I'm going home tonight turning on the pool heater and practicing my belly flops. I'm mentally prepared to do what it takes!!

Sadly your friend was being poorly represented on the insurance end so hopefully that ridiculous price he was paying didn't have a role in him selling the airplane? There is no way even in the hardest market during the last 10-15 years would a Caravan amphib (hull value in the $2m-$3m range) fetch a $98k insurance premium for an owner pilot with good float experience (albeit mostly piston?). That is absolutely crazy........I can't even fathom that or why he was paying that kind of rate.

You need a big hangar door for the caravan. I'm in the process of building a hangar and I want a 208 to be able to fit. Needs to be at least 55 wide to be comfortable. 53' wingspan.

You should buy a run out, beat up old airline caravan, swap a mid-time engine into it, repaint, repanel, re-interior. Bet you could be in that for under $1mm. Also allows you to easily customize the interior to your particular entourage. maybe a 4 place side facing couch with an enntertainment/x-box center across from it!

How about the Pilatus PC6?

Doesn't that do short field better than any of these?

I have flown jumpers in one. It is still available new. PT6 reliability.

Only one problem. Cruise speed is 115 knots and range is not great. But for the right mission, hard to beat.

Maybe go experimental and get a Comp Air?

If Jason's Ugliness-Utility Correlation Theory is correct, those things must be amazing!

2.75 mil loaded with Oasis interior. Insurance is 25k

My father had a Grand Caravan with Oasis interior, we used it for family trips, but it's main purpose was for him to commute to and from work within Florida. He ended buying a Pilatus PC-12, then trying to sell the Caravan, took him over a year to finally find a buyer for the Caravan (market is slow for them right now). Might be good news if you are looking to buy one.

Long story short, according to him the cost of running the Pilatus including maintenance has been nearly identical to the Caravan. It climbs faster so they can get to an altitude where fuel consumption starts to get a little bit better and the block times are shorter in the PC-12 at almost 100 knots faster. His typical mission is 150nm legs at 10,000 - 12,000 feet vs the Caravan they'd never take it much higher than 6,000 - 7,000 feet. FYI for a turbo prop the Caravan is a pig in the climb, I seem to recall it being around 700fpm.

A picture of his old beast

John, great post. Great picture, that's one sexy beast.

A decent (for me) pilatus is costing around the 3MM mark. I can get a very nice Caravan that will accomplish 75% of my needs for a little more than a 3rd of that. Haul my kids, surfboards, bikes, etc.

....and help my team in the landing contest. East Coast Back Country Boys.....we play a little music too

Ha. Where did your hilarity suddenly come from?

Ha. Where did your hilarity suddenly come from?

Depends on the hull value, your experience and the limits carried...but should be between 10k and 20k roughly...on wheels....assuming a 1.5m or so bird.

Depends on the hull value, your experience and the limits carried...but should be between 10k and 20k roughly...on wheels....assuming a 1.5m or so bird.

Michael the seating is one of the components that goes into determining the liability premium. I wouldn't sweat it though as with most policies the bulk of the total premium is in hull insurance - you would likely only see 20-25 percent of the total premium be attributable to the liability carried.

Having lived for many years near where they manufacture the Quest, I have seen that aircraft do some pretty incredible things. Smaller footprint than the C'van, but with gobs of payload (the -34 is such a great turbine).