Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
Reims Aviation and Cessna developed the F406 Caravan II as a twin-turboprop utility aircraft. It has a separate airframe and systems from the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan family despite the shared name.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Returning to an old aircraft with a former pupil as his teacher
Gibbs returned to the F406 after nearly eleven years away and had to repeat much of its type training. The instructor was someone he had taught earlier in his own career. That reversal accompanied a move back into fisheries protection and pollution-monitoring work after other airline and contract flying.
FLYER interview · September 2021. F406 maritime patrol captain for Marine Scotland, based at Inverness; his separate Tipsy Nipper flights are not F406 experiences.
FLYER · Read more ↗Cockpit lighting and electrical controls have individual functions
The announcement lists individually adjustable cockpit lighting with rotating stalks and a selection of working circuit breakers. It does not describe every breaker as functional.
Reims F406 Caravan II · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
iniBuilds · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube twotonemurphy · 198 min ·
Balkan Corridor Run | iniBuilds F406 Caravan II | Vertical Cockpit Stream 🛩️
An iniBuilds F406 regional flight through the Balkans in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Simulator · iniBuilds F406 · MSFS
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Reims F406 Caravan II
Reims Aviation and Cessna developed the F406 Caravan II as a twin-turboprop utility aircraft. It has a separate airframe and systems from the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan family despite the shared name.
Reims F406 Caravan II
Reims Aviation → · Explore the family →
Reims F406 Caravan II
Wikipedia contributors · Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II ↗iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
First flight: 22 September 1983
Developed from: Cessna 404 Titan
Wikipedia contributors · Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II ↗Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1360940604
Pilot accounts
Returning to an old aircraft with a former pupil as his teacher
Gibbs returned to the F406 after nearly eleven years away and had to repeat much of its type training. The instructor was someone he had taught earlier in his own career. That reversal accompanied a move back into fisheries protection and pollution-monitoring work after other airline and contract flying.
His favourite patrol followed Scotland’s western coast, combining active flying around inlets with the chance to see dolphins, orcas and occasionally whales. The scenery came with a demanding job: keeping track of fishing vessels, coordinating around other aircraft and working with a copilot and task specialist. He described the satisfaction of a successful flight in changeable weather, alongside the simple enjoyment of being out over those waters.
FLYER interview · September 2021. F406 maritime patrol captain for Marine Scotland, based at Inverness; his separate Tipsy Nipper flights are not F406 experiences.
Read the full account · FLYER ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024Reims F406 Caravan II
iniBuilds · Released
Reims F406 Caravan II
iniBuilds · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 11.89 m (39 ft 0 in) |
| Wingspan | 15.09 m (49 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 4.01 m (13 ft 2 in) |
| Wing area | 23.48 m² (253 sq ft) |
| Empty weight | 2,283 kg (5,033 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,246–4,700 kg (9,360–10,361 lb) |
| Powerplant | 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A -112 turboprop , 373 kW (500 hp) each |
| Maximum speed | 424 km/h (263 mph, 229 kn) |
| Cruise speed | 388 km/h (241 mph, 209 kn) |
| Range | 2,135 km (1,327 mi, 1,153 nmi) |
| Service ceiling | 9,145 m (30,000 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 9.4 m/s (1,850 ft/min) |
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.
Simulator documentation
Cockpit lighting and electrical controls have individual functionsReims F406 Caravan II · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The announcement lists individually adjustable cockpit lighting with rotating stalks and a selection of working circuit breakers. It does not describe every breaker as functional.
MSFS2024 announcement; not transferred to the earlier simulator edition
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Hear the aircraft’s working detailsReims F406 Caravan II · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
Echo 19 Audio Productions supplies the listed cockpit and exterior sound suite, covering the PT6A engines and three-bladed McCauley propellers.
