Cessna Skymaster

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336 Skymaster
337 Super Skymaster

A Cessna 337 Super Skymaster.
Type Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer Cessna
Maiden flight 1961
Status Active service
Primary user Private individuals and organizations
Produced 1963-1982
Number built 2,993[1]
Variants O-2 Skymaster
Part of the contract fleet of Cessna 337 Skymasters on firefighting detection duty with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at Dryden, Ontario, 1996.
Part of the contract fleet of Cessna 337 Skymasters on firefighting detection duty with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at Dryden, Ontario, 1996.

The Cessna Skymaster is a United States twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Instead of the engines being mounted on the wings, one is mounted in the nose and the other at the rear of the pod-style fuselage. The vertical stabilizers are mounted on twin booms that extend from the wings. The rear engine is between the booms[1] and the horizontal stabilizer is aft of the pusher propeller, mounted between the two booms. The combination of a tractor and a pusher engine produces a unique sound.[2]

Contents

[edit] Development

The first model of the Skymaster was the 336. It had fixed landing gear and first flew on 28 February 1961.[3][4] It went into production in May 1963[1] and 195 were produced to mid 1964.[2]

In February 1965 Cessna introduced the model 337 Super Skymaster.[5] This aircraft was larger, had more powerful engines, retractable landing gear and a dorsal air scoop for the rear engine (the "Super" was subsequently dropped from the name).[2] In 1966 the turbocharged T337 was introduced and in 1973 the pressurized P337G entered production.[2]

Cessna built 2993 Skymasters of all variants, including 513 military O-2 versions.[1] Cessna production ended in 1982 but Skymaster production continued with Reims in France with the FTB337 STOL and the military FTMA Milirole.[4] Reims produced a total of 94 Skymasters.[citation needed]

After a 20-year hiatus the Skymaster's centerline thrust, pod and twin-boom aircraft configuration has been revived in a completely new design, the Adam A500.[6]

[edit] Design

The Skymaster has different handling characteristics than a conventional twin-engine aircraft. Foremost is that it will not yaw into the dead engine if one engine quits. As a consequence the aircraft does not tend to depart the runway if an engine fails on the takeoff roll. The Skymaster is also controllable at lower airspeeds than a comparable conventional twin and there is no minimum controllable speed (Vmc). Nevertheless, the Skymaster requires a multi-engine-rating, although many countries have a special "centerline thrust rating" for aircraft like the 337.[2] The rear engine tends to overheat and can quit while taxiing on very hot days[7]. This led to some accidents when pilots, unaware of the shutdown, attempted take-off on the nose engine alone even though the single-engine take-off roll exceeded the runway length. FAA Airworthiness Directive 77-08-05 prohibits single engine take-offs and requires the installation of a placard that says; "DO NOT INITIATE SINGLE ENGINE TAKEOFF".[8]

The Skymaster produces a unique unmistakable sound. All rear-engined aircraft produce a characteristic sound as the propeller slices through turbulent air coming off the airframe. Since the Skymaster also has a nose engine, with a propeller that operates in undisturbed air, its sound is different from a pure pusher.[2]

[edit] Operational history

From 1976 until the middle 1990s, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection used O-2 variants of the 337 Skymaster as tactical aircraft during firefighting operations. These were replaced with North American OV-10 Broncos, starting in 1993.[9]

[edit] Brothers to the Rescue

From 1991 until 2001 the Cuban exile group Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue) used Skymasters, among other aircraft, to fly search and rescue missions over the Florida Straits looking for rafters attempting to cross the Straits to defect from Cuba and, when they found them, dropped life-saving supplies to them. Rescues were coordinated with the US Coast Guard, who worked closely with the group. They chose Skymasters because those aircraft offered better visibility of the waters below (with the high wing), were reliable and easy to fly for long duration missions (their average mission was approximately 7 hours long) and they added a margin of safety with twin engine centerline thrust.In 1996, two of the Brothers to the Rescue Skymasters were shot down by the Cuban Air Force (FAC) over international waters. Both aircraft were downed by a MiG-29, while a second jet fighter, a MiG-23 orbited nearby.[10] The first plane was downed at 23°29N / 082°28W, 9 NM outside Cuban territorial airspace. It carried U.S. registration number N2456S. On board were Command Pilot Carlos Costa ("Seagull Charlie") and his observer, Pablo Morales, a former rafter who had joined the group to try to help save others. Both were instantly killed by the explosion from the Soviet-built R-73 air-to-air missile that was used to down the plane (a second missile of the same type downed the second plane as well).[10] The second plane was downed at 23°30.1N / 082°28.6W, 10 NM outside Cuban territorial airspace. The aircraft carried the U.S. registration number N5485S, was flown by Mario de la Pena ("Seagull Mike") and his observer, Armando Alejandre, Jr. (a Vietnam veteran). As with the first plane, both were instantly killed.[10] After the attack, the Cuban pilots responsible for the shootdown had two stars painted on the side of their two-seat MiG-29UB, below the cockpit, to celebrate their kills. The pilots responsible were the twin brothers, El Teniente (LTC) Colonel Lorenzo Alberto Perez Perez and his "Guy in Back" was El Teniente Colonel (LTC) Francisco Perez Perez. Both were charged in the United States for their role in the attack.[10]

[edit] Aircraft type clubs

The Cessna Skymaster series is supported by a number of Aircraft Type Clubs, including the Skymaster Owners and Pilots Association and the Cessna Pilots Association.

