TheCessna 208 Caravan is autility aircraft produced byCessna.The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.The production model was certified by theFAA in October 1984 and its Cargomaster freighter variant was developed forFedEx.The 4 ft (1.2 m) longer 208B Super Cargomaster first flew in 1986 and was developed into the passenger 208B Grand Caravan.[2]
AFedEx Super Cargomaster with cargo pod. The Cargomaster and Super Cargomaster variants are built without cabin windows.Cockpit of a pre-2008 Caravan
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 onceDwane Wallace approved it, Berwick toldRuss Meyer he would design it.[4]
Deliveries began in 1985, andamphibious floats were approved that same year.[1] A freighter variant without cabin windows was developed at the request ofFederal Express as the Cargomaster.[2] FedEx had been initially planning to build twin-engine piston-powered airplanes withPiper Aircraft, but picked the Caravan after surveying it and having flown the prototype, becoming its standard carrier.[4]
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.[2] Stretched by 4 ft (1.2 m), it received its FAA type certification also in 1986.[1]A passenger model, the 208B Grand Caravan, was derived from the Super Cargomaster.[2]It was first delivered in 1990.[1]
Since then, the Caravan has undergone a number of design evolutions, including upgrading the avionics in 2008 to provide aglass cockpit with theGarmin G1000 system.[6] In January 2013 a higher-powered (867 shp from P&WC PT6A-140) version, the Grand Caravan EX, received FAA certification.[7]
In August 2016, Textron announced that it would move the Cessna 208 production line from itsWichita headquarters to itsIndependence, Kansas, production facility, for manufacture alongside the piston-powered172,182,206 andTTx, and theCitation M2 light jet. The move was made to make room for production of theCitation Longitude andDenali in Wichita.[8]In 2023, the 208 Caravan unit cost wasUS$2.32 million and US$2.61 million for the 208B Grand Caravan EX.[9]
In May 2012, Cessna announced that an assembly line for the 208 would be established in China, with the government-ownedChina Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) conducting final assembly of Caravans at its plant inShijiazhuang for the Chinese market.[10] Chinese government approval was granted in September the following year and the first Chinese-assembled Caravan was delivered in December 2013.[11][12] 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.[13]
Low-density seating in the cabin of a passenger-carrying version
The Cessna 208 is a high-wing braced cabin monoplane powered by a singlePratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop intractor 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.[3]
The basic 208airframe has a fixedtricycle landing gear but can also be fitted with various types oflanding gear, allowing it to operate in a wide variety of environments. Some common adaptations includefloats with retractable landing gear on the Caravan Amphibian model, and skis.[2]
208B Grand Caravan in the Netherlands, modified withroller door forparachuting operations; skydivers sitting on the cabin floor are visible inside the rear roller door
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.[14]
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.[15] 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 asskydiving aircraft with the left-side cargo hatch converted to a roll-up door.[16]
The airplane typically seats nine passengers with a single pilot, although with aFAR Part 23 waiver it can seat up to fourteen passengers. The aircraft is also used for cargo operations.[3]
The short-fuselage Caravan burns 48 US gal (180 L) of fuel per hour at 170 kn (310 km/h; 200 mph) for 200 nmi (370 km; 230 mi) stages.[17]
In August 2021, fearing Taliban reprisals, pilots of theAfghan Air Force made a last minute escape from Kabul to Tajikistan on an AC-208 moments before the city fell to the Taliban.[18]
In November 2021, Egyptian Army Cessna 208s were used to fight smugglers in western Egypt.[19]
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.[20]
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.[21]
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.[citation needed]
208 Caravan 675
Marketing designation for the 208 Caravan with a higher-powered PT6A-114A engine.[citation needed]
A pure-cargo version of the Caravan developed with Federal Express (nowFedEx); 40 aircraft produced.[23] All 208A aircraft were serialized as 208 models.
208B Grand Caravan in Mexico with its right rearairstair door open. The 208B Grand Caravan is 4 feet (1.2 m) longer than the 208, and the passenger-carrying version has eight side windows instead of the 208's six.
