43-629: 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 into the passenger 208B Grand Caravan. The strutted , high wing 208 typically seats nine passengers in its unpressurized cabin,
86-410: A free power turbine . The starter has to accelerate only the gas generator, making the engine easy to start, particularly in cold weather. Air enters the gas-generator through an inlet screen into the low-pressure axial compressor . This has three stages on small and medium versions of the engine and four stages on large versions. The air then flows into a single-stage centrifugal compressor , through
129-529: A PT6 and propeller flying test-bed until it was replaced with a Beech King Air in 1980. The King Air test-engine or propeller replaced one of the standard ones. In 1974 the Beech 18 had been unable to fly fast enough and high enough to test the PT6A-50 for the de Havilland Canada Dash 7 so a Vickers Viscount was modified as a PT6 test-bed with a Dash-7 installation in the nose. The first production PT6 model,
172-433: A bleed arrangement which reuses the bleed air by returning it in a tangential direction at the entry to the compressor, an idea patented by Schaum et al. and titled "Turbine Engine With Induced Pre-Swirl at Compressor Inlet". It acts like a variable vane and is known as a "Jet-Flap". All versions of the engine consist of two sections that can be easily separated for maintenance: a gas generator supplies hot pressurized gas to
215-502: 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. The 1,000th was delivered in 1998; the 1,500th in 2005; the 2,000th in 2010; the 2,500th in 2015; and the 3,000th in 2022. By March 2022, 24 million flight hours have been logged. Certified in 100 countries, Caravans are used for flight training, recreation, commuter airlines, VIP transport, cargo carriers and humanitarian missions. It
258-419: A certified flight instructor. 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. Production aircraft modified after delivery by Supplemental Type Certificates : The eCaravan
301-408: A folded annular combustion chamber , and finally through a single-stage turbine that powers the compressors at about 45,000 rpm. Hot gas from the gas generator flows into the power turbine, which turns at about 30,000 rpm. It has one stage on the small engines and two stages on the medium and large ones. For turboprop use, this powers a two-stage planetary output reduction gearbox, which turns
344-624: A gas generator with accessory gearbox, and a free-power turbine with reduction gearbox. In aircraft, the engine is often mounted "backwards," with the intake at the rear and the exhaust at the front, so that the turbine is directly connected to the propeller. Many variants of the PT6 have been produced, not only as turboprops but also as turboshaft engines for helicopters, land vehicles, hovercraft, and boats; as auxiliary power units; and for industrial uses. By November 2015, 51,000 had been produced, which had logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. It
387-415: 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 once Dwane Wallace approved it, Berwick told Russ Meyer he would design it. The prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by
430-507: A last minute escape from Kabul to Tajikistan on an AC-208 moments before the city fell to the Taliban. In November 2021, Egyptian Army Cessna 208s were used to fight smugglers in western Egypt. 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,
473-425: 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 underbelly cargo pod, which can be used for additional freight capacity, or for passenger baggage. A number of Caravans are operated as skydiving aircraft with the left-side cargo hatch converted to a roll-up door. The airplane typically seats nine passengers with
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#1732787495577516-465: 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. The basic 208 airframe has a fixed tricycle landing gear but can also be fitted with various types of landing gear , allowing it to operate in a wide variety of environments. Some common adaptations include floats with retractable landing gear on
559-577: A possible new market such as a Super PC-12, a more powerful TBM, or a bigger King Air. When de Havilland Canada asked for a much larger engine for the DHC-8 , roughly twice the power of the Large PT6, Pratt & Whitney Canada responded with a new design initially known as the PT7, later renamed Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 . The rate at which parts deteriorate in a gas turbine is unbalanced insofar as
602-532: A proposed 2,000 shp (1,500 kW) engine to replace the most powerful versions of the PT6. It was considered likely to be a development of the PT6C core, and would fit between the 1,750 shp (1,300 kW) PT6C-67C/E and the 2,300 shp (1,700 kW) PW100 family. It was expected to be ready to launch by the end of 2017 for an initial helicopter platform with a 10-15% reduction in brake specific fuel consumption . This 2,000 hp engine would target
645-470: A single pilot, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver it can seat up to fourteen passengers. The aircraft is also used for cargo operations. 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. In August 2021, fearing Taliban reprisals, pilots of the Afghan Air Force made
688-725: A small gas turbine engine. Demand for the Wasp radial engine was still strong and its production was profitable but the aim was to become Canada's prime engine company by focusing on a small gas turbine engine. Riley gave Guthrie a modest budget of C$ 100,000. Guthrie recruited twelve engineers with experience gained at various places including the National Research Council in Ottawa , Orenda Engines in Ontario , Bristol Aero Engines and Blackburn Aircraft . They completed
