Quote:
Originally Posted by mnixon  Caravan ain't even gonna come close to 225. |
Very true.
However - to the original poster - do the math on an average 200NM segment and I think you'll find the Caravan is perfectly competative speed-wise. Now, it's un-pressurised so you're going to be blundering along down low, but again even on something with pressure on a 200NM segment you're not going to be long at cruise anyway. The cabin is much bigger (see no pressurisation) so your buyer might want to check that out to see which they like. A Caravan will be cheaper to acquire and operate (no gear going up and down, no pressure vessel problems etc.).
For the mission you describe I'd take a hard look at the Caravan. PC-12s, King Airs etc. all good options, but don't pass at least considering the Caravan. Now if your buyer has lied to themselves about the mission, and what they really need to do is 400NM+ segments then maybe not, so if they buy a Caravan and find out they want to go longer legs, they're not going to be happy. But that's why they need to figure out he mission first (which the 225+ knots speed issues raises all kinds of red flags about how much thought has been put into this for such short segments).