208B Grand Caravan
Officially named the208B Caravan but marketed as theGrand Caravan. The 208B is 4 ft (1.2 m) longer than the 208; extending the cabin by the same amount. The 208B has aPT6A-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.[citation needed]
208B Grand Caravan EX
Marketing name for upgraded version of the 208B Caravan certified in December 2012, with a more powerful 867 hp (647 kW) Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-140 that improves the rate of climb by 38% and was developed byPratt & Whitney Canada specifically to power the 208B.[24][25] The unladen weight is 807 lb (366 kg) more but maximum payload is only 90 lb (41 kg) more. While the 192 hp (143 kW) more powerful PT6A-140 gives a 11-knot (20 km/h) higher cruise speed – and rate of climb is improved by 94 feet per minute (0.48 m/s), range is reduced to 964 nautical miles (1,785 km; 1,109 mi) on a similar fuel capacity. It requires a longer take off run at 2,160 feet (660 m) and its landing roll is at 1,871 feet (570 m).[26] In early October 2019, after just under six years in production, the company had delivered 500 Grand Caravan EXs.[27]
208B Super Cargomaster
Marketing name for the cargo variant of the 208B series. FedEx purchased 260 of this variant.[citation needed]
Amphibious Caravan taking off fromLoch Lomond in Scotland
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 70 inches (1.8 m) behind the wing. The project was abandoned as the design was unable to meet certification requirements.[29]
850 Caravan
208 with an 850 hp (634 kW) Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701S engine, installed by Aero Twin Inc.[30]
950 Grand Caravan
208B with a 1,000 hp (746 kW) Honeywell TPE331-12JR-704AT engine, installed by Aero Twin Inc.[30]
Blackhawk Caravan
208 and 208B conversion to 850 hp (634 kW) PT6A-42A.[31]
Supervan 900
208B with a 850 hp (634 kW) (900 hp (671 kW) flat-rated) Honeywell TPE331-12JR engine, installed by Texas Turbine Conversions, Inc.[32]
XP42A Upgrade
208B with an 850 hp (634 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A engine, installed by Blackhawk[33]
The plane's 30-minute first flight happened fromGrant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, on May 28, 2020, consuming US$6 worth of electricity, needing 30–40 min of charging.[34]
The Magni500-powered variant can fly 100 nautical miles (185 km; 115 mi) with 4–5 passengers while keeping reserve power, and aims for a certification by the end of 2021, hoping to operate 100 nmi (185 km; 115 mi) flights with a full load of nine passengers with better batteries.[34]
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 theUnited States Army in El Salvador and Nicaragua during the 1980s.[citation needed]
TheLebanese Air Force requested a new AC-208 and the conversion of the 208 it already operated.[40] Between 2009 and 2019, Northrop Grumman delivered two AC-208Bs and one RC-208B (an ISTAR variant) to the Lebanese Air Force.[41]
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.[42][failed verification]
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.
The 1,000th was delivered in 1998; the 1,500th in 2005; the 2,000th in 2010;[43] the 2,500th in 2015;[44] and the 3,000th in 2022.[1]By March 2022, 24 million flight hours have been logged.[45]
Certified in 100 countries, Caravans are used for flight training, recreation, commuter airlines, VIP transport, cargo carriers and humanitarian missions.[3]It is also used by government agencies in law enforcement, air ambulance services, police and military.[4]
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.[46]
As of February 2025, there have been 277 Caravanhull losses from all causes, including 271 accidents causing 516 fatalities – an average of 2 fatalities per hull-loss, with 27.4% of all occupants surviving fatal accidents; and eighthijackings causing one fatality. For the 198 out of the 277 hull-loss occurrences where the aircraft was in use and its flight nature is known, 36.9% werepassenger flights, 33.8%cargo flights, 8.1%military flights, 5.6% special flights –agriculture,survey, etc., 4% private andbusiness flights, 3%test orflight training and 8.1% miscellaneous uses – demonstrations, deliveries, illegal.[48]
Left: three-axis view of 208 Caravan Amphibian and side view of standard 208 Caravan Right: 208B Grand Caravan with side views of Super Cargomaster and standard versions
^Brewster, Murray (August 26, 2021)."Former Afghan Air Force pilots plead with Canada for rescue after daring escape".CBC News.CBC/Radio-Canada. RetrievedAugust 28, 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.
^"Opération SIRLI". Disclose.ngo. November 21, 2021. RetrievedNovember 22, 2021.
a Redesignated during development • b Not built • c Produced only by Reims • d Transferred toBeechcraft during development • e Early models had no "I" suffix; some sources call these aircraft theCitation 500
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