When its 60 below in Antarctica and some critically ill scientist needs to be evacuated, this is the airplane they send. I like the SkyCourier. The SkyCourier made its first public appearance at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in 2021. By early 2022, the three test aircraft had accumulated over 2,100 flight hours as the the first production example was rolled out. Cessna was aiming for certification in the first half of the year before first delivery later in 2022. PT-6 powered plans are very quiet. As far as passenger service, other than possibly Alaska or Hawaii, I just dont see any market for 19 passenger non-pressurized airliner in the lower 48. The more the industry drags out phasing out 100LL, the more susceptible it is to looking unconcerned about public health risks. I'm impressed. I wish others in the aviation industry could respect that for what it really is. The Janitor - An Interview with Tom Allensworth, Interview with Joshua Howard Re MS FLIGHT - March 2012, Interview with LMOC Re P3D - September 2012, The AVSIM Hack - First Published in May, 2009, The AVSIM Hack - The Full Story - Published April 2013. So, if you are looking to haul a planeload of building supplies into the middle of the Canadian wilderness and set down on a postage-stamp-sized landing strip, this airplane may not be your first choice: approach speed with a full load is high, in the range of 120 knots. Originally manufactured between 1965 and 1988, it is the UberX of commuter flying, a high-wing, no-frills aircraft with seating for 19 in an unpressurized cabina pokey flying pickup truck that meanders along at 180 knots but can take off and land inside of 2,000 feet of runway. Beautiful shots taken while the sun is below the horizon, Accidents Certainly the Twin Otter was a revolution in such service, with engine redundancy and turbine reliability. With the growth in small- and mid-sized cargo markets, a LOT more places can get overnight shipping service. The leader in pilot training and recreation aircraft, Cessnas line of single-engine piston aircraft is unparalleled. In the depths of the 2008 downturnI think it was probably 2009something Jack Pelton, then CEO of Cessna, said at NBAA stuck with me. The same for a Cessna Caravan. The market never really took a sharp upward turn, but a decade later, it has recovered after a fashion. The SkyCourier is a twin-turboprop, high-wing aircraft, available with a 19-passenger accommodation, or in a cargo variant sized for three LD3s. Aircraft flying government officials, Helicopters All three do different things but Amazon must be pushing the size of the Venn intersection. AVSIM Online - Simming's Premier Resource! With a low cost It was projected to be certified by now. Moderators: Sulako, North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Rudder Bug, Post In fact, its so oversubscribed that both UPS and FedEx imposed shipping limits on major retailers throughout 2020 and just ahead of the Christmas holiday. More room, more safety, BRS option perhaps? These types of rugged airplanes do have a niche. months. 2023 Textron Aviation Inc. All rights reserved. Its actually very well sized for real world operations. It's like you're asking how the On Sunday morning, I rode by a line of nine Prime trucks merging onto I-75. I have the Twin Otter on my system. Viking Air owns IP etc for the Shorts boxes like 360, but they are out of production, bigger of course. Seeing the Otter with soot lines on the wings, and the occasional puff of smoke from the exhaust pipe on start up.And of course the jet-a smell.Cessna has competition with the 408. Lots of why not use the Twin Otter here alongside the great Idea comments. WebCessna Caravan vs Cessna SkyCourier vs Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter Beechcraft King Air 360 vs Cessna SkyCourier vs Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter (1080) Gulfstream G700 vs Gulfstream G800 (1559) Trending. I predict that we will see the 408 operating on floats and even skis sooner rather than later. No doubt the Twin Otter was the initial inspiration for Textrons slightly fatter, faster, and more capable twin-turboprop, the $5.5 million Cessna Model 408 SkyCourier, currently wrapping up flight testing and due to be FAA certified shortly. [15] Likewise, the beefy, fixed tricycle landing gear is designed to absorb inelegant landings. Depends on propellers in substantial part? Are COVID Vaccines Injuring Pilots? I have been in air freight since 1968, still am in part of that chain. The cockpit door opened, the first officer leaned back and his eyes suddenly got very large. I think that is awesome for freight. If you ask me, better than all of the above. Seats 19 so likely will fit more skydivers than an Otter. The aircraft has a range of 900 nautical miles, can climb to 25,000 feet with supplemental pilot/passenger oxygen, and has a relatively slow top speed of 200 knots. BOUTIQUE air uses the PC 12 and the 350 https://www.boutiqueair.com/p/our-aircraft The only valid question is: How EXPENSIVE could it be to, Its a mini-360: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Short_360-300,_Nightexpress_AN0386943.jpg. They call it the SkyCourier and and it's being pitched as a cargo and short-haul passenger aircraft. FedEx took delivery of the first production model on May 9, 2022.