Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
Textron launched the SkyCourier programme with FedEx as an important initial customer. The design is arranged around straightforward utility work: fixed landing gear, two wing-mounted turboprops and a large, boxy cabin. Passenger and freight configurations serve different operators. It is a useful modern counterpart to the single-engine Caravan.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗The first crew completes the planned work in a new aircraft
Eckhart and Tobias took the SkyCourier prototype from Beech Field for its first flight, spending more than two hours assessing the aircraft and its systems. Afterwards, Eckhart particularly praised the steadiness of its takeoff and landing behaviour. He was pleased that the crew had completed everything planned for the outing. The flight began a larger programme involving additional aircraft and ground test equipment.
Textron Aviation report · May 2020. Shared first-flight account, with Eckhart’s quoted impressions; Tobias’s presence does not create a second independent account.
Textron Aviation · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Tasty Sandwiches · 12 min ·
Flying the Cessna 408 SkyCourier - Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
A cockpit tour and cargo flight in the MSFS 2024 SkyCourier.
Simulator · Cessna SkyCourier · MSFS 2024
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Cessna 408 SkyCourier
Textron launched the SkyCourier programme with FedEx as an important initial customer. The design is arranged around straightforward utility work: fixed landing gear, two wing-mounted turboprops and a large, boxy cabin. Passenger and freight configurations serve different operators.
Compared with Cessna's single-engine Caravan, the SkyCourier has two engines, a larger cabin and its own systems.
Cessna 408 SkyCourier
Cessna → · Explore the family →
Cessna 408 SkyCourier
Wikipedia contributors · Cessna 408 SkyCourier ↗Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
An engineering simulator helps refine the aircraft
Horne visited Textron’s SkyCourier iron bird with test pilot Todd Dafforn. Its cockpit connects to representative controls, actuators and computers so engineers can compare predictions with flight-test data. Horne’s hands-on session took place in this ground testbed; it is not counted as a flight in the aircraft.
AOPA Pilot · Iron Bird: SkyCourier’s iron testbed ↗AOPA’s laboratory visit, March 2022
Development milestones
First flight: May 17, 2020
Wikipedia contributors · Cessna 408 SkyCourier ↗Cessna 408 SkyCourier · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1372140916
Pilot accounts
The first crew completes the planned work in a new aircraft
Eckhart and Tobias took the SkyCourier prototype from Beech Field for its first flight, spending more than two hours assessing the aircraft and its systems. Afterwards, Eckhart particularly praised the steadiness of its takeoff and landing behaviour. He was pleased that the crew had completed everything planned for the outing.
The flight began a larger programme involving additional aircraft and ground test equipment. Textron’s accompanying account also recognised the employees and suppliers who had kept preparation moving during the disruption of the pandemic. For the first crew, the favourable handling and completed test work provided an encouraging starting point. Their comments describe that initial prototype flight, with the rest of development still ahead.
Textron Aviation report · May 2020. Shared first-flight account, with Eckhart’s quoted impressions; Tobias’s presence does not create a second independent account.
Read the full account · Textron Aviation ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2024408 SkyCourier
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
408 SkyCourier
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 55 ft 1 in (16.80 m) |
| Wingspan | 72 ft 3 in (22.02 m) |
| Height | 20 ft 8 in (6.30 m) |
| Wing area | 441.0 sq ft (40.97 m² ) |
| Empty weight | 12,325 lb (5,591 kg) , Freighter: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg) |
| Max takeoff weight | 19,000 lb (8,618 kg) |
| Powerplant | 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A -65SC turboprop , 1,110 hp (830 kW) each |
| Propellers | 4-bladed McCauley Blackmac aluminum, auto feathering, reverse |
| Cruise speed | 210 kn (240 mph, 390 km/h) maximum |
| Range | 386 nmi (444 mi, 715 km) with 19 passengers, LRC, 100nmi IFR reserves, FL100 |
| Service ceiling | 25,000 ft (7,600 m) |
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Pilot account
The first crew completes the planned work in a new aircraftTextron Aviation report · May 2020. Shared first-flight account, with Eckhart’s quoted impressions; Tobias’s presence does not create a second independent account.
Eckhart and Tobias took the SkyCourier prototype from Beech Field for its first flight, spending more than two hours assessing the aircraft and its systems. Afterwards, Eckhart particularly praised the steadiness of its takeoff and landing behaviour. He was pleased that the crew had completed everything planned for the outing. The flight began a larger programme involving additional aircraft and ground test equipment.
Corey Eckhart and Aaron Tobias
Textron Aviation · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Cessna 408 SkyCourierWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1372140916 · retrieved 2026-09-12 Iron Bird: SkyCourier’s iron testbedAOPA Pilot · Thomas A. Horne · 1 March 2022Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Cessna 408 SkyCourier
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024
Cessna 408 SkyCourier: The twin utility transport's configured yoke response is nominal; a Caravan's published force balance is not silently reused as SkyCourier measurement.
Cessna 408 SkyCourier
Cessna 408 SkyCourier: The twin utility transport's configured yoke response is nominal; a Caravan's published force balance is not silently reused as SkyCourier measurement.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- Cessna 408 SkyCourier · MSFS 2024 · family starting point
Textron SkyCourier marketing page; detailed system and simulator-interface evidence is absent from the preserved body. · Selected choice: Cessna 408 SkyCourier. Documentary scope does not establish every variant, add-on revision or simulator binding.
The simulator model and controls
Textron launched the SkyCourier programme with FedEx as an important initial customer. The design is arranged around straightforward utility work: fixed landing gear, two wing-mounted turboprops and a large, boxy cabin. Passenger and freight configurations serve different operators.
