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The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan is a single-turbo-engine, fixed-gear, utility transport aircraft and short-haul airliner for upto fourteen
passengers and one or two crew. Cessna Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas, USA, started development of the Cessna Model 208 by the
end of the 1970s as a single-engined turboprop aircraft for up to ten passengers or up to a ton of load. The Cessna Model 208 was
designed as a rugged utility aircraft to replace the aging De Havilland Canada Otters, Beavers and Beech 18 aircraft in use with
bush operators. Therefor the design had to include the possibillity to equip the aircraft with skis and floats for use in remote
areas with extreme weather changes, mountainous terrain and rough landing conditions. Final design work of the Cessna Model 208 started
in 1979. The prototype Model 208 (serial number 699), registered N208LP, flew first on 9 December 1982. FAA-certification for the Cessna
Model 208 Caravan I was awarded on 23 October 1984. The first Caravan was delivered on 25 February 1985, to an air service provider in Alaska,
and the next day Federal Express (now FedEx) took delivery of its first Caravan, which included a belly cargo pod and other modifications
specially designed for the express delivery pioneer. The Cessna 208A Cargomaster, was developed with FedEx as a pure-cargo version of
the Caravan. A further development with a lengthened fuselage is the Cessna 208B. The protoptype Model 208B Super Cargomaster,
registered N9767F, flew first on 3 March 1986. The 208B Super Cargomaster entered service with Federal Express in 1986. Federal Express
was the main operator of the Cessna 208 with a fleet of 39 Cessna 208A Cargomasters and over 200 Cessna 208B Super Cargomasters all-cargo variants.
These aircrafts have a large cargo door, no side windows and are fitted with additional cargo tiedown points, cargo nets and an underfuselage
cargo pannier. Fourty aircraft were built as Model 208A’s, these were subsequently all converted to Model 208’s by embodiment of a Cessna Service
Kit or out of service. The designation Model 208A was removed from the FAA TCDS at Rev 13. The Cessna Model 208B Grand Caravan was the passenger
model derived from the Super Cargomaster and was certified on 13 december 1989. Many Grand Caravan variants include an underbelly cargo pod, which
can be used for additional freight capacity, or for passenger baggage. In 2012, the Cessna Grand Caravan EX with a Garmin Glass Cockpit and a 867
shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine was announced. The new model keeps its 208B designation, but gives operators a great deal
more power, thanks to the expressly for the EX developed Pratt & Whitney PT6-140 turboprop engine. In January 2013, after a quick certification
test program, Cessna earned FAA approval for the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX. A number of Cessna 208 variants is converted to skydiving aircraft with
the left-side cargo hatch converted to a roll-up door. This skydiving platform makes its possible to bring up to 20 parachutists to the jump height.
The military variants of the Cessna Model 208 uses the designations U-27A; C-16 and Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan. In 1985, Cessna Aircraft Company
ceased to be an independent company. It was purchased by General Dynamics Corporation and became a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1992, General Dynamics
sold Cessna to Textron Inc. and on 29 July 2015, the company name changed to Textron Aviation Inc., Wichita, Kansas. Building of the Cessna 208
started in Wichita. In May 2012, Cessna announced that an assembly line for the 208 by a Cessna-AVIC joint venture would be established in Shijiazhuang
in the People's Republic of China. In August 2016, Textron announced that it is moving the Cessna 208 production from its Wichita headquarters to its
Independence, Kansas production facility. Over 2.500 Cessna 208 aircraft in the diverent variations have been delivered since the Cessna 208 entered
service in 1985.
The ICAO Aircraft Type Designator for the Cessna 208 is C208. |
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On 15 September 2005, Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster s/n 208B1124 was registered EC-JHH in Spain with Air Pack Express. In April 2009, registration EC-JHH was
cancelled as exported to Germany and on 13 May 2009, the cargo aircraft was registered D-FAAG with Air Alliance. On 21 May 2009, the 2005-built Cessna 208B
Super Cargomaster D-FAAG arrived all white at Teuge Airport in the Netherlands on delivery to Stichting Nationaal Parachutisten Centrum Teuge. At Teuge Airfield,
the Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster got a complete overhaul and was converted into a skydive platform and painted in the colors of Nationaal Parachutisten Centrum.
On 4 June 2009. the Cessna 208B was registered PH-SWP with Stichting Nationaal Parachutisten Centrum Teuge, Teuge. In 2014, Texas Turbine Conversions modified
the Cessna 208B Gran Caravan PH-SWP into a "Supervan 900" by replacing of the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A turboprop engine by a Honeywell TPE331-12JR turbine
engine. On 8 April 2014, the registration of the PH-JMP in the aviation register was adjusted with the new TPE331-12JR engine. Cessna 208B PH-SWP with call sign:
SWooP! is one of the aircraft of the skydivers of Nationaal Paracentrum Teuge.
On 11 July 2011, when seen at Teuge airfield, Cessna 208B Gran Caravan PH-SWP had
the text Nationaal Paracentrum Teuge on the tail; SKYDIVE TEUGE titles on the hull in front of the door and twice TOMMY HILFINGER titles on the hull. |
