A Grand Design

Flying the Cessna Grand Caravan EX

Performance can mean many things to many aircraft.
Fast, slow, short-field, heavy-lifter. Often an aircraft’s role can be ascertained merely by looking at it. In the most obvious case, a flying boat, more subtly, a freighter. Yet, even when the design suggests the suitability of an aeroplane to a particular task, there can still be much to be discovered when we pause to look a little closer. Such is the Cessna Grand Caravan EX.

A Growing Reputation

The Cessna 208 ‘Caravan’ family first came into being in 1985, seeking to fill the role of a single-engine utility turboprop across a range of operations. Federal Express, or FedEx, then ordered a freight version of the aircraft without cabin windows. Known as the Cargomaster the design was further developed to become the Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster by extending the fuselage by four feet and fitting a substantial cargo pod on its underside. This larger version was then developed for passenger operations and the Grand Caravan came into being in 1990.
The ‘stretched’ Caravan seemed to provide just what operators were looking for and came to dominate that niche of the market. To date, around 500 Caravans have been delivered, while well over 2,000 Grand Caravans have found their way onto flight lines around the world, of which one hundred are on the Australian register. That number includes special mission aircraft in service with the NSW and Queensland police.