The Cessna 208 Caravan is a rugged single-engine turboprop used for cargo, commuter flights, skydiving and bush flying. FedEx Feeder contractors fly hundreds of them, so the Caravan is one of the most common turboprops crossing small and mid-size US cities.
Caravan at a glance
- First flight
- 1982
- Length
- 37 ft 7 in (11.5 m); Grand Caravan 41 ft 7 in (12.7 m)
- Wingspan
- 52 ft 1 in (15.9 m)
- Engines
- 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop
- Seats
- Up to 9 passengers in US commuter service (up to 14 in some versions)
- Cruise speed
- ~180 kt (207 mph)
- Service ceiling
- 25,000 ft
- Range
- ~900–1,000 nmi
How to recognize the Caravan
The Caravan looks like a scaled-up Cessna 172 with a jet-age engine up front. It is boxy, high-winged and built for hauling.
- Wing: high-mounted, strut-braced wing with a long, straight shape.
- Engine: a single PT6A turboprop in a long nose, with exhaust stacks on the side and a three- or four-bladed propeller.
- Landing gear: fixed tricycle gear that stays down in flight.
- Cargo pod: most cargo and many passenger Caravans carry a large belly pod under the fuselage.
- Fuselage: square-sided and tall, with large windows on passenger versions and few or none on freighters.
- Floats: amphibious Caravans with big floats are common in Alaska, Florida and the Pacific Northwest.
- Sound: a distinctive turbine whine mixed with propeller buzz, louder than a piston single.
The Pilatus PC-12 is another single turboprop, but it is low-winged, sleeker, has retractable gear and a T-tail. A Cessna 172 has a similar wing and stance but is much smaller with a piston engine.
On the ground, the Caravan sits tall on its fixed gear, with a big cargo door on the left side behind the wing. Its cargo pod often has small doors along the side for loading packages. Float-equipped Caravans have a distinctive tall stance on their floats.
Where and when you'll see it
FedEx Feeder contractors (callsigns vary by operator) fly Caravans, mostly the stretched 208B Grand Caravan, from regional sorting centers to small towns early in the morning and back in the evening. Commuter airlines such as Southern Airways Express and Mokulele Airlines in Hawaii use Caravans for short passenger hops, and skydiving operations rely on them for fast climbs with jumpers. In Alaska, Caravans serve remote villages.
Typical cruise is 5,000 to 12,000 ft on short legs. On ADS-B the type code is C208 for all versions, including the Grand Caravan, with a light or small emitter category. A Caravan circling up to 13,000 ft near a small airport is often a skydiving flight.
Caravans often fly just a few thousand feet above ground, low enough to hear clearly.
Easily confused with
- Pilatus PC-12: The PC-12 has a low wing, a T-tail and retractable gear.
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk: The Cessna 172 is much smaller, with a piston engine and a stubby nose.
- ATR 72-600: The ATR 72 is a much larger twin turboprop airliner with a T-tail.
Quick facts
- FedEx worked with Cessna on the stretched Caravan, and the cargo version became known as the Super Cargomaster.
- More than 2,500 Caravans have been built since production began in the mid-1980s.
- The Caravan can operate from grass and gravel strips and on floats, making it popular for bush flying.
Caravan questions
Why do I see small turboprops in the early morning?
Many are FedEx Feeder Caravans, which shuttle packages from sorting hubs to smaller cities before the business day begins.
Is the Caravan a jet?
No. It has a turbine engine driving a propeller, which makes it a turboprop.
Cities where it's a regular
Las Vegas · Memphis · Anchorage
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for C208 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.