100th Cessna Caravan Oasis Delivered
George Larson george_larson@bellsouth.net 
Yingling Aviation, in Wichita, Kan., has delivered its 100th Cessna Carvan featuring its signature OASIS executive interior.
When Cessna launched the Model 208 Caravan, the single-engine turboprop was billed as a replacement for an older generation of "bush" planes like the de Havilland Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter. It was also clearly engineered with an eye to satisfying a Federal Express (which is what Fedex was called then) requirement for a feeder aircraft from smaller markets. Although the unpressurized airplane was never aimed at executive transport, it's had marked success in that role as its simple, reliable systems prove perfect for niche missions at a time when turboprops overall are enjoying a resurgence.
At the 2003 NBAA convention, Cessna introduced the OASIS package, a multi-purpose first-class environment with up to 10 business jet style seats and commensurate equipment for the busy executive. Yingling, which is a neighbor of Cessna at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport, obtained a supplemental type certificate and concluded an agreement whereby Cessna customers order an OASIS package with their Caravan, the interior is assembled and installed during the manufacture of the airplane, and the finished product delivered in a simplified process in which Yingling manages all the interior installation logistics. The list price for the aircraft is $2.15 million, with the interior accounting for $210,000 of the total.
The configuration provides a roomy cabin set up for en route meetings and computer work. All of which suits Arthur Alvis, president of Commtech Communications Technologies, a Wichita-based maker of specialty computer products, just fine. The company uses its aircraft to move teams of engineers to customer sites, and the OASIS cabin allows them to be productive while enroute to their destination and to be in constant contact with the company's ground offices. The Caravan represents a big step up from the company's original 182 Turbo Skylane RG.
Attending the March 24 delivery ceremony at which Yingling turned over the keys to Alvis, whose family joined him, were Jack Pelton, Cessna chairman, president and CEO, along with Yingling president Lynn Nichols.
Photo: Cessna
