Schachenwald Air Sport und Transport Flug, based in Austria, has acquired a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. Arnfried Neugebauer, accountable manager and director of flight operations, told EBAN: “The aircraft will be used for passenger trips, some cargo flights and also for special operations, such as land measurement and film productions.”

The Caravan has, in Neugebauer’s opinion, proven itself to be ideal

for aerial filming and skydiving. “We used the Caravan to film Felix Baumgartner’s free-fall skydive across the English channel,” he said.

Baumgartner was the first person to cross the channel in free-fall.

He jumped from an aircraft over Dover, wearing a specially designed flight suit fitted with carbon-

fibre gliding wings.\r

The company has welcomed the increasing demand for scenic flights and extreme sports. “We mostly fly around Austria and Germany, and offer skydiving all over these countries,” said Neugebauer.

“We also work with the German army and use the aircraft for their skydiving school, flying all over Germany. It’s a very good aircraft for doing aerial work, which we are in the business of doing,” he added.\r“It’s not really an aeroplane to transport people from A to B. You can land on virtually any strip, or on grass, so it’s very useful for us.”

As for the negative aspects of the Caravan, Neugebauer says: “It could have a little more power, as is the case with many single engine aircraft.”