CESSNA 208 “CARAVAN”€

1985 ’€“ Present

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The Cessna Caravan, particularly the Model 675, established itself as a unique and reliable single-engine turboprop with a spacious cabin, known for its cost-effectiveness.
  • It offers exceptional versatility, capable of transporting substantial loads of people or cargo and operating from diverse surfaces, including water with floatplane variants.
  • The aircraft evolved through models like the Super Cargomaster and Grand Caravan, becoming Cessna's largest single-engine plane, and later offered luxury "Oasis" interiors to compete with business jets.
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Caravan


Caravan on floats


Super Caravan

STANDARD DATA: (Model 675) Seats 2-14. Empty wt. 3,973 lbs. Maximum Useful Load 4,062 lbs. Fuel capacity 335 gallons. Engine Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A, 675 shp.
PERFORMANCE: Cruise 186 kts.Stall 61 kts. Initial climb rate 1,234 fpm. Service Ceiling 25,000. Takeoff distance (50′) 2,053. Landing distance (50′) 1,655 ft.

STANDARD DATA: (Grand Caravan) Seats 2-14. Empty wt. 4,285 lbs. Maximum Useful Load 4,500 lbs. Fuel capacity 335 gallons. Engine Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A, 675 shp.
PERFORMANCE: Cruise 184 kts. Stall 61 kts. Initial climb rate 975 fpm. Service Ceiling 25,000. Takeoff distance (50′) 1,365. Landing distance (50′) 1,795 ft.

Cessna’s biggest single was in a class all by itself from the very beginning. The square-cabin design was roomier than many twins, and the bulletproof Pratt & Whitney turboprop up front made the Caravan 675 reliable and comparatively inexpensive to operate. It could haul a staggering amount of people or cargo, land on virtually any runway surface and gleefully take to the water on floats (the Caravan Amphibian).

In 1987, Cessna introduced the Super Cargomaster, with an additional 340 cubic feet of space, and 720 more pounds of load carrying capacity. The same fuselage would eventually appear as the more refined Grand Caravan in 1990. At 15 feet tall, 41.6 feet long with a 52.1-foot wingspan, it remains the largest Cessna single ever. In 2004, the Caravan was optionally available with an Oasis interior, which allowed the single engine turboprop to compete with the luxuries of any pure jet on the market.

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