Cessna is kicking off a celebration of the 30th anniversary the Caravan 208 single-engine turbo-prop during the Sun 'n' Fun fly-in in Florida this week.
The first Caravan was delivered on 25 February 1985 to an operator in Alaska, with FedEx taking delivery of its first Caravan the next day, which included a belly cargo pod and other special modifications.
“Three decades after entering into service, the Cessna Caravan still defines the modern single-engine utility segment,” said Christi Tannahill, senior vice president, Turboprop Aircraft and Interior Design. “We continue our robust investments in the Caravan family based on customer needs, with the latest being the Grand Caravan EX.”
One of the first single-engine turbo-props (SETP) in the world, the C208 Caravan was designed for use in remote areas and mountainous terrain, without the operating costs of the twin-engine tubines of the day.
The prototype first flew in 1982, and the FAA issued the type certificate two years later. The first major variant came with the stretched C208B Super Cargomaster in 1986, followed four years later by the first C208B Grand Caravan.
The world-wide Caravan fleet has now logged over 13 million flight hours and Cessna expects to deliver Caravan number 2500 later this year.
Cessna offers four Caravan models: the Caravan, the Grand Caravan EX, the Caravan Amphibian and the Grand Caravan EX Amphibian. The Grand Caravan EX features a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine rated at 867 horsepower to give the upgraded model a 38% improvement over the rate of climb of the previous Grand Caravan model, a 350-foot reduction in take-off roll and a 10-12 knot cruise speed improvement on average.