Cessna Caravan: The New Executive Transport

Forget the parcel-carrying and backwoods commuter background of the Cessna 208 turboprop; today's smart executive owner is riding aboard his Caravan. John Doman, Cessna vp worldwide propeller sales, notes that the company has experienced an increase in Caravan sales in the personal and corporate marketplace. To date, over 70% of 2002 retail sales are to operators using their Caravans for personal or corporate travel.

"Because of the Caravan's reliability, safety record and payload capabilities, it has always appealed to operators needing to carry a large amount of cargo," said Doman. "This is due partly to customers becoming aware of the flexibility of the Caravan with customized corporate features on an aircraft that is renowned for its low operating costs."

Cessna will celebrate the rollout of the 1,000th Caravan 208B in the fourth quarter of this year, bringing the entire Caravan fleet to over 1,300 since the first was delivered in 1985. Caravans have flown more than 6.1 million hours.

By Paul Jackson