The 3,000th Cessna Caravan Delivered!

WICHITA, Kan. (January 13, 2023) – Textron Aviation today announced it has delivered a Cessna Grand Caravan EX to Brazilian aviation company Azul Conecta, a subsidiary of Azul Airlines based at the airport of Jundiai in São Paulo. This aircraft represents the 3,000th Cessna Caravan family turboprop delivered worldwide, reinforcing the Caravan as the most popular utility turboprop in the world. Azul Conecta transports travelers from smaller cities and remote locations throughout Brazil.

Textron Aviation delivers 3,000th Cessna Caravan family aircraft

The Cessna Caravan and Cessna Grand Caravan EX are designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.

Textron Aviation employees and representatives from Azul Conecta celebrated this significant milestone with a special delivery ceremony at Textron Aviation’s location in Independence, Kansas.

“The Cessna Caravan’s versatility and reliability have made it the most popular aircraft in the utility turboprop category, with now 3,000 delivered globally,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of Sales and Flight Operations at Textron Aviation. “I’m thankful to customers like Azul Conecta who continuously rely on the Caravan family of aircraft to fulfill their missions, deliver solutions and improve lives around the world.”

Conceived as a rugged utility aircraft with low operating costs, the Caravan was designed for use in remote areas with extreme weather changes, mountainous terrain and rough landing conditions. The aircraft’s versatility became renowned in all corners of the world, and the Caravan continues to see wide use in global markets by a variety of customers, including government agencies, law enforcement and militaries, air ambulance operators, freight haulers, corporations and humanitarian organizations.

“This Grand Caravan EX will proudly fly the Brazilian skies and connect our 158 destinations, many of which are made possible by the aircraft’s utility and flexibility,” said Flavio Costa, chief technical officer of Azul and president of Azul Conecta. “As a longtime Textron Aviation customer with a fleet of over 25 Cessna aircraft, we are happy to be a part of this important milestone.”

Customers can choose between four models of the Cessna Caravan aircraft to best fit their mission: the Caravan 208, the Grand Caravan EX 208B, the Caravan Amphibian and the Grand Caravan EX Amphibian.

Cessna Caravan program milestones

• 1981    Cessna launched the Caravan program

• 1982    First flight of Caravan 208 prototype

• 1984    Caravan 208 received FAA type certification

• 1985    Cessna began deliveries of the Caravan 208

• 1985    Caravan 208 approved for amphibious floats

• 1986    Caravan 208B Super Cargomaster, stretched by four feet in a freight specific configuration, received FAA type certification

• 1990    First production Grand Caravan 208B delivered

• 1998    Delivery of 1,000th production Caravan 208

• 1998    Cessna began deliveries of the new standard Caravan 208, a Caravan 208 that features a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A engine rated at 675 shaft horsepower

• 2002    Delivery of 1,000th Grand Caravan 208B

• 2005    Delivery of 1,500th production Cessna 208

• 2008    Garmin G1000 becomes standard avionics equipment

• 2008    TKS ice protection offered
• 2010    2,000th Caravan delivered to DHL partner Air St. Kitts-Nevis

• 2013    Cessna began deliveries of Grand Caravan EX 208B, featuring a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine rated at 867 shaft horsepower

• 2017   G1000 NXi becomes standard on Caravan and Grand Caravan EX 

• 2022    3,000th Caravan, a Grand Caravan EX, delivered to Azul Conecta

 

•  JPG

Textron Aviation employees at the Independence, Kansas, facility, celebrate the 3,000th Cessna Caravan.

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Azul Conecta takes delivery of the 3,000th Cessna Caravan.

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Caravan Sales on Caravan Nation

We have multiple clients looking to buy and/or lease Caravans. To have your Caravan listed for sale on the new Caravan Nation Sales page please contact Chris Rosenfelt.

Email: chris@CaravanNation.com


Site: https://caravannation.com/sales.htm



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Review - Procedures for Exiting Severe Icing

Procedures for Exiting Severe Icing

Here in the Northern Hemisphere ground temperatures have dropped below freezing over much of the population. So we thought that now would be a good time for us Caravan Pilots to review Emergency Procedures in the icing environment.