Developer attribution; sound-source description does not establish physical fidelity
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Some mission equipment is visual onlyReims F406 Caravan II · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The MSFS2024 announcement explicitly labels the aerial survey station, SLAR, AIS dome and interior operations station as models only. It separately describes the surveillance camera as animated and gyro-stabilised.
iniBuilds 2025 announcement · feature-list distinction; no working boat-detection system inferred
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Choose a mission configurationReims F406 Caravan II · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The package lists passenger, cargo, surveillance, maritime-patrol and environmental-response variants with different interiors and equipment.
iniBuilds F406 product listing · MSFS2020 and MSFS2024
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Swap the navigator and manage the loadReims F406 Caravan II · iniBuilds · MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
The listed GTN650 choices include Asobo, PMS and TDS. The EFB provides chart and map support through Navigraph, with dynamic loading responding to simulator or tablet payload entries.
Developer feature list; third-party services and navigator options retain their own requirements
iniBuilds · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Returning to an old aircraft with a former pupil as his teacherFLYER interview · September 2021. F406 maritime patrol captain for Marine Scotland, based at Inverness; his separate Tipsy Nipper flights are not F406 experiences.
Gibbs returned to the F406 after nearly eleven years away and had to repeat much of its type training. The instructor was someone he had taught earlier in his own career. That reversal accompanied a move back into fisheries protection and pollution-monitoring work after other airline and contract flying. His favourite patrol followed Scotland’s western coast, combining active flying around inlets with the chance to see dolphins, orcas and occasionally whales.
Paul Gibbs
FLYER · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Aircraft background
Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan IIWikipedia contributors · Research background · retrieved 2026-09-12Product
F406 Caravan II for MSFSiniBuilds · Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12Developer documentation
Announcing iniBuilds F406 Caravan II for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024iniBuilds · Developer announcement · 2025Type 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 · 2 profile choices
iniBuilds F406 Caravan II
iniBuilds · Free and Pro · Revision 5 · Inherited starting point
MSFS 2020 · MSFS 2024
iniBuilds F406 Caravan II: The profile supplies selected twin-transport resistance.
Reims F406 Caravan II
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
MSFS 2024 · MSFS 2020
Reims F406 Caravan II: The profile supplies selected twin-transport resistance.
Reims F406 Caravan II
Reims F406 Caravan II: The profile supplies selected twin-transport resistance.
Aircraft and simulator scope
- Reims F406 Caravan II · MSFS 2024 · family starting point
- Reims F406 Caravan II · MSFS 2020 · family starting point
Reims F406 Caravan II · Family sources identify only the variants and product versions described above.
The simulator model and controls
Reims Aviation and Cessna developed the F406 Caravan II as a twin-turboprop utility aircraft. It has a separate airframe and systems from the single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan family despite the shared name.
This starting point selects Reims F406 Caravan II. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
How this profile feels
The profile supplies selected twin-transport resistance. Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Pitch relief is separate from mission equipment and navigation choices. Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is enabled for supported control references.
Controls and trim
The F406 uses twin PT6A engines, three-blade propellers and Fowler flaps. The reviewed package includes five mission configurations and a custom autopilot with navigation choices, separating role equipment from the basic turboprop transport.
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
iniBuilds identifies F406 Caravan II; it is not the single-engine C208.
Developer lists PT6A, McCauley three-blade, Fowler flaps and GTN650 options.
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 Reims F406 Caravan II. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
Flight controls
Not yet reviewedThe F406 uses twin PT6A engines, three-blade propellers and Fowler flaps. The reviewed package includes five mission configurations and a custom autopilot with navigation choices, separating role equipment from the basic turboprop transport.
Trim
Not yet reviewedPitch relief is separate from mission equipment and navigation choices. 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
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, msfs2020. 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 profile supplies selected twin-transport resistance. 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 190 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Force tuning speed/reference | Starting value190.0 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 profile supplies selected twin-transport resistance. 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 190 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 value190.0 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 is separate from mission equipment and navigation choices. 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 value0.1 | 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 value0.12 | What it controls and whySets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Limits and open questions
- Store/announcement does not establish force gearing.
- F406 trim authority remains unresolved.
- Developer uses custom AP; generic follow is not its demand contract.
- No IAS force anchor was established.
- Custom AP and Asobo/PMS/TDS avionics require scoped interfaces.
- Twin-turboprop estimates do not transplant C208 fixed-gear equipment or forces.
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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