The
Cessna 205,
206, and
207, known variously as
the
Super Skywagon,
Skywagon,
Stationair, and
Super Skylane are
a family of single engine, general aviation aircraft with fixed
landing gear used in commercial air service and also for personal
use. The family was originally developed from the popular
retractable-gear
Cessna 210.
The line's combination of a powerful engine, rugged construction
and a large cabin has made these aircraft popular
bush planes. Cessna describes the 206 as "the
sport-utility vehicle of the air." These airplanes are also used
for aerial photography, skydiving and other utility purposes. They
can also be equipped with floats, amphibious floats and skis.
Alternatively, they can be fitted with luxury appointments for use
as a personal air transport.
Between the start of production in 1962 and 2006 the total Cessna
205, 206 and 207 production has been 8509 aircraft so far.
Development
A Cessna 205, showing its distinctive
cowling
Cessna 205
Cessna 205A
2005 model Cessna T206H Stationair,
showing its large "clamshell" cargo doors
2001 Cessna T206H amphibian instrument
panel
2001 model Cessna T206H Stationair on
amphibious floats
Cessna 205
The Cessna 205 was introduced late in 1962 as a 1963
model year. The six-seat aircraft was essentially
a Cessna 210 with fixed landing gear and with changes to the crew
and passenger door arrangement. The 205 retained the early 210’s
engine cowling bulge, originally where the 210 stowed its nosewheel
on retraction (the space where the nosewheel would have retracted
was used for radio equipment in the 205). This distinctive cowling
was made more streamlined on the later Cessna 206.
The 205 is powered by a
Continental
IO-470-S engine producing .
The 205 was officially designated by Cessna as a "Model
210-5"
The 205 was only produced in two model years - 1963 and 1964 before
being replaced in production by the Cessna 206. A total of 576
Cessna 205s were produced.
Cessna 206
The six-seat Model 206 was introduced as a 1964 model and was built
until 1986, when Cessna halted production of its single-engine
product. It was then re-introduced in 1998 and remains in
production in 2008.
There were many sub-variants, including the U206, P206 all
certified to CAR3 standards and later 206H certified to
FAR Part 23.
The total Model 206 production between 1964 and 2004 was 6581
aircraft.
Cessna U206
The original 1964 model was the U206, powered by a
Continental IO-520-A. The “U” designation
indicated “utility” and this model was equipped with a pilot side
door and large clamshell rear door serving the back two rows of
seats, allowing easy loading of over-sized cargo.
There was a TU206 turbocharged version powered by the
Continental TSIO-520-C engine producing .
After 1967 the turbo TU206 was powered by a TSIO-520-F of (the
extra were obtained by turning the engine at a higher rpm, and was
only allowed for five minutes. Due to the large propeller diameter,
the additional engine speed meant that the propeller tips were
pushed to transonic speeds, which required much more power. Thus
the extra did not produce much performance improvement but did
produce an unpleasant noise).
From 1964 to 1969 the U206 was known as the “Super Skywagon”. From
1970 it was named the “Stationair”, a contraction of “Station Wagon
of the Air”, which is a good description of the aircraft's intended
role. Sub-variants were designated U206 to U206G.
In 1977 the U206 had its engine upgraded to a Continental IO-520-F
of (continuous rating, obtained at a lower speed than the previous
IO-520-F) and the TU206 powerplant was changed to the TSIO-520-M
producing .
Production of all versions of the U206 was halted in 1986 when
Cessna stopped manufacturing all piston engine aircraft. A total of
5208 U206s had been produced.
Cessna P206
1965 saw the P206 added to the line. In this case the “P” stood for
“people”, as the P206 had passenger doors similar to the Cessna
210, from which it was derived, on both sides.
The P206 was produced from 1965 to 1970 and was powered by a
Continental IO-520-A of . There was a turbocharged model designated
TP206 which was powered by a Continental TSIO-520-A also of .
647 P206s were produced under the name “Super Skylane” which made
it sound like a version of the
Cessna
182, which it was not. Sub-variants were designated P206 to
P206E.
Cessna 206H
After a production hiatus of twelve years, Cessna started
manufacturing a new version of the venerable 206 in 1998, with the
introduction of the newly certified 206H. The “H” model is
generally similar to the previous U206 configuration, with a pilot
entry door and a rear double clamshell door for access to the
middle and back seats. The "H" is marketed under the name
"Stationair".
