Cessna 208 Caravan vs Daher Kodiak 100
Head-to-head — specs, at a glance.
iCessna 208 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 turbine hauler; 3,000+ airframes, 24M+ fleet hours
- +Excellent parts availability and P&WC engine support ecosystem
- +High useful load (~3,000 lb with pod); operates from 2,500-foot strips
- !Unpressurized cabin limits practical altitude and adds crew fatigue on long legs
- !High operating cost ($600–$900/hr); fuel burn 48–56 GPH at $6/gal
- !Notoriously draggy in ice; two-minute altitude losses reported despite FIKI certification
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.
- +Class-leading STOL performance (sub-1000 ft ground roll at gross weight)
- +Robust PT6A-34 turbine reliability with universal maintenance network
- +3,500 lb useful load and flat-floor cargo door for mission flexibility
- !No pressurization limits cross-country comfort and speed versus PC-12/TBM competitors
- !High operating cost (~$150k–$220k annually at 200 hr/yr) favors mission/commercial use over personal flying
- !Specialized maintenance ecosystem concentrated in Pacific Northwest and Alaska; heavy work requires ferry outside those hubs
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