C208B Flight Training Device

For many pilots, the Caravan is their first turbine aircraft. Train the step up on a G1000 flight deck with real power, propeller, and fuel condition levers.

The FDS C208B is a fixed-base flight training device for professional pilot training. It is certified to Transport Canada Level 4 in service, built to FAA Level 4 requirements, and reproduces the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flight deck with full tactile controls, G1000 avionics, and genuine Caravan power, propeller, and fuel condition levers.

Training organizations use the device within their pilot curriculum, and operators use it for turbine transition, recurrent proficiency, and mission-specific training. Both train G1000 operation and single-pilot resource management on the aircraft pilots will fly.

Built for Professional Pilot Training

Two Regulatory Standards

Certified to Transport Canada Level 4 in service, and built to FAA Level 4 requirements. Certification is available where your program requires it.

Full Tactile Flight Deck

Every switch, knob, and lever is real hardware in its correct position, including genuine Caravan power, propeller, and fuel condition levers.

G1000 Flight Deck

Three G1000 displays and the autopilot mode controller, built with the same optical encoders and dome switches pilots use in the aircraft.

Control Loading Available

Yokes and rudder pedals with forces that change with flight conditions, so handling practice transfers to the aircraft.

210° Visual System

Wrap-around projection for realistic airport and weather conditions, with a flat-panel configuration available to suit your room.

Fits Your Facility

A compact device that ships intact or in sections, depending on your building’s access.

Explore The Flight Deck

Muscle memory that transfers to the aircraft

Genuine Caravan power, propeller, and fuel condition levers give the same feel and travel as the aircraft, so procedures learned here carry directly into the flight deck.

A flight deck pilots recognize instantly

Three G1000 displays, the autopilot mode controller, and backlit panels in the Caravan's layout, so training happens in a genuinely familiar environment.

Training you control, scenario by scenario

The Instructor Operating Station lets instructors inject failures, control weather, and reposition the aircraft, turning every session into targeted, repeatable practice.

Gallery

Technical Specifications

Training Capabilities

G1000 avionics with the GFC 700 autopilot, flight director, and yaw damper
Instructor Operating Station available, with basic and advanced abnormal procedure packages
Dual yokes linked across both pilot positions
Control loading available on yokes and rudder pedals, with forces that change with flight conditions
Motion cueing available in open-platform configurations

Systems
Training

Genuine Caravan power, propeller, and fuel condition levers with functional friction lock
Fuel tank selectors, fuel shutoff, and firewall shutoff, all functional
Inertial separator, overspeed governor, and fire detect test controls
Lighting, pitot heat, and anti-ice switches, plus standby flap motor and oxygen controls
Functional circuit breaker panels at the pilot's side and side wall

Operational Training

Immersive audio system with engine sounds, warnings, and call-outs
210° wrap-around visual system. Flat-panel LCD configuration available where room dimensions will not accommodate the wrap-around display
Single-pilot resource management and two-crew scenarios
Motorized elevator trim wheel and flap position indication
Rudder and aileron trim with accurate position indication
Differential toe braking at both pilot positions

Facility & Installation

Modular nose section and Instructor Operating Station (IOS) eliminates need for building modifications
Ships fully assembled where facility entry accommodates assembled size, or in separate sections that pass through a standard door and set up in an average room
Visual Display System assembled and set up onsite
Facility-friendly device footprint: 68.4 in wide, 68.4 in deep, 65.2 in high, excluding visual and instructor station
Rear entry into the flight deck, with side and front maintenance hatches
Extended rear platform and enclosed instructor station available

Certifications & Compliance

Training Applications

Configurations vary by program. We’ll walk through standard and optional equipment in a consultation.

Turbine Transition

Move pilots from piston aircraft into a turboprop, with the power management, engine limits, and systems of a turbine flight deck.

G1000 and Automation Training

Build proficiency with the G1000 and GFC 700 autopilot, from flight planning through coupled approaches, before pilots fly the aircraft.

Single-Pilot Resource Management

Practise managing workload, automation, and decisions alone, the way most Caravans are flown, with two-crew scenarios for operators who fly it that way.

Mission-Specific Training

Configurations adapted to specialized operations, so crews practise mission profiles and emergencies that cannot be rehearsed safely in the aircraft.