[edit] Variants

[edit] Cessna

  • 327 Mini Skymaster - reduced scale four-seat version of the 337, with cantilever wings (instead of the strut-braced configuration). One prototype was built. The cantilever wing was not stiff enough to prevent "boom bounce", a persistent up-down movement of the empennage after any disturbance due to turbulence or pilot input. This problem, together with an unacceptably high estimated cost of production, led to the factory decision to cancel further work on this program.[citation needed] The prototype was delivered to NASA to serve as a full-scale model for wind tunnel testing.
  • 336 Skymaster - production version powered by two 195 hp Continental IO-360-A engines, 195 built.
  • 337 Super Skymaster - 336 with retractable undercarriage, redesigned nose cowling and new rear engine intake, and greater wing angle of incidence, powered by two 210 hp Continental IO-360-C engines, 239 built.
  • 337A Super Skymaster - 337 with minor detail changes, 255 built.
  • 337B Super Skymaster - 337A with increased take-off gross weight, optional belly cargo pack, 230 built.
  • T337B (1967) Turbo Super Skymaster - 337B with two Continental turbocharged fuel injected 210 HP engines which boosted service ceiling to 33,000 feet, cruise speed to 233 mph, and range to 1640 miles
  • 337C Super Skymaster - 337B with a new instrument panel and increased take-off gross-weight, 223 built.
  • 337D Super Skymaster - 337C with minor detail changes, 215 built.
  • 337E Super Skymaster - 337D with cambered wingtips and minor changes, 100 built.
  • 337F Super Skymaster - 337E with increased take-off gross weight, 114 built.
  • 337G Super Skymaster - 337F with split airstair entry door, smaller rear side windows, improved flaps, larger front propeller, powered by Continental IO-360-G engines, 352 built.
  • P337G Super Skymaster - 337G with pressurized cabin and turbocharged engines, 292 built.
  • 337H Skymaster - 337G with minor changes and optional turbocharged engines, 136 built.
  • P337H Pressurized Skymaster - T337G with minor changes, 64 built.
  • 337M - US military version, designated O-2 Skymaster in service, 513 built.
    Cessna Skymaster O-2
    Cessna Skymaster O-2
  • O-2A - US military designation of the 337M Forward air control, observation aircraft for the US Air Force. 501 delivered to the USAF and 12 to the Imperial Iranian Air Force[4]
  • O-2B : Psychological warfare version for the US Air Force (31 former civil aircraft were converted to O-2B).[4]
  • O-2TT : Twin turboprop-powered version of the O-2.[4]
  • Summit Sentry O2-337 : Military version.[3]
  • Lynx : Armed military version for the Rhodesian Air Force.
  • T337H-SP

[edit] Reims Cessna

  • F337E Super Skymaster - Reims-built 337E, 24 built.
  • F337F Super Skymaster - Reims-built 337F, 31 built.
  • F337G Super Skymaster - Reims-built 337G, 29 built.
  • FT337G Super Skymaster - Reims-built T337G, 22 built.
  • F337H Super Skymaster - Reims-built 337H, one built.
  • FP337H Pressurized Skymaster - Reims-built P337H, 1 built.
  • FTB337G Milirole - Reims-built military F337G with Robertson STOL modifications and underwing hardpoints, 61 built.[4]
  • Lynx : Rhodesian designation for 21 FTB337Gs delivered to the Rhodesian Air Force.

[edit] Conversions/modifications

  • Conroy Aircraft made an extensive single-turboprop engine STOL cargo plane conversion of the Skymaster. Front engine was replaced with a Garrett AiResearch TPE-331 turboprop; rear engine was deleted and its space filled with an extended cargo pod.
  • The AVE Mizar flying car created by Advanced Vehicle Engineers by attaching the wings, tail, and rear engine of a Skymaster to a Ford Pinto outfitted with aircraft controls and instruments.
  • Summit Sentry - Summit Aviation built a militarized Skymaster as the O2-337 in 1980, and sold a few examples to the Haiti Air Corps and the Thai Navy[3]
  • Spectrum Aircraft Corporation of Van Nuys, California made an extensive single-turboprop engine conversion of a Reims FTB337G in the mid 1980s - the Spectrum SA-550. They removed the nose engine, lengthened the nose and replaced the rear engine with a turboprop. This aircraft (serial number 61) is currently registered to Basler Turbo Conversions of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

[edit] Military Operators

[edit] Specifications (337D)

Image:Cessna O-2 Skymaster.png

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 5 passengers
  • Length: 29 ft 9 in (9.07 m)
  • Wingspan: 38 ft 0 in (11.58 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
  • Wing area: 201 ft² (18.7 m²)
  • Empty weight: 2,655 lb (1,204 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 4,400 lb (2,000 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2× Continental IO-360-C piston engines, 210 hp (157 kW) each

Performance


[edit] See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Wood, Derek: Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook, page 471. Jane's Publishing Company, 1985. ISBN 0 7106 0343 6
  2. ^ a b c d e f Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 92. Werner & Werner Corp Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Taylor, Michael: Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft, page 67. Gallery Books, 1987. ISBN 0-8317-2808-6
  4. ^ a b c d e f Fitzsimons, Bernie: The Defenders - A Comprehensive Guide to the Warplanes of the USA, page 54. Gallery Books, 1988. ISBN 0-8317-2181-2
  5. ^ Green, William: Observers Aircraft, page 46. Frederick Warne Publishing, 1974. ISBN 0 7232 1526 X
  6. ^ Adam Aircraft (2007). Adam A500 Brochure. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  7. ^ McClellan, J Mac: Adam A500, Flying Magazine pages 52-58. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., December 2007. ISSN 0015-4806
  8. ^ Transport Canada (December 2007). Airworthiness Directives. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
  9. ^ CDF aviation management history. State of Claifornia. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
  10. ^ a b c d University of Minnesota Human Rights Library (1999). Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Pena y Pablo Morales v. Republica de Cuba, Case 11.589, Report No. 86/99, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.106 Doc. 3 rev. at 586 (1999). Retrieved on 2007-12-07.

[edit] External links

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