731-555: Is a general-purpose light airplane or helicopter , usually used for transporting people, freight, or other supplies, but also used for other duties when more specialized aircraft are not required or available. The term can also refer to an aircraft type certificated under American, Canadian, European, or Australian regulations as a Utility Category Aircraft , which indicates that it is permitted to conduct limited aerobatics . The approved maneuvers include chandelles , lazy eights , spins , and steep turns over 60° of bank. In
774-672: Is also used by government agencies in law enforcement, air ambulance services, police and military. 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. A total of 123 Cessna 208s were in military service as transport in 2024. As of 31 December 2017, there have been 216 Caravan hull losses from all causes, including 206 accidents causing 427 fatalities – an average of 2 fatalities per hull-loss, with 29.7% of all occupants surviving fatal accidents; and six hijackings causing one fatality. For
817-604: Is an electric aircraft modification of the 208B built by AeroTEC and magniX powered by a 750 hp (560 kW) motor and a 1 t (2,200 lb), 750 V lithium-ion battery . The plane's 30-minute first flight happened from Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington, on May 28, 2020, consuming US$ 6 worth of electricity, needing 30–40 min of charging. The Magni500-powered variant can fly 100 nautical miles (185 km; 115 mi) with 4–5 passengers while keeping reserve power, and aims for
860-561: Is known for its reliability with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 333,333 hours up to October 2003, 1 per 127,560 hours in 2005 in Canada, 1 per 333,000 hours from 1963 to 2016, 1 per 651,126 hours over 12 months in 2016. Time between overhauls is between 3,600 and 9,000 hours and hot-section inspections between 1,800 and 2,000 hours. Early PT6 versions lacked a FADEC , autothrottle could be installed as an aftermarket upgrade with an actuator , initially for single-engine aircraft like
903-478: Is known for its reliability, with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 651,126 hours in 2016. The PT6A turboprop engine covers the power range between 580 and 1,940 shp (430 and 1,450 kW), while the PT6B/C are turboshaft variants for helicopters. In 1956, Pratt & Whitney Canada's (PWC) president, Ronald Riley, ordered engineering manager Dick Guthrie to hire a team of gas turbine specialists to design
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#1732787495577946-403: Is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A tractor turboprop and has a fixed tricycle landing gear , floats , or skis. By 2022, 3,000 had been delivered and 24 million flight hours have been logged. Caravans have been used for flight training , commuter airlines , VIP transport , air cargo , skydiving and humanitarian missions. On November 20, 1981, the project was given
989-578: Is the same as in 1964, updates have included a cooled first-stage turbine vane, additional compressor and turbine stages and single-crystal turbine blades in the early 1990s. Its pressure ratio is 13:1 in the AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor, the highest that can be used without cooled turbine blades. In response to the General Electric GE93 , in 2017 Pratt & Whitney Canada started testing core technology and systems for
1032-617: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in October 1984. Deliveries began in 1985, and amphibious floats were approved that same year. A freighter variant without cabin windows was developed at the request of Federal Express as the Cargomaster. FedEx had been initially planning to build twin-engine piston-powered airplanes with Piper Aircraft , but picked the Caravan after surveying it and having flown
1075-625: The PC-12 and potentially in twin-turboprop aircraft. In October 2019 the PT6 E-Series was launched on the PC-12 NGX, the first general aviation turboprop with an electronic propeller and engine control system with a single lever and better monitoring for longer maintenance intervals, increased from 300 to 600 hours, and a TBO increased by 43% to 5,000 hours, reducing engine operating costs by at least 15%. In April 2022, Daher announced that
1118-602: The 198 out of the 216 hull-loss occurrences where the aircraft was in use and its flight nature is known, 36.9% were passenger flights , 33.8% cargo flights , 8.1% military flights , 5.6% special flights – agriculture , survey , etc., 4% private and business flights , 3% test or flight training and 8.1% miscellaneous uses – demonstrations, deliveries, illegal. Data from Cessna Textron General characteristics Performance Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Utility aircraft A utility aircraft
1161-468: The Caravan Amphibian model, and skis. 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. The cabin can be configured in
1204-746: 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. The Cessna 208 is a high-wing braced cabin monoplane powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A turboprop in tractor configuration . The cabin has room for nine passengers and two crew when used as
1247-411: The PT6, which first ran in December 1963, was beset with engineering problems, cost overruns and lack of sales. It was almost cancelled. The team lacked the ability to deal with the technical difficulties, i.e. how to develop the engine, because, as one of the team Elvie Smith recalled, they came from research and design backgrounds. They learned how to run a development program, such as testing around