Procedures & Recurrent Proficiency

Practise standard operating procedures, normal and non-normal checklists, and recurrent proficiency work with consistent, repeatable lesson plans.

Scenario-Based Training

Use the Instructor Operating Station to inject failures, control weather, reposition the aircraft, and record flight analysis for tailored scenario training.

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Certification & Compliance

The FDS C208B is built to regulatory standards, and an FDS installation has earned certification from Transport Canada. Certified means a regulator has assessed this device and granted approval. Compliant means the device is built to that standard, and certification can be pursued where a program requires it. In service, Conair’s C208B is certified by Transport Canada at Level 4.

Transport Canada
Level 4
Certified

Transport Canada’s certification level for flight training devices. An FDS C208B installation has been certified at Level 4. What this permits within a given program is set by Transport Canada standards and the training provider’s approval.

FAA Level 4
Compliant

The FAA qualifies flight training devices by level. The C208B is built to Level 4 requirements. Where a program requires formal qualification, FDS supports the process.

What this means for your program

What any of these standards mean for your program's training credit depends on your regulator and your approved course. We can walk through your situation in a consultation.

In service

The FDS C208B is in service with operators and training organizations in Canada and Costa Rica.

Instituto de Formación Aeronáutica (IFA)

Heredia, Costa Rica

The Instituto de Formación Aeronáutica operates the FDS C208B at its training centre in Heredia, supporting initial and recurrent training for flight schools, commercial operators, and private pilots. It was the first C208B flight training device built to Level 4 standards in Central America.

Conair Aerial Firefighting

Abbotsford, AB, Canada

Conair’s Mission Training System links six FDS-built flight training devices so aerial firefighting crews can train over the same simulated wildfire at the same time. The FDS C208B is one of the six. Transport Canada certified all six devices to Level 4 in 2024, and Conair describes the system as the first of its kind certified for aerial firefighting.

FAQs

Does training on the FDS C208B count toward a licence or rating?

That depends on your regulator and your approved training program, not on the device alone. The C208B is certified to Transport Canada Level 4 in service, and built to FAA Level 4 requirements. How a device translates into training credit is determined by your civil aviation authority and the course you have approved, and where a program requires formal certification, FDS supports the process. We can walk through your situation in a consultation.

What is the difference between certified and compliant?

Certified means a regulator has assessed this device and granted approval. Compliant means the device is built to that standard, and certification can be pursued where a program requires it. The C208B is certified to Transport Canada Level 4 in service, and built to FAA Level 4 requirements. FDS supports customers through certification where their program calls for it.

How does the device fit alongside aircraft and full flight simulator training?

Many Caravan operators train in the aircraft, and some send pilots to full flight simulator courses. The C208B fits alongside both: it moves procedures, G1000, and emergency practice out of the aircraft, and gives operators training they can schedule on site rather than around external simulator availability. How that combination is credited depends on your regulator and approved program.

Are the controls real hardware, or simulated on screens?

Real hardware. Switches, knobs, levers, and yokes are physical components in their correct positions, so a pilot builds the motor memory the aircraft will ask for. Nothing on the flight deck substitutes a touchscreen for a control that exists in the aircraft.

What facility does the device require?

The device measures 68.4 in wide, 68.4 in deep, and 65.2 in high, and ships intact or in sections depending on your building’s access. The visual system and instructor station add to that: the wrap-around display uses a 4 m diameter screen, with a flat-panel configuration available where space is tighter. If your room is close to these dimensions, it is worth a conversation. Configuration options and installation approaches vary by facility.

Can the C208B be adapted for mission-specific operations?

Yes. Configurations can be adapted to an operator’s mission profile, and the C208B in Conair’s Mission Training System trains aerial firefighting crews alongside other devices. What is possible depends on the mission and the program, so it is best discussed in a consultation.

Can the device be used for two-crew training?

Yes. Both pilot positions have full controls and instruments, so operators who fly the Caravan with two pilots can train crew procedures as well as single-pilot operations.

How is the device delivered and installed?

The nose and instructor operating station ship assembled where the building entry allows, or in sections that pass through a standard door. The visual display system is assembled onsite. FDS technical services handles installation and commissioning.

Let's look at what your program needs.

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