CAA Caravan Approval
 

Any news as to the Approval of Caravan for IFR and Night flying?

Basically, does it look like a possiblility in the very near future, or are we shooting blanks in the air?

Any news if anyone has heard anything would be great.

Give me two donkies anyday for IFR and for night flying.

T&G,

Two nice shiny Turbine thingies? Absoultley!

But, if you had the choice of two twenty-year-old suck-squeeze-bang-blowers in an airframe that is going to be VERY unhappy if one quits, maintained by who knows who for who knows how long, or one shiny new PT6, which would you go for?

Its been approved in a lot of other regions for these sort of ops without fail and have done a good job in africa, Oz and other harsh climatic regions - sure it must only be a matter of time for a CAA certification.

It's the JAA that has a current consultation out on this not the CAA

Caravan
 

I remember a danish registered example operating from Barton airfield, Manchester a few years ago, the owner was English I believe and used it on fish/ freight flights in Scotland and Scandinavia.

Seen loads of caravans in all sorts of guises in my travels, loads of potential and such a shame that the small carriers in the UK cant take advantage of the design, surely Fed Ex cant be wrong and I dont hear stories of those falling out of the sky with engine failures !

So for now the only caravans that we wil experience in the UK are the 2 wheeled variety blocking the holiday routes !!

T&G, wot even on a Bandit? A nice shiny Caravan would be just as nice!!;)

Say again s l o w l y,

There is one thing better than 2 engines and that is 3 engines. and yes I'm getting softer in my old age, well not that old.

T&G

So, engines is engines? Two of anything better than one of the most reliable machines ever built? When was the last time you did assy in a heavy piston twin? NOT FUN!

Wizofoz, must have been 3 years or more for a piston twin, but only a few weeks ago on a turbine aircraft.

Man777

It was Martini Airfreight that operated the Caravan on the mail flights out of Manchester. What a disaster that company was, total cowboy outfit. Lovely aircraft though.

But yeah, night flying, 2 donks please!

Cheers

In, say, a BN2, if you lose a donk there is only one direction you are going, especially if heavily laden.

Two donks = twice the chance of one failing.

In a Caravan if you lose a (the) donk, there is only one direction you are going.

Personally, I'd trust a PT6 far sooner than a piston donk. Double the number of piston donks and you double the chance of going down.