You’ve probably seen a dozen Cessna 208 Caravans at your local regional airport. They're everywhere. But if you spot a plane that looks like a Caravan’s leaner, meaner, twin-engine cousin, you’re likely looking at the Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II. It is a weird beast. Most people assume it's just a 208 with an extra engine slapped on. Honestly, that couldn't be further from the truth.
The F406 is actually a hybrid of several Cessna legends. It’s got the unpressurized fuselage of the Cessna 404 Titan, the wings and nose of a Conquest I, and a tail borrowed from the Conquest II. It’s a Frankenstein of the best kind. Born in France at the Reims Aviation factory in the early 80s, it fills a very specific niche that single-engine planes just can’t touch—especially when you’re flying over cold water or jagged mountains where "engine out" isn't a phrase you ever want to hear.
Why the Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II Is the "Unkillable" Workhorse
In the world of utility turboprops, redundancy is king. The Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II exists because European commercial regulations (and common sense in certain terrains) often demand two engines for instrument flight rules (IFR) operations with passengers. If one of those Pratt & Whitney PT6A-112 engines quits, you aren't looking for a cow pasture; you’re continuing your climb.
Pilots love this thing. It’s stable. It’s heavy on the controls in a way that feels intentional and solid. Most "bush" planes feel like they’re made of kites and optimism, but the F406 feels like a truck.
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Performance Reality Check
The numbers on the F406 are interesting because they don't look "supercar" fast, but they are incredibly consistent.
- Cruise Speed: You’re looking at about 246 knots ($455$ km/h) at $15,000$ feet.
- Useful Load: Basically, you can haul over $2,200$ kg. That is massive for an aircraft this size.
- Takeoff Distance: It needs about $2,121$ feet of runway. That’s shorter than many paved strips in the middle of nowhere.
- Range: It’ll go about $1,153$ nautical miles. That is London to Nice, no sweat.
Maintenance is the part where it gets "kinda" complicated. Reims Aviation went bankrupt in 2013. While Continental Motors and ASI Innovation bought the rights to keep the dream alive, finding specific airframe parts can be a scavenger hunt. The engines? No problem. The PT6 is the most common turboprop engine on the planet. But if you crunch a wingtip or need a specific Reims-manufactured bracket, you’re going to be making some expensive phone calls.
Surveillance, Scuba, and Small Packages
What really makes the F406 stand out isn't just carrying people. It’s the "missions." Over half of the 100 or so units ever built aren't sitting at executive terminals. They are out there working.
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The Vigilant variant is basically a spy plane. Used by the French Customs and the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, these planes are packed with 360-degree radar and FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) cameras. It can loiter at low speeds (down to 90 knots!) while scud-running along a coastline, then throttle up to 230 knots to get home.
Then there's the cargo pod. That fiberglass belly pod adds about 1.3 cubic meters of space. It’s ugly. It looks like the plane swallowed a kayak. But it lets you carry 320 kg of extra gear without taking up a single seat in the cabin. If you’re running a charter to a remote lodge in Alaska or the Seychelles, that pod is the difference between leaving a guest's luggage behind and being the hero.
Buying One in 2026: The Hard Truths
If you’re looking at the market today, a used Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II is going to set you back anywhere from $2.5 million to $4.2 million depending on the avionics.
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Is it worth it compared to a newer Cessna Grand Caravan EX?
It depends on your risk tolerance.
The single-engine Caravan is cheaper to fuel and easier to find parts for.
But the F406 gives you that twin-engine peace of mind.
It also handles "high and hot" conditions significantly better than the early 208s.
Insurance is another hurdle. Because it’s a twin-engine turboprop, insurers are picky. If you’re a low-time pilot, expect your annual premium to be north of $25,000. For an experienced pro with 5,000+ hours, that might drop to under $10,000. It’s all about the "hull value" and how much the insurance company trusts you not to ground-loop it on a gravel strip.
Actionable Steps for Prospective Operators
If you are serious about adding an F406 to your fleet or your private hangar, don't just buy the first one you see on Controller.
- Audit the Logbooks for "Reims-Specific" SBs: Ensure the Service Bulletins issued by Reims Aviation (not just Cessna) have been addressed.
- Inspect the Trailing Link Gear: This landing gear is legendary for making bad landings look good, but it takes a beating. Look for stress fractures in the weld points.
- Find a Dedicated Maintenance Shop: You need a mechanic who understands the French-American hybrid nature of this plane. If they’ve only ever worked on 172s, they’re going to be lost when they see the F406's unique electrical system.
- Consider an Avionics Retrofit: Most F406s came with "Silver Crown" analog gauges or early EFIS tubes. Upgrading to a Garmin G600 TXi suite isn't just for vanity—it saves weight and increases reliability for IFR missions.
The F406 Caravan II isn't for everyone. It’s for the pilot who needs to carry 12 people or two tons of fish over a mountain range in a storm and actually wants to make it home for dinner. It’s a specialized tool that, despite its age and the manufacturer's history, remains one of the most capable utility twins ever built.
To move forward, begin by contacting an aircraft broker specializing in European turboprops to locate off-market hulls, as these rarely stay on public listings for long. Secure a pre-buy inspection from a technician with specific F406 experience to verify the structural integrity of the wing-to-fuselage attachment points. Finally, coordinate with insurance underwriters early to establish a training syllabus, as many will require a specific simulator-based checkout despite the aircraft's intuitive handling.