Please remember that these Emergency Procedures found below are for the Cessna Model 208B (675 SHP) and no others. If you are flying a different model Caravan, please review your aircraft's FAA approved Abbreviated Checklist or Airplane Flight Manual for that specific model.

As stated in the Pilots' Abbreviated Checklist published by Cessna:  

Procedures for Exiting the Severe Icing Environment (As required by AD 96-09-15) 

1. Immediately request priority handling from Air Traffic Control to facilitate a route or an altitude change to exit the severe icing conditions in order to avoid extended exposure to flight conditions more severe than those for which the airplane has been certificated.

2. Avoid abrupt and excessive maneuvering that may exacerbate control difficulties.

3. Do not engage the autopilot.

4. If the autopilot is engaged, hold the control wheel firmly and disengage the autopilot.

5. If an unusual roll response or uncommanded roll control movement is observed, reduce the angle of attack.

6. If the flaps are extended, do not retract them until the airframe is clear of ice.

7. Report these weather conditions to Air Traffic Control.

If you are a Caravan pilot, I highly recommend that you complete some of Cessna's E-Learning courses on this topic. Courses such as "Caravan Cold Weather Ops" and "Caravan Vodcast Ground Icing Conditions". There are many other interesting courses available, most of which are free and are all available at cessnaelearning.com.

Fellow Caravan Pilots, please remember to Review Often and Fly Safe so that you can continue to Love What You Do!

- CaravanNation.com

Caravan Flights Into Icing

Caravan Flights Into Icing

by Mari Peterson

As pilots we are trained to exit icing conditions when they present themselves, and as pilots we know that icing conditions are ever-changing. Sometimes the conditions can be exactly right for ice, and you get nothing. Sometimes the opposite. 

The de-ice boots on the Caravan provide some protection for removing ice, but just because an aircraft is approved for flight into icing conditions doesn't mean that you should remain in that environment and continue to accumulate more.

Ice alters the airfoil surface, making us test pilots for a new type of wing shape - therefore the boots are really a tool for exiting an icing situation. The nice part about the Northwest is that the conditions usually change within a few minutes and the situation resolves itself and the short hops between Seattle and the islands sure help too.

Be sure to treat every icing scenario as it's own independent event and to know your indicators and actions: loss of airspeed, autopilot checks etc. Most importantly, have fun and fly safe out there!

This article was written by Mari Peterson. Follow her on Instagram! instagram.com/justplanemari

If you would like to submit an article please email us info@CaravanNation.com

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Featured Caravan Operator - Catalina Flying Boats

On a recent trip to Southern California we visited Catalina Island. While up at the infamous "Airport in the Sky", we had the pleasure of seeing a Caravan (Super Cargomaster) off loading and loading cargo. It belongs to a company called Catalina Flying Boats.

The company flies cargo back and forth between Catalina Island and the Southern California mainland, mostly to Long Beach Airport (LGB) in their Super Cargomaster and DC3 (C47).

I personally remember being a young student pilot at Long Beach Airport, admiring and desperately wanting to fly the DC3 and Caravan owned by Catalina Flying Boats. These aircraft still inspire me after more than 25 years.

N403JB Photo by Greg Bishop

Well, as you obviously know, I have definitely logged some time in Caravans. The DC3 on the other hand, they are a lot harder to find and it's even harder to find an owner or pilot that will let anyone "take her around the patch" a couple times. Oh well, we can dream! 

If you have any experiences or photos of these beautiful birds feel free to share!

CaravanNation.com

Flying Caravans in Papua.... no room for error!

By Thomas Thrap 

This aircraft landed 3 minutes after me and as you can see, it wasn't able to stop in time, so it went off the end of the runway. The engine in the aircraft is brand new, it was literally on a couple of hours old, as this was it's first day.

The approach looked all good and the landing was fine too, but we were told by the captain that the reverse didn't work as they tried to slow down on the runway. We had figured, as we had heard no reverse as they came up the slightly sloped runway.

At the end of the day, both crew members walked away from it unharmed, which is the most important thing.

It is certainly a reminder and a wake-up call to us pilots here. Flying in Papua can be dangerous, so caution and care must be taken at all times. This could happen to anyone of us if we're not careful.

Out of interest, this is the 5th airframe that has run off the runway in Ilaga Papua in the past 5 months!

