A Cessna 337 Super Skymaster

The Cessna Skymaster is a twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Instead of the engines being mounted on the wings, one is mounted on the nose and the other at the rear of the pod-style fuselage. The stabilizers are mounted on twin booms that extend from the wings. The rear engine is between the booms. The combination of a tractor and a pusher engine produces a unique sound. Cessna 337 Skymaster. ... Cessna 337 Skymaster. ... Cessna Aircraft Company, located in Wichita, Kansas, is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, from small two-seat, single-engine airplanes to business jets. ... Airbus A380 An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Dornier Do 335 push-pull aircraft. ... The P-38 Lightning, a successfull twin boom aircraft Twin-boom aircraft have their tailplanes and vertical stabilizers mounted on the tail of either two fuselages or on two booms fixed to either both sides of the single fuselage, the wings or the engine nacelles. ... A British WWI-era F.E.2b pusher. ...

Development

The first model of the Skymaster was the 336. It had fixed landing gear and first flew in February 1961. It went into production in 1963 and 195 were produced to mid 1964. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961: Events February February 3 - Operation Looking Glass commences, meaning that the US Air Force Strategic Air Command would have a permanent, airborne command post. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1963: Events January January 7 - Aeroflot commences direct services between Moscow and Havana February February 14 - the Indian Air Force receives its first batch of Soviet fighters, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s March March 18 - the Dassault Balzac makes its first transitions... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1964: // Events February February 7 - The Canadian Golden Hawks aerobatic team is disbanded. ...

In 1965 Cessna introduced the model 337 Super Skymaster. 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). In 1967 the turbocharged T337 was introduced and in 1972 the pressurized T337G entered production. Cessna built 1,859 standard and turbocharged Skymasters and 332 T337Gs. In addition, they built 513 military O-2 versions. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1965: Events January January 2 - Denis Healey, the UKs Secretary of Defence cancels the nations fighter and military transport programmes and orders the purchase of the US-built F-4 Phantom and C-130 Hercules in their place. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from Canadian Golden Centennaires aerobatic team is formed and performs all year to celebrate the Canadian centennial year. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1972: Events January January 5 - US President Richard Nixon announces $US 5. ... The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster. ...

Cessna production ended in 1980 but Skymaster production continued with Reims in France with the FTB337 STOL and the military FTMA Milirole. Reims produced a total of 94 Skymasters. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1982: Events January January 8 - the Airbus A300 is certified, becoming the first wide body airliner with cockpit accommodations for only two to be certified. ... Reims Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims currently producing the Reims F406. ... STOL is an acronym for Short Take-Off and Landing, used in the aircraft industry to describe airplanes with very short runway requirements. ...

After a 20-year hiatus the centerline thrust, pod and twin-boom concept has been revived in the Adam A500. The P-38 Lightning, a successfull twin boom aircraft Twin-boom aircraft have their tailplanes and vertical stabilizers mounted on the tail of either two fuselages or on two booms fixed to either both sides of the single fuselage, the wings or the engine nacelles. ... The Adam A500 is a six-seat civil utility aircraft currently under development. ...

Operational history

The US Air Force used the O-2 variant as a Forward Air Controller platform during the Vietnam War. The United States Air Force (or USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... The forward air controller, a qualified individual, primarily provides terminal attack control of close air support in the vicinity of friendly forces, from the ground or air from a forward position on the battlefield. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) United States of America South Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand the Philippines Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) Strength ~1,200,000 (1968) ~420,000 (1968) Casualties South Vietnamese dead: 230,000 South Vietnamese wounded: 300,000 US dead...

The California Division of Forestry uses various models of the 337 Skymaster as spotter planes during firefighting operations.

In 1994 the Cuban exile group Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue) used Skymasters to drop life-saving supplies to rafters attempting to cross the Florida Straits to defect from Cuba. They chose Skymasters because they were easier to control at slow speeds than conventional twin-engine aircraft. One plane contacted the water (it is difficult to judge altitude over relatively calm water), damaging the landing gear doors and the nose propeller. Since the rear engine is mounted higher, it wasn't damaged and the aircraft was able to return to Florida to make a belly landing. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1994: Events April April 14 - USAF F-15 Eagles shoot down two US Army Iraq, mis-identifying them as Iraqi Mil Mi-25s April 16 - a Royal Navy Sea Harrier is shot down over Serbia by a SA-7 Grail. ... Hermanos al Rescate, or Brothers to the Rescue is an anti-Castro group located in the United States. ... Categories: Stub | Straits ... A defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. ...

