Cessna 208B Grand Caravan vs Daher Kodiak 100
Head-to-head — specs, at a glance.
iCessna 208B Grand Caravan
The Cessna 208 Caravan is the definitive utility turboprop single. First flown December 9, 1982 and FAA-certified October 1984, it was conceived by Cessna Pawnee chief engineer John Berwick as a large-payload, single-engine high-wing hauler. FedEx was the launch customer for the windowless Cargomaster freighter, and the subsequent 4-foot-longer 208B Super Cargomaster (1986) became the basis for the 208B Grand Caravan passenger model (1990). By 2022 over 3,000 Caravans had been delivered and the fleet had logged more than 24 million flight hours.
- +Proven single-engine turboprop with 24+ million fleet hours and 3,000+ aircraft delivered
- +Excellent parts availability and P&WC engine support — best in turboprop aviation
- +Huge payload and cargo flexibility — cargo door, flat floor, belly pod, single-pilot turbine operation
- !Unpressurized cabin limits practical altitude and cross-country speed versus pressurized competitors
- !High direct operating costs make private weekend flying uneconomical
- !Engine overhaul and hot-section maintenance are expensive; hot-section history critical on salt-water aircraft
Daher Kodiak 100
The Kodiak 100 is a purpose-built STOL utility turboprop designed from a clean sheet to replace aging de Havilland Beavers and Cessna Caravans in demanding bush and mission operations. Tom Hamilton (founder of Stoddard-Hamilton/Glasair) and David Voetmann launched the project under Idaho Air Group in 1999, forming Quest Aircraft Company in 2001. The Kodiak first flew in October 2004 and earned FAA Part 23 certification in May 2007, with the first delivery to Spirit Air in January 2008. Setouchi Holdings bought Quest in 2015, and French aerospace group Daher acquired the program in October 2019, folding it alongside the TBM line as Daher's second turboprop product family.
- +Best-in-class STOL performance: 934 ft takeoff, 765 ft landing at gross weight
- +Proven PT6A-34 engine with universal support network and condition-based TBO extensions
- +Flat-floor cargo cabin: 3,123 lb useful load, 53×49 inch door, flexible 10-seat or all-cargo configuration
- !Acquisition cost (~$2.8M new) and operating budget ($150k–$220k annually for 200 hr/year) limit owner-flyer market
- !No pressurization; 25,000 ft max altitude and 174 KTAS cruise lag pressurized competitors on cross-country missions
- !Heavy phase inspections and engine work (hot-section $180k–$230k, overhaul ~$319k) require specialized shops; limited mechanic availability outside Pacific Northwest and Alaska
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