The Cessna 408 SkyCourier is an American utility aircraft designed and built by Textron Aviation. It was launched on November 28, 2017 with an order for 50 from FedEx Express. It made its first flight on May 17, 2020, and was type certified on March 11, 2022.

FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

took delivery of the first production model on May 9, 2022. The SkyCourier is a twin- turboprop, high-wing aircraft, available with a 19-passenger accommodation, or in a cargo variant sized for three LD3s. The non- pressurized design is built from aluminum and is equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines and fixed landing gear. The MTOW airplane can cruise up to , with a range of with 19 passengers.

Development

The Model 408 was launched on November 28, 2017 by Textron Aviation, with an introduction planned for 2020. The 408's design was developed to match FedEx Express requirements, like the earlier

Cessna 208 Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA ...

. FedEx Express will be the launch customer, with an order of "50 cargo aircraft and options for 50 more". Its unit cost then was $5.5 million. Initial wind tunnel tests were completed in March 2018. The first flight was originally planned for 2019 and first deliveries anticipated in 2020. The design will be certified to

FAR Part 23 The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs comprise Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). A wide variety o ...

standards. FedEx initially planned to take monthly deliveries over four years starting in 2020, and a similar pace for a second batch, if it agrees to that option. A full-scale

mockup In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''prototype'' if it provides at leas ...

of the 19-passenger cabin was displayed at the October 2018 National Business Aviation Association convention. The mating of the wing and fuselage of the first aircraft was completed in December 2019. By March 2020, initial ground testing was completed, checking the fuel system, engines, avionics interfaces and electrical systems. The first flight was completed on May 17, 2020, operating from Beech Factory Airport for a 2-hour and 15-minute flight. The prototype aircraft, along with five additional flight and ground test articles, will be used for testing leading to certification. The second prototype first flew in August 2020. It is the first production-conforming aircraft and will be used for testing the engines, propellers, environmental controls and the avionics. A third test aircraft first flew in September 2020. In 2021, its equipped price was $6.85M for the freighter and $7.375M for the passenger version. In April 2021 the company anticipated that certification would be completed by year's end and initial deliveries would occur in spring/summer 2022. 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 first production aircraft for FedEx was rolled out on February 3, 2022. Cessna was aiming for certification in the first half of the year before first delivery later in 2022. Federal Aviation Administration type certification was granted on March 11, 2022, after 2,100 hours of flight tests. The first production aircraft was delivered to FedEx Express in May 2022.

Design

The SkyCourier is a twin- turboprop, high-wing, utility aircraft. 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 of payload, featuring a "large cargo door and a flat floor cabin". It will cruise up to , with a maximum range of .

Single-point refueling Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhanc ...

will speed turnarounds. The clean-sheet design should offer better cabin flexibility and payload capability, superior performance and lower operating costs than its competitors. The

airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...

will be built from traditional aluminum materials and will be equipped with proven Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65 engines, fixed landing gear and Garmin G1000 avionics. The non- pressurized cabin will be tall and wide, with a flat floor and a cargo door.

Operators

* FedEx Express - 50 on order, one delivered as of July 2022 *

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- two on order as of December 2022

Specifications

References

External links