Cessna 208
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| C208 Caravan | |
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| 2004 Cessna 208B | |
| Type | Turboprop |
| Manufacturer | Cessna |
| Maiden flight | 1982-12-08 |
| Introduced | 1984 |
| Primary user | FedEx (300) |
| Number built | 1,500+ |
| Unit cost | $1.5 million to $1.9 million USD |
| Variants | Soloy Pathfinder 21 |
The Cessna 208 Caravan, also known as the Cargomaster, is a single turboprop short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the USA by Cessna. The airplane typically seats 9 passengers, with a 1 person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to 14 passengers. The aircraft is also commonly used for cargo feederliner operations.
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[edit] History
The Cessna 208 concept was first started in the early 1980s, and the first prototype took to the air in December of 1982. It took two years for certification and testing, and the production model was certified by the FAA in October of 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. Derived from the Cargomaster was the now standard passenger model, the Grand Caravan.
Currently, Cessna offers the 208B in many configurations in order to meet the varying demands of customers worldwide. 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 pontoon floats on the Caravan Amphibian model.
In the cabin, the Caravan can be outfitted with seats or cargo holds in a number of configurations. 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 revenue 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.
On the flight deck, the 208 features standard analog gauges alongside modern digital avionics including digital autopilot and GPS, and modern radio and transponder equipment. Cessna currently offers two avionics packages from separate manufacturers, one from Garmin, and the other from Bendix/King, a division of Honeywell[2]
[edit] Models
A number of variants of the Cessna 208 have been produced, filling a wide variety of roles for all types of operations, be it private, corporate, or military.
[edit] 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 engines.
- 208A Cargomaster Developed with FedEx, a pure cargo version of the Caravan. Fedex took delivery of 40 of these aircraft.
- 208B Grand Caravan A simple stretch of the Caravan I by 4 feet. The 208B also features a more powerful PT6A-114 engine.
- 208B Super Cargomaster The cargo variant of the 208B series. FedEx took delivery of 260 of these planes.
- Caravan Amphibian A 208A Caravan with Wipaire 8000 floats in place of the landing gear, for water landings. Some models of the floats are amphibious, also allowing land landing.
- 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 stretch behind the wing. [3]
[edit] 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 American Army designation for an armed version of the U-27 that was intended to be used in the central America for counter guerrilla/insurgency warfare against the leftist rebels. However, after the evaluation, this aircraft was rejected due to the aircraft's vulnerability to ground fire.
[edit] Specifications (208B)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1-2 (Aircraft is certified for single pilot operation)
- Capacity: 14
- Length: 41ft 7in (12.67m)
- Wingspan: 52ft 1in (15.88m)
- Height: 14ft 2in (4.32m)
- Wing area: 279.4ft² (26m²)
- Empty weight: 4570lb (2078kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 8750lb (3970kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114 Hartzell, 675hp (505kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 171mph (317km/h)
- Range: 1080mi (2000km)
- Rate of climb: 770ft/min (3.9m/s)
[edit] References
- ^ Cessna Caravan. Sure Thing - Airline. Cessna Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-07-19.
- ^ Cessna Caravan. Sure Thing - Avionics. Cessna Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-07-19.
- ^ The Soloy Pathfinder 21. Soloy Corporation (1999/2000). Retrieved on 2006-07-19.
- ^ Lundgren, Johan (1996-2006). Aircraft Data and History: Cessna 208. Airliners.net. AirNav Systems LLC. URL accessed on 2006-07-19.
[edit] Related Content
[edit] Related Development
[edit] External links
- Cessna 208 - Technical Data concerning The Cessna 208
- Cessna Caravan - Cessna's Caravan website; information, parts, sales
- Caravan Pilots - Cessna Caravan website; Pilot related
- Cessna 208 by Hydravore.com - Seaplanes pages
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Twin-engine: 303 • 310 • 320 • 336 • 337 • 340 • 401 • 402 • 404 • 406 • 411 • 414 • 425 • 441
Citation series: 500 • 501 • 510 • 525 • 525A • 525B • 550 • 551 • 560 • 650 • 680 • 750