The 206H is powered by a
Lycoming
IO-540-AC1A powerplant producing . The turbocharged T206H is
powered by a
Lycoming TSIO-540-AJ1A
engine of .
Even
though the Cessna 206H is certified as a six seat aircraft in its
country of origin, the Canadian aviation regulator, Transport Canada has only certified it to
carry five people in Canada
. This
is due to concerns about passenger egress through the rear
clamshell door with the flaps extended. Cessna addressed one part
of this problem early on, after a flight-test aircraft was damaged
when the pilot extended the flaps while taxiing, and his passenger
had the clamshell door open (for ventilation; it was a hot summer
day). A switch was added to the flap actuation circuit which
disabled the flaps when the doors were open. The other part of the
problem is that if the flaps are already down, the passenger must
perform the complicated procedure of opening the front part as far
as possible (about ) then open the rear door and restow the rear
door handle. This then gives enough clearance to open the rear part
of the door.
Both the 206H and the T206H remain in production in 2008. By the
end of 2004 Cessna had produced 221 206Hs and 505 T206Hs, for a
total production of 726 "H" models.
Cessna has indicated that they do not intend to produce a
P206-configuration aircraft in the future, due to lack of market
demand.
Cessna 207
The Model 207 was a seven and later eight seat development of the
206, achieved by stretching the design further to allow space for
more seats. The nose section was extended 18" by adding a
constant-section nose baggage compartment between the passenger
compartment and the engine firewall; the aft section was extended
by 44" by inserting a constant-area section in the fuselage area
just aft of the aft wing attach point. Thus the propeller's ground
clearance was unaffected by the change (the nosewheel had moved
forward the same distance as the propeller), but the tail moved aft
relative to the mainwheel position, which made landing (without
striking the tailskid on the runway) a greater challenge. The move
gave that airplane a larger turning radius, since the distance
between mainwheels and nosewheel increased by but the nosewheel's
maximum allowed deflection was not increased.
The 207 was introduced as a 1969 model featuring a Continental
IO-520-F engine of . A turbocharged version was equipped with a
TSIO-520-G of the same output.
At the beginning of production the model was called a Cessna 207
“Skywagon”, but in 1977 the name was changed to “Stationair 7”.
1977 also saw a change in engine on the turbocharged version to a
Continental TSIO-520-M producing – the same engine used in the
TU206 of the same vintage.
The 207 added a seat in 1980 and was then known as the “Stationair
8”. Production of the 207 was completed in 1984, just two years
before U206 production halted. A total of 626 Cessna 207s were
manufactured.
The Cessna Model 207 has been popular with air taxi companies,
particularly on short runs where its full seating capacity could be
used. Very few of these aircraft have seen private use.
Modifications
In April 2007
Thielert announced that the
European Aviation Safety
Agency had granted a
Supplemental Type Certificate
(STC) for conversion of Cessna 206s to the Thielert V-8 diesel
powerplant. The STC allows conversion of the following models:
U206F and TU206F with the powerplant, and the U206G, TU206G, 206H
and T206H with the version. This modification does not require any
changes to the engine cowling. In May 2008, Thielert entered
insolvency proceedings, so the future availability of this diesel
conversion is uncertain.
Soloy Aviation Solutions offers a
turboprop conversion for all 205/206/207 models
based on the Allison C20S engine. However, extensive engine cowl
modifications are required.
Atlantic Aero offers an FAA
STC conversion to the
Continental IO-550 powerplant. No cowl
modifications are required.
Both Kenmore Air (
Edo floats) and Wipaire
(Wipline floats) offer seaplane conversions.
Aircraft Type Club
The Cessna 205, 206 and 207 family of aircraft along with the other
Cessna single and twin-engined aircraft are supported by an active
aircraft type club, The Cessna
Pilots Association.
Operators
Military Operators
- United States
Civil operators
- New
Zealand
- Palau
- United States
Accidents
On 4 December 1971.
Eastern Airlines Flight 898 a Douglas DC-9-31 collided with a
Cessna 206 N2110F while landing at Raleigh-Durham
International Airport
. The Cessna crashed, killing 2 people on the
plane, but the DC-9 landed safely.
Specifications (206H Stationair)
See also
References
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