The GA8 Airvan was developed to fill a gap between the Cessna 206 and the popular 208 Caravan turboprop. It has been called at times the Caravan Lite. The first flight was in 1995 and certification was expected shortly afterwards, however, a crash of the prototype in 1996 pushed that date back to December 2000. In the U.S., the GA8 Airvan gained a foothold when the Civil Air Patrol purchased a number of these as light observation and transport aircraft.
The GA8 Airvan is powered by a 300 hp Lycoming O-540 piston engine.