Who jumped Cesna-206?

[ekezick 0]

Hi all!
Our club's plane crashed in Norway not long ago... And we are thinking about foundation of new dropzone for the next season. Accordingly a question about new jumpplane appears … We need an aircraft that is able to take 4-5-6 jumpers to 10000-12000 ft. Main version is to buy/to rent a used Cesna-206 but nobody from our pilot/jumpers has experience in flying it and can’t explain how long time is needing for climbing to 10000-12000 ft with C-206…
Any suggestions? Is C-206 useable for regular skydiving (RW, tandem, AFF) or there is a better choice? (I assume by reasonable price…).
And other question: haw many jumpers may jump out at once (in one formation)? It is quite important for RW training…
Thanks in advance for all opinions!
Eric

[akarunway 1]

They are slow if fully loaded but you can have alot of fun jumping them. Hanging of the stuts and shit. Did a four way out. Need a good jump pilot tho

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[mr2mk1g 10]

C-206 – possibly the most common skydiving aircraft in operation so yes, very usable for “regular skydiving”. Probably ideal for smaller/start up DZ’s given how many places start off with one and indeed maintain one as their second plane.

Most take 5 max although that itself depends on which version of the 206 it is as some have wing extensions and wider bodies or up rated engines which effect the load capacity. I’m sure others can give much much more detailed info if required. Whatever; it's always a tight fit in there.

It takes oh about… ages to get to altitude. I think you’re looking at an effective ceiling of about 10,000 though… not sure if can run it to 12,000.

If you have the cargo door launching 4-way is conceivable if difficult – but not exactly great practice for the bigger door you’d have in a comp. If it’s just the small door forget launching pieces as you’re effectively looking at freeflown exits from strut hangs etc only.

There aren’t really alternatives in quite the same price bracket. Islander or Porter would perhaps be the next step up but I don’t have a clue on prices. I hear you could find a Turbolet stupidly cheap at the moment (£250,000 ish) but you’re still looking at a twin turbo prop so running costs go up through the roof even if the purchase cost isn’t that bad. I also have no idea if they have the appropriate ticket over there. A PAC 750 would be great if you could afford the initial outlay/loan but I doubt you’d be able to get your hands on one soon enough because of the waiting list.

[AggieDave 6]

I would rather jump a 182 then a 206 and I'd rther be in an older narrow body 182 then a wide body 182.

Why? The old narrow body climbs a lot faster then both of those airplanes.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[metalslug 31]

Our DZ has a 206T. The turbo makes a huge difference.
Our plane takes 7 people (pilot + 6 skydivers) to 10000ft in about 20 minutes.
Our DZ is about 3000ft ASL so it could easily reach 12000ft if operated from a sea-level DZ.

There are 2 variants of the 206 that I know of, one has the mid-mounted cargo door and the other has the conventional narrow door opposite the pilot.
The conventional configuration is generaly better for static line students who prefer to exit off the strut,
while many prefer the wider cargo door version for launching RW groups at altitude.

[markbaur 0]

There are two 206 variants. The more common U206 has a large door at the rear of the cabin, and the P206 has a 182-style door at the front of the cabin. Both carry 5 jumpers comfortably; 6 is crowded and can exceed the max gross weight.

The P206s I've flown and jumped have been equipped with in-flight doors (hinged at the top) the same as 182s. I have seen a very nice U206 equipped with a roll-up door at Skydive Monterey in California, but most of the rest have been flown without doors -- a colder, slower climb.

Launching a 4-way from the step of a P206 is fairly easy, and it's possible for a cameraman to float at the rear of the door at the same time. The U206 has CG problems with 4-way launches, and I would not allow a rear-float cameraman to launch with a 4-way.

We take about 25 or 30 minutes per load to 10,000. A turbo might be faster, but adds greatly to operating expense.

Mark

[BlindBrick 0]

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C-206 – possibly the most common skydiving aircraft in operation

Actually, I believe that the 182 holds that title by a large, large margin.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[akjmpplt 0]

The 206 makes a great jump plane. It can haul as many as 7 jumpers, but 5 or 6 is the normal load. I've flown about 1500-2000 loads in 206s. I operate from a field at 250' above sea level, we haul the jumpers to 13000 and the climb takes about 20 minutes. I fly the P206 with the front door..same as on a 182. Contrary to another poster it is quite easy to launch a piece...we've launched 6 ways. The cargodoor version may be CG limited when launching a chunk.

Operating costs are reasonable, only slightly higher than a 182. The airplane is easy to fly.

SmugMug

[mr2mk1g 10]

I'm sure you're right. I had started talking about the two together but edited out what I'd said about the 182 before posting to save confusion.

[riggerrob 558]

I probably have 1,000 jumps out of Cessna 206 and for the last 5 years have been jumping a Cessna 205 every week.
Exit from the co-pilot's door on P206 is the same as Cessna 172, 182, 205, 207 and 210.
Exit from the cargo door on Cessna 206 is easier for tandems, but more difficult for AFF.
Economical ceiling is about 9,500 feet MSL. If you want to climb higher or operate in a hot climate, you need a turbo-charger (more expensive to maintain) or Soloy turbo-prop conversion (obscenely expensive).
If your runway is near sea level - in a cool climate - you can carry 6 jumpers on a regular basis.
However, as density altitudes increase, loads get smaller. For example, when I jumped at California City (2,500 feet MSL) and Hemet (1,500 feet MSL) we only carried 5 jumpers in our 206s.
Aluminum inflight doors for P206 are the same as for 182.
I have seen two types of inflight doors for U206. The first was made of Cordura, with Velcro along the edges and a few stiffeners. It rolled up and stowed inside the top edge of the door frame. Great if you had a photographer on board, but difficult for a tandem instructor to roll with only one arm free.
The best type of inflight door for U206 is made of Lexan and slides up to the ceiling, similar to inflight doors on Twin Otters and King Airs.
In conclusion, Cessna 206s are solid, hardworking jump planes.
If I were starting my own DZ, I would buy a U206.

[poppenhager 1]

You are right on about about the early c-182 performance,less $ to purchase & maintain too!!!

Pop D47

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[Deuce 1]

The 206 is our weekday plane, and we operate a KingAir on the weekends.

About 20 minutes to 10,000 feet. I've jumped both the cargo door version and the conventional door, and really prefer the conventional door. Being able to do poised exits off the step on top of the wheel while hanging on to the strut is a plus.

If you can find one, get the turbo version, as it will get you to 14,000 feet.

If you get the normally aspirated version, I think a 182 might be a better deal for all the money you'd save.

[GravityGirl 0]

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I would rather jump a 182 then a 206 and I'd rther be in an older narrow body 182 then a wide body 182.

Why? The old narrow body climbs a lot faster then both of those airplanes.

I'ld rather jump a 206 than a 182. But then ours had a passenger door, as opposed to a cargo door that is further back. Those suck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[Merkur 1]

At my home-DZ in Germany we operate two 206T. It takes about 20 minutes to altitude with 6 jumpers. You can launch a 6way out of it. For more information about it you can go to the DZ website (www.fsvsaar.de) and ask some questions on their message board (the button is named Schwarzes Brett, located on the left side of the page).I am sure that one of our pilots will answer it.

vSCR No.94
Don't dream your life - live your dream!