Country of origin:

United States of America / France

Description:

Light utility transport

Power Plant:

Two 373 kw (500 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-112 turboprops

Specifications:

History:

The Model F406 Caravan II was developed as a joint venture between Cessna and its French associate, Reims Aviation, for the utility market. Reims has built over 6,000 Cessna-designed aircraft over the years and it was initially a joint concern but in 1989 Cessna sold its interest to the French concern. Although known as the Caravan II, this aircraft bore no resemblance to the Model 208 Caravan I.

The Model F406 was a twin-engine aircraft relying heavily on the Cessna 404 Titan, using the nose of the Cessna 441 Conquest I and the empennage of the Conquest II, the tailplane being given dihedral and mounted on the fin. The wings of the Conquest II were fitted with re-designed nacelles accommodating Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprops. Into the 1990s the Caravan  II was the only Cessna-designed aircraft Reims in France had in production, a variant being the Reims-Cessna F406 Vigilant produced for fisheries protection duties and customs duties fitted with Ferranti Seaspray radar.

Parts common with other Cessna designs were constructed at the Cessna facility in Wichita, Kansas and then shipped to France for final assembly at the Reims plant.

The prototype was flown for the first time in 1983, certification being received in the following year. Production slowed during the late 1980s due to American product liability laws but continued slowly. In later years the Caravan II became available in passenger, freighter combi and special missions variants; and a new lighter variant using composites for some parts was made available fitted with 474 kw (635 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-135 engines and four-blade propellers.

Production continued at the Reims plant in France at a rate of eight aircraft per annum for some years. Two examples were supplied to the French Army for target-towing operations, and these could also be used for freight and passenger services.

First of the type in this region was F-ODYZ which passed through Cairns, QLD on its way to New Caledonia. In September 1995 three examples were imported by Surveillance Australia for coastal surveillance work. The first (c/n F406-0078) became VH-BPH but the registration was changed almost immediately to VH-ZZF, later in 2007 becoming VH-YZF. The other two (c/ns F406-0076 and F406-0079) became VH-ZZE and VH-ZZG respectively, the latter in 2007 becoming VH-YZG. In December 1997 a further two examples were imported for AJC Bankstown, becoming VH-RCA (c/n F4-06-0050) and VH-RCB (c/n F406-0033).

Further examples have been imported to both Australia and New Zealand, the New Zealand aircraft becoming ZK-CII (c/n F406-0012) and ZK-VAF (c/n F406-0057) with Vincent Aviation at Wellington. One of these (c/n 406-0012) was exported to Australia in late 2011 where it became VH-LAA (ex ZK-CEC, ZK-XLC, ZK-VAA, ZK-CII, 5Y-WAW, PH-ALE, OO-TIZ, F-WZDU) with Bayswater Road, this company importing another example TF-ORD (c/n 406-0047 –ex D-IAAD) in January 2012. This aircraft later operated on survey work with AAMair.

In 2014 Continental Motors, an aircraft engine company, which was bought by a Chinese Holding Company, purchased the assets and Type Certificate for the F406 series from the defunct Reims Aviation and this new company announced it was going to team up with an existing airframe manufacturer and build the F406, replacing the Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprops with Continental’s own 261 kw (350 hp) diesel engines which had been developed by SMA. The last F406 fitted with turboprops was G-UKAL (c/n 98) was delivered in November 2013.

Further Australian examples have included: VH-YZE (c/n F406-0076 – ex VH-ZZE, F-WZDX), VH-YZF (c/n F406-0078 – ex VH-ZZE, VH-BPH, F-WZDY) and VH-YZG (c/n F406-0079 – ex VH-ZZG, F-WZDZ), which had their ownership changed on 16 May 2016 to Skyexec Aviation of Manly, NSW, VH-YZE at the time being retired and exported to the United States to be broken up for spares.