine passengers in its unballasted compartment, is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A towed turboprop engine, and has a fixed tricycle landing gear, buoys or skis. As of November 2017, 2,600 have been delivered and 20 million flight hours have been completed.

Caravans are used for flight training, commuter airlines, VIP transport, air cargo and humanitarian missions.

Specification

Base

Year of Service

1984

Origins

United States

Status

Active.

Crew

1

Production

2,500

Manufacturer

Cessna Aircraft Company / Textron Aviation - USA

Operator

Afghanistan; Argentina; Bahamas; Bangladesh; Brazil; Cameroon; Chad; Chile; Colombia; Djibouti; Guatemala; Honduras; Iraq; Jordan; Lebanon; Kenya; Mauritania; Niger; Pakistan ;Panama;Paraguay;Peru;Philippines;South Africa;Uganda;United Arab Emirates;United States;Venezuela;Yemen

Roles

Transportation

General transport function for moving supplies/cargo or people (including casualties and VIPs) out of range.

Commercial Aviation

Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, moving passengers and cargo over long distances.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

37.6 feet

(11.45m)

Width/span

52. 1 ft

(15.88m)

Height

14.9 feet

(4.55m)

Cured weight

4,729 lbs

(2,145 kg)

MTOW

8,003 lbs

(3,630 kg)

Wgt Difference

+3,274 lbs

(+1,485 kg)

Performance

Installed:

1 x Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A turboprop engine, producing 675 hp, driving a three-blade nose propeller unit.

Maximum speed

214 km/h

(345 km/h | 186 knots)

Maximum

24,934 feet

(7,600 m | 5 km)

Area

1,243 km

(2,000 km | 3,704 nautical miles)

rate of climb

1,234 ft/min

(376 m/min)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

None.

Variants

Model 208 "Caravan" - name of the base series Soloy Pathfinder 21 Model 850 "Caravan" Model 950 "Caravan" "Blackhawk Caravan" "Supervan 900" XP42A (Upgrade ) U-27AC -16C -98AC-208 "Combat Caravan"