Variants

Cessna 337

• 337A
• 337B
• 337M - US military version, designated O-2 Skymaster in service
  • O-2A : Forward air control, observation aircraft for the US Air Force.
  • O-2B : Psychological warfare version for the US Air Force.
  • O-2T : Twin turboprop-powered version of the O-2.
  • O-TT :
  • Sentry O2-337 : Military version.
  • Lynx : Armed military version for the Rhodesian Air Force.
• 337C
• 337D
• 337E
• 337F
• 337G
• 337H
• T337B - turbocharged engines
• T337C
• T337D
• T337E
• T337F
• T337G
• T337H
  • P337H
  • T337H-SP

The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster. ...

Reims F337

• F337
• F337G
• F337P - pressurized
• FTB337G Milirole - Military version.

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. The AVE Mizar (frequently misspelled Mitzar, but named after the star Mizar) was a flying car built between 1971 and 1973 by Advanced Vehicle Engineers (AVE) of Oxnard, California. ... The Waterman Aerobile at the Smithsonian. ... Advanced Vehicle Engineers (AVE) of Oxnard, California was an aviation company founded by ex-Northrop engineer Henry Smolinski in 1971 in order to develop a flying car. ... The Ford Motor Company (usually called Ford; sometimes called FoMoCo), (NYSE: F) is a multinational corporation that manufactures automobiles. ... The Ford Pinto was a subcompact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. ...

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 Thai Navy ensign Thai Navy jack The Royal Thai Navy is the navy of Thailand. ...

Spectrum SA-550

Spectrum Aircraft Corporation of Van Nuys, California made an extensive 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. Van Nuys is a district within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq. ... A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Oshkosh is a city located where the Fox River enters Lake Winnebago in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq. ...

Special Characteristics

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. Consequently, it has no tendency to depart the runway if an engine fails on the takeoff roll. The adage, "dead foot, dead engine" -- used to remind a pilot which propeller to feather when an engine quits -- is useless with the Skymaster. When a Skymaster loses power, the pilot must use the instruments to determine which engine has failed. The Skymaster is also controllable at lower airspeeds than a comparable conventional twin. There is no minimum controllable speed advisory (Vmc) on the airspeed indicator. A glossary of terms used in relation to aircraft, in alphabetical order. ... A glossary of terms used in relation to aircraft, in alphabetical order. ...

Nevertheless, the Skymaster requires a multi-engine-rated pilot. The pilot must be trained to manage both engines, and must also be trained to handle the special characteristics of a multi engine aircraft with centerline thrust, as evidenced by a CLT endorsement to his/her license.

One would think that with the Skymaster's superior single-engine handling it would have a lower accident rate than conventional twins. This turns out not to be true. The rear engine tends to overheat and quit while taxiing on very hot days. When this has happened, many pilots have inexplicably attempted take-off on the nose engine alone even though the single-engine take-off roll exceeded the runway length. The Skymaster also has a higher-than-average rate of accidents due to fuel mismanagement. This is puzzling since the fuel system is unremarkable.

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.

Specifications (337D)

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Capacity: Five 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)
• Loaded weight: lb (kg)
• Maximum Take-Off Weight: 4,400 lb (1,995 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Lycoming IO-360-C piston engines, 210 hp (157 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 200 mph (320 km/h)
• Range: 764 miles (1,223 km)
• Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,945 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (6.1 m/s)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)

Image File history File links Cessna_O-2_Skymaster. ... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft can achieve flight. ... The Lycoming O-360 is an air-cooled, carbureted, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed piston aircraft engine. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an airplane can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...

Military Operators

• Burkina Faso, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Togo, United States, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia).

External links

• The Unofficial Cessna Skymaster Web Site
• Hermanos al Rescate
• The Spectrum SA-550
• Mitzar, Flying Pinto?
• A Pinto for Icarus

Related content

Related development

• AVE Mizar
• O-2 Skymaster

Comparable aircraft

• Adam A500

Designation sequence

318 - 320 - 335 - 336 - 337 - 340 - 402 - 425 The AVE Mizar (frequently misspelled Mitzar, but named after the star Mizar) was a flying car built between 1971 and 1973 by Advanced Vehicle Engineers (AVE) of Oxnard, California. ... The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster. ... The Adam A500 is a six-seat civil utility aircraft currently under development. ... T-37s in formation One of the most prominent of the trainer-attack type aircraft is the Cessna T-37/A-37, known in various forms as the Tweety Bird, Tweet, Dragonfly, or Super Tweet. ... 1968 Cessna 310N The Cessna 310 was the first twin-engine aircraft design from Cessna to enter production after World War II. The 310 first flew on January 3, 1953 with deliveries starting in late 1954. ... The Cessna 335 was an ill-conceived version of the more successful Cessna 340 6-seater business aircraft. ... The Cessna 340 is a twin piston engine pressurized business aircraft that was manufactured by Cessna. ... The Cessna 402 is a 6 to 10 place light twin piston engine aircraft. ... The Cessna 425 or Conquest I is an 8 seat pressurised turbine aircraft. ...