Quick Look: Cessna 208 Caravan

FedEx (when it was known as Federal Express) ordered hundreds of Cessna 208s to be used to feed shipments to smaller airports throughout the world. FedEx is credited with creating the 208 market, which has since branched out in many directions.

Like many single-engine Cessnas, the 208 is built with function in mind, not form. It has a boxy fuselage, strut-braced wing, and giant un-faired tires that scream “draggy.” The Caravan isn’t meant to win any beauty or speed contests—it was designed to be utilitarian, reliable, and tough, all things at which the Caravan succeeds.

From a pilot’s standpoint, the Caravan is much like its smaller kin, the 206/207 series. It’s pretty heavy in the controls, but it has more stability in turbulence than lighter Cessnas. It has spoiler-augmented ailerons, since the trailing edge of the wing is consumed by large flaps and small ailerons.

Quest’s Kodiak and de Havilland Beavers and Otters will outperform the Caravan when it comes to short-field takeoffs. Landings aren’t too far off the STOL competitors, thanks to reverse thrust and a 61-knot stall speed. The Caravan provides STOL performance only when it’s lightly loaded. As a reference, the Caravan and 182 Skylane both have similar power/weight ratios, in the range of 13.5 pounds/horsepower, at maximum takeoff weight.

The Caravan offers excellent cockpit visibility with a gigantic windshield placed well ahead of the wing. Because of its draggy design, cruise speeds are best at higher altitudes where the air is thinner. At 10,000 feet—a popular altitude to fly the unpressurized Caravan on longer legs—expect real-world cruise speeds of 160 to 170 KTAS on 300 to 350 pounds/hour or 50 gph. At lower altitudes, the Caravan will be incrementally slower while using more fuel.

Options and modifications are available from the factory and aftermarket specialists. A belly-mounted pod adds 111 cubic feet/1,090 pounds more space for stuff while penalizing cruise speed by nine knots. There are freighter versions, float versions, roll-up doors for cargo or skydiving, freighter interiors, or luxurious Oasis interiors more akin to high-end jets. There also are engine mods to boost power, using either more powerful PT6A or Honeywell TPE-331 turboprop engines of 850 to 950 shaft horsepower.

Avionics equipment in 2008 models and newer are Garmin G1000. Prior to that, Caravans are equipped with Bendix/King, Garmin, or other mixed avionics. Caravans are optionally equipped for known-ice operations. Earlier models used pneumatic boots, which were fingered in a handful of icing accidents involving Caravans. Cessna switched to a TKS fluid deice system, which many consider to be superior to boots, especially for the Caravan.

In 1987 Cessna stretched the Caravan to create the 208B, which has a four-foot-longer fuselage and a 675-horsepower PT6 engine. The 675-shaft-horsepower -114A engine was also added to the standard Caravan starting with serial number 277.

According to Vref, Caravan prices range from $605,000 for a 1985 208 to $2.55 million for a 2016 model.