[5]. Folks, the ecomerce market is likely changed forever and methods of transport will continue to evolve. It will be available in a 19-passenger variant with large cabin windows and separate crew and passenger doors, or in a cargo variant sized for three LD3s and 6,000lb (2,700kg) of payload, featuring a "large cargo door and a flat floor cabin". Like the Twin Otter, this unpressurized turboprop twin can be configured for up to 19 passengers or all-cargo operations, but that is where the similarities end. It was a noisy SOB. Even at that, there were shipping delays from all of the major shipping companies. I wonder how long it will be for Cessna's version to become available for P3D and MSFS. Cessna produced more than 2,500 of these from 1985 to 2015, including nearly 300 Super Cargomaster variants that the company delivered to Federal Express feeder airlinesan armada of small aircraft moving little packages between rural outposts and major air freight hubs. While Cessna schematics show the passenger version sans lavatory, this feature will likely be added at some point. First flight was on 20th of May 1965. For more information, please visit our Privacy Policy. Passengers used these Twin Otter commuter flights to save the horrible experience of surface travel to LAX for their flight out. Other cargo companies that use feeders who fly Caravans are usually low bidder bottom feeders who dont pay that well, using well used airplanes, not multi-million dollar new ones. There are four aircraft that might serve the smallest of markets, both passenger and freight. designed for performance, reliability, low-cost A clean-sheet design that is designated the Model 408, the SkyCourier was announced by the company on Nov. 28, 2017, with FedEx Express serving as the launch customer. The Im sure Im not the only one asking the question. deck with faster, brighter, high definition displays I have worked on an airport while studying, mainly for loading airmail, but also for baggage if need was there. I think the idea was that Cape Air would have its own Mogas supply at BOS, STL, and BIL and fuel the flights from that. by Heliian Thu May 21, 2020 11:02 am, Post A wide variety of specialty and enrichment training is available through our eLearning and LiveLearning courses. Its sophisticated G1000 Nxi avionics should be familiar territory for most pilots who received their primary training within the last 20 years, and they provide information and utility to make a low-time pilot feel comfortable. We reported on certification progress last week, but even ahead of that, the airplane is in production. carry more cargo and execute more operations day after day Amacrick scraped the bottom of the barrel in one area by hiring Intellicom, which is neither it uses moonlighters who have great difficulty getting to offices and mailbox service locations before 5pm. The metal construction and PT-6 engines means it can be serviced anywhere in the world. birdguy, February 6, 2022 in Hangar Chat, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/textron-aviation-rolls-first-production-150000590.html. It was launched on November 28, 2017, with an order for 50 from FedEx Express. [16], By March 2020, initial ground testing was completed, checking the fuel system, engines, avionics interfaces and electrical systems. Those are the bread and butter for the ol twot. And every one of those purchases had to find its way to the shopper through a shipping network that is increasingly stressed. Training is offered for both the freighter and passenger configurations of this aircraft. You bring back memories of my younger years Noel. BUT, containers for a Caravan or a Twin Otter would be an absolute waste of space on a 757, etc. It sacrifices so much to do what it does, it won't stand a chance against this monster. also regarding your mention of cost of AVGAS vs. JET-A. It can get up to 9 pax. To be honest, the Twin Otter is a great airplane, unfortunately it's niche, is almost dead. T-tail which is a little safer at least from an exit perspective. New aircraft sales had taken a nauseating plunge and bizjet inventories were as high as they had been in years. With And it is a very time consuming process as everything is done by hand. The shocks are shot. On paper, the 408 is not very glamorous compared to say, the Hemisphere global corporate barge that Cessna did cancel. Single point refueling, ground service bus, and a flight It's easy! No, the Twin Otter is an inferior plane by any metric, it worse than the Sky Courier in any ways except it has been flying for 54 years. But the engine still runs fine. Certainly seems to be volume in package delivery these days. Now theres a wild card: Amazon. Copyright 2023. WebBetter Aircraft Cessna SkyCourier vs Twin Otter YouTube. turboprop of its class. Cessna 408 SkyCourier Interior As we neared touchdown, it was obvious the runway was not sufficiently plowed and we had to abort and go into a hold out of Lake Erie while we waited for the runway to be plowed. tundra tires? Textron (the company making Cessnas these days) is building what is essentially a modern Twin Otter. Use AvCanada's information at your own risk! Balloons And Runway Calamities: Why Wait To Panic? Fedex has ordered 50 with an option for 50 more. behavior is apparent. The main Textron Aviation unveiled the model in late 2017, and it is significantly larger than the Twin Otter with a wingspan that is nine feet longer and a maximum takeoff weight that is nearly 7,000 pounds heavier, yielding twice the cargo capacity of a Caravan. For some operators it may be a good replacement for the Twin Otter. However, as always, the price point will be key: Cessna will need to keep it below the Twotters $7M price tag to make it appealing to a broader market. The non-pressurized design is built from aluminum and is equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines and fixed landing gear. It is 70 inches (178cm) high, the same for the width. A pair of 1,100-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC engines power the SkyCourier, which featuresa large 87-by-69-inch cargo door that can swallow standard LD3 shipping containers. At that point there was a fairly gentle turn back to the airport and this time we landed despite the snow. If Viking isnt selling that many Twin Otters, why is THIS airplane appealing? Airbus Helicopters H175 vs Leonardo AW139 vs Leonardo AW189 (2085) Doesn't look that sophisticated re avionics. STCs. Founder of AVSIM Online. EAA 1317610 I7-7700K @ 4.5ghz, MSI Z270 Gaming MB, 32gb 3200, Geforce RTX2080 Super O/C, 28" Samsung 4k Monitor, Various SSD, HD, and peripherals. [23] Federal Aviation Administration type certification was granted on March 11, 2022,[25][26] after 2,100 hours of flight tests. I have a great deal of aviation experience in. It is the first production-conforming aircraft and will be used for testing the engines, propellers, environmental controls and the avionics. 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