NutLoose. Do you know I've been hearing that the Twin Otter has been going back into production for the past 30 years??? Are new PT6A-27/-28 or -34 engines still available?
And if ever it did happen what do you think the price tag would be - maybe US$3.8 million plus? I can't see any Aussie operators forking out that much for an aircraft that in general, has very limited use and is not required in Australia? If any "new" Twin Otter had the same speed and weights as the "old" Twin Otter, I can't see it being a hot seller into anything but a very specialised market.
How many Aussie operators need to move 18 people over short sectors into short strips, often enough to service a Aus$5 million debt?
The Twin Otter was a great aircraft and a true legend in it's time, but I suspect that time has now come and gone.
Goat My Caravan payload figures may be very conservative. A C208B with the APE 3 kit installed has a max TO weight of 4,109 kg and max landing 4,081 kg. Should give a 1,500 kg payload over 200 nm - but you can do the maths!