Cessna 208 Caravan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_208_Caravan

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 4 ft (1.2 m) longer
208B Super Cargomaster first flew in 1986 and was developed in 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 November 2017, 2,600 have
been delivered and 20 million flight hours logged. Caravans are used for flight
training, commuter airlines, VIP transport, air cargo and humanitarian missions.

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 172S Skyhawk, 182T
Skylane, T206H Turbo Stationair and Cessna TTx; and the Citation M2 light jet.
The move was made to make room for production of the Citation Longitude and
Denali in Wichita.


Role
utility aircraft

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Cessna

First flight
December 9, 1982

Introduction
1984

Status
In production

Primary users
FedEx Feeder
Brazilian Air Force
Afghan Air Force
Colombian Air Force

Produced
1982–present

Number built
2,600 (Nov 2017)

Unit cost

208 Caravan: US$2.32 million
208B Grand Caravan EX: US$2.685 million (2019)


Variants
Soloy Pathfinder 21


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. Chinese government approval was granted in
September the following year and the first Chinese-assembled Caravan was
delivered in December 2013. 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.

Military

U-27A United States Department of Defense designation for the Cessna
208.C-16United 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-98Brazilian Air Force designation for the standard U-27. AC-208 Combat
CaravanCaravan with wing hardpoints. 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. The Lebanese
Air Force requested a new AC-208 and the conversion of the 208 it already
operated. 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.

Operators

Certified in 100 countries, 2,600 Caravans have been delivered with nearly 20
million flight hours logged by November 2017. Engineered for high payloads and
short and rough runways, with single-engine economy and simplicity, Caravans are
used for flight training to recreation, commuter airlines to VIP transport,
cargo carriers and humanitarian missions. 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.

Military operators

A total of 134 Cessna 208s were in military service in 2016.

Specifications (208 Caravan)

General characteristics
Crew: one or two
Capacity: nine passengers or 13 with FAR Part 23 waiver
Length: 37 ft 7 in (11.46 m)
Wingspan: 52 ft 1 in (15.87 m)
Height: 14 ft 11 in (4.53 m)
Wing area: 279 sq ft (25.96 m2)
Aspect ratio: 9.702
Airfoil: wing root: NACA 23017.424, wing tip: NACA 23012
Empty weight: 4,730 lb (2,145 kg)
Gross weight: 8,000 lb (3,629 kg)
Maximum landing weight : 7,800 lb (3,538 kg)
Fuel capacity: 2,224 lb (1,009 kg/332 gal/1,257 l)
Cabin height: 54 in (1.37 m)
Cabin width: 64 in (1.63 m)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A turboprop, 675 shp (503 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed McCauley Constant speed, full feathering, reversible pitch

Performance
Cruise speed: 186 kn (214 mph, 344 km/h) true air speed
Stall speed: 61 kn (70 mph, 113 km/h) calibrated air speed
Range: 1,070 nmi (1,232 mi, 1,982 km)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Rate of climb: 1,234 ft/min (6.27 m/s)
Wing loading: 28.674 lb/sq ft (139.792 kg/m2)

Avionics

Garmin G1000 with GFC700 integrated digital automatic flight control system




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