Advice on small cargo plane
 

Hi all.
I am looking to buy a cheap small cargo plane for my business in africa. we would be hauling anywhere from 500-1000kg of cargo in styrofoam boxes. I am trying to do reading on what plane is best suited but it seems there is so much to read.

can anyone help me with some advice! price is an issue and I dont have millions to spare so the cheaper the better, but of course I dont want to fall out of the sky. We will be island hopping so I am also considering an amphibious plane but I am not sure of the limitations of landing during rough weather?

Any help is truly appreciated. So far I think an old cesna 206 might be my best option, is this correct?

regards
George

Hi George,, I guess you would need to supply more information before anyone could give you a definitive answer, airfield/ water dimensions, type of cargo,
and distance required. !000 kg is not for a C206,,

Some more info would be good- leg distances, types of airfield (ie sealed or unprepared), runway distances (are they short?), fuel availability and fuel type might be a factor too.

BN2 or C208 are probably good things to start with for consideration.

also fuel availability where you are flying.............. avgas can be hellishly expensive or even non-available in some places

Mahindra(formally Gipps) Airvan(GA8 turbo)...well..won't take 1000kg, 828 max.

Sounds like a job for a Caravan to me.

The PAC 750 XSTOL would be a good choice I think. Good short strip aircraft, designed for use on rough strips. Their website says 5 hours fuel and 2889 lbs (1300 Kg) payload. Utility Aircraft Corporation

Would be hard to beat for what you want.

hmmmm... Geosync: the GA8 would come about as close to lifting a 1000Kg payload as a clapped-out 206 would -not even close.

For that sort of load, A C208 Caravan or BN-2 Islander are pretty well suited. We lift 1300Kg in the Vans here, single pilot on 30-45min legs. 400lb reserve fuel. The Islander will lift a tonne too. As others have suggested though, fuel (avgas) price and availability will be the issue, especially in remote places.

27/09 you damn near owe me a new keyboard! I spluttered by coffee when I saw that ;-) Yup, the P750 will carry 5hrs fuel. And yup, it'll carry 1300Kg. BUT I flat-out guarantee you it will NOT do both at the same time!!! With 1.3 tonnes on board, you might have the ability to carry a return 30min leg fuel, plus minimal reserve (200 litres or 1hr on the -34's That'll have you at MCTOW and Very close to MLW.) PAC are renowned for their fairytale marketing and sales pitches. There is not a single important parameter that they have not grossly inflated in their enthusiasm. If you want to carry 800Kg on a 45min leg, best not be going high. It'll run out of ITT before it runs out of TRQ, then the climb flattens off to curvature-of-the-earth above A070.

Stick with a Van or an Islander. They'll do the job expected. Or reduce your payload expectations to 450-500Kg and an old 206 will meet the bill nicely.

What he said above! For a Sheep Shagger however he sure is harsh on PACs ....:D

Now all he has to do is find a "cheap" Caravan...

There is a cheap PAC750 for sale in Maun...

RadioSaigon Just goes to prove you cannot believe everything a salesman tells you. :ok:

As an alternative to the Cessna Caravan have a look at the Quest Kodiak. A friend looked at this for a floatplane operation and he was impressed with the figures that could be achieved.

Another viable option would be the Beech 99C. It will do 1000KG, PT6's and good prop clearance. The C model has hydraulic gear which is maintenance wise is a better option. Plus 2 generators. Many of the 99C built had a crew door with ladder and high float tires.

Hi All, thank you for your input.
the island I will be flying from has an international airport and the max distance I will be travelling to is approx 200km, so short distances for now.
as for the cargo, i will be transporting live lobsters and crabs from surrounding islands to our small plant. I am considering looking at a plane with floats so we dont need the use of a runway when we are looking for new sources.
cargo space of the boxes would need 3 cubic meters.
Availability of fuel should not be a problem due to the international airport and they service both small and large planes.

as for the planes, I was originally looking at a van but they seem very expensive, well over 1mln usd, and the 206 i could find for a few hundred thousand usd. As I explained price is an issue, i dont have a large amount of money so every cent counts right now. Also I know this is a general question but I assume buying an old cesna is ok depending on its history, from what I can tell they are reliable work horses.
thanks again and I hope this helps a little more.

could you also give some estimated pricing for the planes.

Sorry I forgot to mention, this is the most remote runway we will fly to at the moment.

Runways
Direction 15/33
Length Surface
m 1,630
ft 5,348
Asphalt

sorry, I have been looking at the cs206 and I can get a usefull payload of 500kg. so because the flights are so short, i could potentially do 2 per day.
and looking at the poly box dimensions, I can get approx 400kg or 20 boxes into the cabin, if I remove the back seats.
Looking at prices, I have seen a 206 on floats for 190-260k usd. they are old.

Go for the best..........Pilatus PC6 Porter !!!

Take a look at Beech / Raytheon U-21. It can carry a lot, is durable, spacious and unpressurized.