CaravanNation.com

Featured Caravan Pilot: Marjorie of Sansa Airlines

Meet our Featured Caravan pilot Marjorie with Sansa Airlines. Founded in 1978 and based in San Jose Costa Rica, Sansa flies to 14 destinations with 8 Caravans, including the EX model.

Marjorie is an inspirational pilot! Below you will find her answers to some questions that we asked her. We know that she will inspire some current and future pilots!

Name: Marjorie
Age: 29 years old
From: Costa Rica 

Total Time: 1200 hours 

Company: Sansa Airlines 

Location: San Jose, Costa Rica

Years flying Caravans: 1 year

What do you like most about flying the Caravan? 

For me it is one of the most fascinating airplanes. The Caravan lets you fly at high speeds when you need to do a high speed approach for example and in just a few seconds slow to landing speed on short final. It is a really maneuverable and versatile airplane to fly. Also, flying glass cockpit with the Garmin 1000 is a plus that does this airplane outstanding! In Costa Rica, we fly the Caravan from the main airports through short runways, ballast airfields, and a lot of destinations all over the country. We carry 12 passengers on each flight sharing in the cockpit between a Captain and First Officer.

What are your career goals?

The first one is done, flying a Cessna Caravan was my dream before I got my Pilot license. My next goals.. Well, new opportunities to fly Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 are coming, but before I take that step in my career I would love to fly this airplane as a Captain.

What is your advice for younger pilots?

Never forget your dreams! If you see yourself as a pilot you can do it. I know it is an expensive career but it's not impossible to achieve it. I started as an Airport Agent at the counter checking-in the passengers on the flights. After that I became a Flight Attendant and did that for almost 5 years. Then I started my flying lessons, and after a couple of years I became the first Pilot in my family. Now I feel like the happiest person doing what I do and seeing the most amazing sunrises, sunsets and landscapes while I work. So your hard work will be worth it!

For more information about Sansa Airlines visit their site flysansa.com

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Mokulele Airlines now offering flights in California

Starting last month, Mokulele Airlines is now offering flights in Southern California.

“We hope residents will take advantage of the introductory fare to experience Mokulele,” said Mokulele’s President Rob McKinney. “What we’re bringing to California is exactly what made Mokulele Airlines Hawai‘i’s favorite Island Hopper – highly competitive prices, convenient schedules, great service, and on-time flights.”

Mokulele has two nine-passenger Cessna Grand Caravans in California. Mokulele will offer 3-4 daily flights between Imperial / El Centro and Los Angeles. Although a single pilot can fly the Caravan, Mokulele operates all flights with two pilots for additional safety. “Safety has always been our top priority. Like everything we do at Mokulele, going above and beyond for our passengers is just how we operate,” said McKinney.

Flights will operate out of Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport, offering convenient connections to partner Alaska Airlines, with American, Delta, and United within easy reach.  Customers with only carry-on bags (up to 40 lbs.) can connect to all Terminal 5 and 6 flights without leaving security.

The introductory offer is valid for new bookings purchased by June 15th and for travel through September 24th. The $30 fare includes all taxes, fees and requires roundtrip travel.  Fare is nonrefundable and voluntary changes are subject to a change fee.  Baggage & other service fees are in addition to the fare. First bag free promotion is valid for California and Baja California residents only. Book your hop at Mokulele.com or call 1-866-260-7070.

Mokulele Airlines 

The family-owned and operated airline has quadrupled its number of flights since 2011 when CEO Ron Hansen purchased the company from Mesa Airlines. Mokulele is based in Kona, Hawai‘i and employs nearly 250 employees. Mokulele operates 16 late-model Cessna Grand Caravans and provides over 150 daily flights between nine airports on O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i in addition to daily service between Imperial / El Centro and Los Angeles. To book your flight visit https://www.mokuleleairlines.com/

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Gallery - Skydive Jurien Bay Caravan over Western Australia

Caravan over Western Australia. #caravanpilot #aviation #avgeek #cessnacaravan #jumpplane #skydiverdriver #instaplane #gopro #wingcam #wingmount #amazing #islandlife #pt6nation #ocean #australia Photo by @l.sax

A photo posted by Chris (@caravanpilot) on Jan 24, 2016 at 10:31pm PST