This starting point selects Cessna 408 SkyCourier. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
How this profile feels
Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is enabled for supported control references.
Controls and trim
Textron describes the SkyCourier as a high-wing twin utility transport, with a 19-passenger configuration and a separate freight role. Its fixed gear and two turboprops distinguish it from the single-engine Caravan. The manufacturer product overview supplies equipment context without a measured yoke-force schedule or an exact autopilot-following interface.
About the values
The gains are normalized profile settings. They describe the chosen effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its output limits. IAS references are tuning values rather than operating limits. Physical acceptance of this revision remains pending.
What the documentation establishes
The page identifies the high-wing twin utility transport and its 19-passenger configuration.
Documentary review and sources
These decisions describe the documentary basis and remaining gaps for this revision. Aircraft documentation and a starting setting describe different kinds of evidence.
Aircraft and variant
ReviewedThis starting point selects Cessna 408 SkyCourier. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
Flight controls
Not yet reviewedTextron describes the SkyCourier as a high-wing twin utility transport, with a 19-passenger configuration and a separate freight role. Its fixed gear and two turboprops distinguish it from the single-engine Caravan. The manufacturer product overview supplies equipment context without a measured yoke-force schedule or an exact autopilot-following interface.
Trim
Not yet reviewedPitch relief remains a selected response to valid trim input, with the product overview not quantifying its authority. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.14.
Autopilot and stability
Not yet reviewedFollowing is on at 0.1 authority when a supported, valid autopilot control reference is available.
Equipment
Not yet reviewedGear, flap and ground cues follow the selected settings and available simulator-reported states.
Speeds and limits
Not yet reviewedThe indicated-speed references set the profile response scale; they are separate from aircraft operating limits.
Simulator integration
Not yet reviewedThe profile targets msfs2024. Add-on-specific controls use only the supported references configured by this profile.
Force-feedback settings
Not yet reviewedThe settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
Starting settings and their rationale
These configured values are starting estimates. The explanations describe what each setting controls; physical validation appears separately below.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.74 | What it controls and whyThe twin utility transport's configured yoke response is nominal; a Caravan's published force balance is not silently reused as SkyCourier measurement. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 90 KIAS. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.68 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.68 with an indicated-speed reference of 180 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value180.0 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value90 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1.0 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyFollowing is on at 0.1 authority when a supported, valid autopilot control reference is available. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
All 44 starting settings and their rationale
The settings define the profile’s effect balance. Device output limits affect physical hand force.
| Setting | Starting value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | Starting value0.74 | What it controls and whyThe twin utility transport's configured yoke response is nominal; a Caravan's published force balance is not silently reused as SkyCourier measurement. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 90 KIAS. |
| Spring deadband | Starting value0.05 | What it controls and whySets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Profile force gain | Starting value0.68 | What it controls and whyThe aerodynamic-load gain is 0.68 with an indicated-speed reference of 180 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Master force gain | Starting value0.85 | What it controls and whyScales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| QBlend Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| QSpring Minimum Factor | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whySets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| QSpring Start Knots | Starting value20 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring response reference speed | Starting value90 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value180.0 kt | What it controls and whySets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening gain | Starting value0.1 | What it controls and whyThe high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0.1. It strengthens the permitted spring response above 90 KIAS, with the squared-speed ratio capped at 5. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening limit | Starting value5 | What it controls and whyLimits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| Aileron force scale | Starting value0.72 | What it controls and whyRoll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | Starting value1.0 | What it controls and whyScales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Output force limit | Starting value0.55 | What it controls and whyCaps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| Trim feel | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyRetained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| Trim relief | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| Elevator Authority | Starting value0.3 | What it controls and whyPitch relief remains a selected response to valid trim input, with the product overview not quantifying its authority. Pitch authority 0.3 provides load relief and permitted centre movement; roll authority is 0.14. |
| Aileron Authority | Starting value0.14 | What it controls and whyScales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| Force Trim Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyEnables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| GLoad Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyAllows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| Rate Damping Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot follow | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyFollowing is on at 0.1 authority when a supported, valid autopilot control reference is available. |
| Autopilot follow authority | Starting value0.1 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot neutral hold | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot neutral hold strength | Starting value0.6 | What it controls and whySets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Gain | Starting value0.28 | What it controls and whySets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Gain | Starting value0.14 | What it controls and whySets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Maximum flap index | Starting value3 | What it controls and whySets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Minimum flap index | Starting value2 | What it controls and whySets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Shaker Enabled | Starting valueDisabled | What it controls and whyPermits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Stick shaker amplitude | Starting value0.5 | What it controls and whySets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.42 | What it controls and whySets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Gain | Starting value0.32 | What it controls and whySets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Gain | Starting value0.82 | What it controls and whySets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Gain | Starting value0.48 | What it controls and whySets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Gain | Starting value0.06 | What it controls and whySets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Enabled | Starting valueEnabled | What it controls and whyEnables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Gain | Starting value0.12 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Gain | Starting value0 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Limits and open questions
- The marketing description does not establish primary-control transmission or physical cockpit feel.
- No trim mechanism, sign or authority is established in the preserved page.
- No autopilot model or external servo-output contract is established by the cited marketing description.
- The transport/configuration summary does not newly verify detailed gear, flap or force-cue mechanisms.
- The cited page does not derive the selected 180-knot indicated-speed force reference.
- Marketing identity does not qualify simulator bindings, trim ownership or force telemetry.
- Aircraft size and utility role do not calibrate SkyCourier spring resistance or turboprop vibration.
Physical validation
No physical force validation is recorded in this public catalogue for this revision. Documentary review and software checks do not establish how a particular device feels.
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