Red Lake, Ont. Canada, 15.06.2005
'Caravan test', a report from the Red Lake Bush Flying Trade Show.
Checking out the Caravan and it's possible replacements.
So, what are we looking at?
I have selected the following aircraft for this comparison: The Cessna Caravan Amphibian, the 850LLC Caravan conversion, the Vulcanair VF600w and the Quest Kodiak.
>>Disclaimer: this test is not based on real aircraft, but on simulator models for X-Plane.
As such, the results of the testflights and the expressed comments are not applicable to the real aircraft and should not be taken as serious reference or guidance for anything related to the real aircraft and manufacturers.
And to test them in more or less the same conditions I found me a charter taking 40 pax up to the Roderick Lake resort for a company's party and team building session.
I tried to fly with each plane the same route and profile:
Carrying 10 pax and bagage (around 2300 lbs. pilot included) with as much fuel as I could take, up to mtow. Took off from CYRL 08 (4-16 kts wind @ 110º) and turned around on a ±320º course for a direct flying to Roderick, passing over Kittyhawk lake. Just past the resort turn around for a 110º approach and set down on the lake near the location. Taxi back to the dock, disembark the passengers and get ready for a take off with 700 lbs. payload (cargo and pilot). Then fly a straight back to Red Lake for a landing on 08.
Take off and climb at full power or max. ±160 kts; at 4000 ft msl level out and settle to cruise -that is 200 rpm below max. prop rpm and throttle back to keep at ± 160 kts ias
First of all; the three replacements felt to me as quicker on the take off and climb than the standard Caravan; I had to throttle back before reaching 4000 ft.
I managed to keep the cruise speed quite close to each other: the Caravan at 163 kts, the VF600w and Kodiak at about 162 kts and the 850LLC at 167 kts. Of course the throttle settings where quite different for each plane; as compared to the Caravan, the Kodiak needed more throttle (cruising at 160 kts is for this plane some 10 kts above vmo, I just thought it wouldn't hurt in this calm weather :-)) the 850LLC and VF600w needed less throttle with their bigger engines.
According to XP, before take off, the 10 pax load and fuel up to mtow would have given me an autonomy of 3.1 hrs on the Caravan, only 2.1 hrs on the 850LLC and 5.2 hrs on the Kodiak. For the VF600w it was a different story, I flew her under the mtow; with the tanks completely filled (2300 lbs.) I could still have taken another 3 pax ...
But then again, XP is most probably doing his calculation based on the sfc at full power, where all four planes were flown at a lower power setting for cruising and specially the 850 LLC and VF600w, trying to match the 160 kts cruise.
In fact the fuel comsumption for the round trip is very similar for all planes: 144 lbs for the Caravan, 154 lbs for the 850LLC, 153 lbs for the Kodiak and ... 138 lbs for the VF600w.
From a financial point of view, the cheapest purchase would be the 850LLC, but then that's not a 'factory new' aircraft: you need a used Caravan (if you don't have one already) ad -say- ±675.000 $ and the conversion done at min. 195.000 $. A new Caravan Amphibian comes in at ±1.800.000 $. Once they're certified and for sale, the Kodiak's price is targeted to stay below the 1.000.000 $ mark and the VF600w would probably go for ±1.200.000 $
First flight was for the Caravan Amphibian, to set the markers for the test.
Had to fly her out from Chimo's - CKS4 to CYRL first ...
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
CYRL - CYRL >Flightno.1043
Second flight was for the 850LLC; you may call that 'same plane with a different engine'
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
Take off CYPL 27 | Leaving CYPL | Enroute, weather change
CYRL - CYRL >Flightno.1044
Third in the row: the italian counterpart, Vulcanair VF600w.
This would be my choice; the numbers I've seen on her are more appealing ...
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
Leaving CYRL | Enroute to Roderick
At Roderick Lake | Back to CYRL
CYXL - CYMY >Flightno.1045
Last but not least, a slightly smaller version; the Quest Kodiak.
(click on the snapshots to enlarge)
CYMY - CYRL >Flightno.1046
Cheers,
Brick
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