1290-458: The PT6A-20, was the pipe diffuser patented by Vrana, another of the original PT6 team. It replaced the vaned type diffuser used in centrifugal compressors. The pipe diffuser became standard design practice for P&WC. Another design change improved the part-speed functioning of the compressor. It is common to bleed air from a compressor to make it work properly at low engine speeds. The PT6 has
1333-683: The PT6A-6, was certificated in December 1963. The first application was the Beech Queen Air , enticing the U.S. Army to buy a fleet of the U-21 Ute variant. This helped launch the King Air with Beechcraft selling about 7,000 by 2012. From 1963 to 2016 power-to-weight ratio was improved by 50%, brake specific fuel consumption by 20% and overall pressure ratio reached 14:1. Its development continues and while today its basic configuration
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1376-651: The United States, military utility aircraft are given the prefix U in their designations . This aircraft-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pratt %26 Whitney Canada PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada . Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964, and has been continuously updated since. The PT6 consists of two basic sections:
1419-460: The clock rather than on one shift, from a PWA team which directed the development for several months. The PT6 first flew on 30 May 1961, mounted as a third engine in the nose of a Beech 18 aircraft which had been converted by de Havilland at its Downsview facility in North York, Ontario . Full-scale production started in 1963, with service entry the following year. The Beech 18 continued as
1462-714: The compressor intake by inertial separators in the inlet. In some installation such as the PT6A-66B version in the Piaggio P.180 Avanti , the engine is reversed, with the propeller acting as a "pusher", the accessory gearbox facing the front of the aircraft. By the 40th anniversary of its maiden flight in 2001, over 36,000 PT6As had been delivered, not including the other versions. Up to October 2003, 31,606 delivered engines have flown more than 252 million hours. Till November 2015, 51,000 have been produced. The family logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. The PT6 family
1505-515: The detailed design of an engine for Canadair's small jet trainer, the CL-41 . It was a 3,000-pound-force (13 kN) thrust turbojet but the design was taken over by P&WA who developed it into the Pratt & Whitney JT12 . The team had to wait for market assessments to define their next engine, a 450 shaft horsepower (340 kW) turboprop for twin-engined aircraft, the PT6. The early development of
1548-421: The hottest parts need replacing or repairing more often than the cooler-running parts. If the hotter parts can be removed without disturbing the rest of the engine, for example without removing the complete engine from the aircraft, maintenance costs are reduced. It was achieved with the PT6 by having the hottest parts, the gas generator turbine and combustor, at the propeller end. They are removed without disturbing
1591-830: The piston-powered 172 , 182 , 206 and TTx , and the Citation M2 light jet. The move was made to make room for production of the Citation Longitude and Denali in Wichita. In 2023, the 208 Caravan unit cost was US$ 2.32 million and US$ 2.61 million for the 208B Grand Caravan EX. 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
1634-464: The power section at the front of the nacelle, where it can drive the propeller directly without the need for a long shaft. Intake air is usually fed to the engine via an underside mounted duct, and the two exhaust outlets are directed rearward. This arrangement aids maintenance by allowing the entire power section to be removed along with the propeller, exposing the gas-generator section. To facilitate rough-field operations, foreign objects are diverted from
1677-428: The propeller at a speed of 1,900 to 2,200 rpm. The exhaust gas then escapes through two side-mounted ducts in the power turbine housing. The turbines are concentric with the combustion chamber, reducing overall length. In most aircraft installations the PT6 is mounted so that the intake end of the engine is towards the rear of the aircraft, leading to it being known by many as the "back-to-front" engine. This places
1720-471: The prototype, becoming its standard carrier. 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. Stretched by 4 ft (1.2 m), it received its FAA type certification also in 1986. A passenger model, the 208B Grand Caravan, was derived from the Super Cargomaster. It
1763-476: The rest of the engine with its connections to the aircraft. This arrangement was patented by designer Newland, one of the original PT6 team. A similar general arrangement with a free-turbine power take-off at the exhaust end (the 1,000 shp (750 kW) P.181 engine) had been shown by Armstrong Siddeley Motors at the Farnborough Airshow in 1957. An early design improvement, incorporated in
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1806-587: The updated SOCATA TBM -960 would be powered by the PT6E-66XT. The main variant, the PT6A , is available in a wide variety of models, covering the power range between 580 and 920 shaft horsepower (430 and 690 kilowatts ) in the original series, and up to 1,940 shaft horsepower (1,450 kilowatts) in the 'large' lines. The PT6B and PT6C are turboshaft variants for helicopters. In US military use, they are designated as T74 or T101 . Several other versions of
1849-708: Was first delivered in 1990. Since then, the Caravan has undergone a number of design evolutions, including upgrading the avionics in 2008 to provide a glass cockpit with the Garmin G1000 system. In January 2013 a higher-powered (867 shp from P&WC PT6A-140) version, the Grand Caravan EX, received FAA certification. 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
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