Almost every page about this aeroplane lists specifications. This one does something else: it tells you which specific destinations in our network it can reach and which it cannot, using the runway lengths we have verified and cited one by one across the catalogue.
What kind of aircraft it is
The Cessna 208 Grand Caravan is a high-wing STOL turboprop: it takes off and lands in short distances. It is among the models commonly seen at airports that accommodate only small STOL aircraft, alongside the Pilatus PC-12, the DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander.
That category — not the specific model — is what governs access to half of the Central American network.
Seating and baggage configuration in our operation: 12 · baggage hold 111 cu ft cargo pod + 20 cu ft rear · We confirm the assigned aircraft’s seat count in the quote, because it changes with the date and the operation.
The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
The real map: short runways in our network
These are the verified lengths of the most demanding fields in the catalogue. They determine what can be flown and what cannot.
| Destination | Runway | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Drake Bay (DRK), Costa Rica | 09/27 | 1,000 × 18 m |
| La Fortuna / Arenal (FON) | — | 800 m |
| Tortuguero (TTQ) | 02/20 | 900 × 18 m |
| Guanaja (GJA), Honduras | 12/30 | 1,220 × 18 m |
And the extreme case, outside Central America: St Barths (SBH), 646 × 18 m, which additionally requires a specific French DGAC endorsement for the crew.
Punta Islita, at 800 metres and eight metres wide, sets the bar in Costa Rica. An aircraft that cannot get in there writes off the Osa Peninsula.
What the STOL category allows and what it does not
It allows you to reach destinations with no aerial alternative: Drake Bay, Tortuguero, Guanaja. In those cases the choice is not between aeroplanes, it is between flying and spending the day on roads and boats.
It does not allow you to cover the long sectors in the catalogue. Miami–Punta Cana is 791.7 nautical miles; Teterboro–St Maarten, 1,481.4. There the criterion stops being the runway and becomes range, and a regional turboprop is not the tool. We say so on each of those pages and we repeat it here.
And there is a middle band where the answer depends on the case: Panama City–San José (282.1 NM) or Liberia–Drake Bay (159.2 NM) are settled by looking at passengers, baggage and date, not at a spec sheet.
The useful question is not which aeroplane
A reader arriving on a search for "Cessna Caravan" is usually asking the wrong question. The ones that matter are:
How many are travelling and with what baggage? That produces the category. To which field exactly? Drake Bay and Quepos are half an hour apart by air and have different requirements. What day and what time? Arenal compresses its demand into the morning window because of afternoon cloud. Tamarindo closes frequently in the rainy season.
With those three answers we assign an aircraft. It does not work the other way round.
What AeroRide operates
The specific composition of our fleet and which aircraft is assigned to each route: The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
Until that is confirmed on this page, we do not claim to operate any specific model. We would rather have an incomplete page than one promising an aeroplane we cannot guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Cessna 208 Caravan land at Drake Bay?
Drake Bay is 750 by 11 metres. It is a STOL-category field and the Caravan is in that category. The specific operation depends on weight, conditions and crew.
How many seats does it have?
12 in our configuration. We confirm the assigned aircraft’s seat count in the quote, because it changes with the date and the operation.
Is it suitable for the Caribbean routes from Miami or New York?
No. Miami–Punta Cana is 791.7 nautical miles and Teterboro–St Maarten 1,481.4. Those sectors are decided on range, not runway, and require a different category.
Is it the only aircraft that reaches the short strips?
No. The STOL category also includes the Pilatus PC-12, the DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, among others.
Which is the most demanding runway in the network?
In Central America, Drake Bay: 750 by 11 metres. Outside it, St Barths at 646 by 18 metres with a mandatory French DGAC endorsement.
What should I tell you to get a quote?
How many are travelling, with what baggage, to which exact field, and on what date and time. The aircraft follows from that, not the reverse.