Single pilot IFR caravan ops

[cortilla]

yay my 50th post. anyways has the caravan been approved for single pilot commercial ops by the JAA or the CAA yet

:} :}

[GARDENER]

Airmed still offering courseson the aforementioned a/c?

[5150]

If you're from Coventry you may have missed that Atlantic operate two 406 Caravans. These are operated single pilot IFR (minimum 700 hrs TT).

Not sure if you're referring to the Single engined Caravan.....if you are, then I don't know! Otherwise, answer is yes.

[cortilla]

They did ages ago, i'm just wondering if what they said was true (single engine caravan single pilot ifr ops) and i really should change my profile, don't actually live in cov.

[Captain Stable]

There has never been a problem with operating Caravans single-pilot for private use or aerial work.

The problem comes with operating public transport.

[PPRuNeUser0215]

Actually like Captain Stable says, it is Public Transport which is the problem but more specifiaclly, IFR Public Transport.
Indeed I believe AirMed operates a G Reg 208 (Grand caravan Single Turbine to clear any doubts) VFR only... A bit sad considering the aircraft's real potential.

But hey, where are all the Type Rating merchant we use to read here, telling us all what a good investment (their words), such endorsment would be ?
All was meant to be approved in Feb (their words again) this year yet, I can remember the same words from 1996/7 when the local dealer started to promote the type to UK operators.
Now of course with a few more potential TRTOs, the word is being spread by others but we are still all waiting.

The real shame though is that, this fantastic safe and efficicent type is still not approved when old tins with leaking puffy engines are.

[Turbine1]

The real problem here has been the authority to approve or lack of approval Single Engle IFR Public Transport in this very reliable and efficient aircraft.

Until they do this thread will run for a while, As Amex has said back in 96/97 when they started to appear in the UK and around Europe the respectable dealers where very optimistic regarding there appending approval.

Unfortunately for me I have stepped away from flying this wonderful aircraft but maybe one day I would have the opportunity in flying it once more, but this time for Public Transport as it was designed for…………
:ok: [B]

[cortilla]

does shifting freight count as public transport? seeing as you're not transporting the public

[Turbine1]

It depends who is the shifter.

What I mean by that is that if it is your fright, as in the companies freight, then it falls under the private Cat, but if some one came to you and wanted to pay you in shifting his fright, then it falls under the Public transport Cat.

A very simple example.

I believe that when the CAA approve the Caravan or any other Turbine Single Engine aircraft it will be Freight first, for a couple of years, as the Americans did 300 years ago.
:ok:

[OzExpat]

I might stand to be corrected on this but I understand that, in Oz, the C208 is approved for IFR commercial ops. The way I heard it, the only real limitation is that the aircraft must, at all times, be within 45 minutes flying time of an aerodrome with an instrument approach procedure.

There could be a bit more to it than that.