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Cessna Skymaster
The Cessna Skymaster is a United States twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration. Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers, with the rear engine between them. The horizontal stabilizer is aft of the pusher propeller, mounted between and connecting the two booms[1]. The combined tractor and pusher engines produce 'centerline' thrust and a unique sound.[2]
Contents
Development
The first Skymaster, model 336, 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 through mid 1964.[2]
In February 1965 Cessna introduced the model 337 Super Skymaster.[5] The model was larger, had more powerful engines, retractable landing gear, and a dorsal air scoop for the rear engine ("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] Production in America ended in 1982 but S continued with Reims in France with the FTB337 STOL and the military FTMA Milirole.[4] Production totalled 94 units.[citation needed]
Design
The Skymaster handles differently from a conventional twin-engine aircraft, primarily in that it will not yaw into the dead engine if one engine fails. Without the issue of differential thrust inherent to conventional (engine-on-wing) twins, engine failure on takeoff will not produce yaw from the runway direction. With no one-engine-out minimum controllable speed(Vmc), in-flight control at any flying speed with an engine inoperative is not as critical as can be. Nevertheless, the Skymaster requires a multi-engine-rating, although many countries issue a special "centerline thrust rating" for Skymaster and other like-configurated aircraft.[2]
Ground handling requires certain attention and procedures. The rear engine tends to overheat and can quit while taxiing on very hot days[6]. There have been accidents when pilots, unaware of the shutdown, have attempted take-off on the nose engine alone, even though the single-engine take-off roll exceeded the particular runway length. FAA Airworthiness Directive 77-08-05 prohibits single engine take-offs and requires the installation of a placard with words that say "DO NOT INITIATE SINGLE ENGINE TAKEOFF".[7]
The Skymaster produces a unique sound: a combination sound of its rear propeller slicing through turbulent air from the front prop and over the airframe, while its nose propeller addresses undisturbed air.[2]
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.[8]
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 their high wing offered better visibility of the waters below, were reliable and easy to fly for long duration missions (average 7 hours), 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.[9]
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.
Variants
Cessna
- 327 Baby Skymaster - reduced scale four-seat version of the 337, with cantilever wings replacing the 336/337strut-braced configuration. It first flew in December 1967. One prototype was built before the project was cancelled in 1968 due to lack of commercial interest in the design. The prototype was delivered to NASA to serve as a full-scale model for wind tunnel testing. It was used in a joint Langley Research Center and Cessna project on noise reduction and the use of ducted versus free propellers.[10]
- 336 Skymaster - production version powered by two Template:Convert Continental IO-360-A engines, 195 built.
- 337 Super Skymaster - 336; retractable undercarriage, redesigned nose cowling and new rear engine intake, and greater wing angle of incidence, powered by two Template:Convert Continental IO-360-C engines, 239 built.
- 337A Super Skymaster - 337; minor detail changes, 255 built.
- 337B Super Skymaster - 337A; increased take-off gross weight, optional belly cargo pack, 230 built.
- T337B (1967) Turbo Super Skymaster - 337B; two Continental turbocharged fuel injected Template:Convert engines which boosted service ceiling to Template:Convert, cruise speed to Template:Convert, and range to Template:Convert
- 337C Super Skymaster - 337B; new instrument panel and increased take-off gross-weight, 223 built.
- 337D Super Skymaster - 337C; minor detail changes, 215 built.
- 337E Super Skymaster - 337D; cambered wingtips and minor changes, 100 built.
- 337F Super Skymaster - 337E; increased take-off gross weight, 114 built.
- 337G Super Skymaster - 337F; 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; pressurized cabin and turbocharged engines, 292 built.
- 337H Skymaster - 337G; minor changes and optional turbocharged engines, 136 built.
- P337H Pressurized Skymaster - T337G; minor changes, 64 built.
- 337M - US military version designated O-2 Skymaster in service, 513 built.File:Cessna Skymaster O-2 5.jpgCessna 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
Reims Cessna
- F337E Super Skymaster, 24 built.
- F337F Super Skymaster, 31 built.
- F337G Super Skymaster, 29 built.
- FT337G Super Skymaster, 22 built.
- F337H Super Skymaster, 1 built.
- FP337H Pressurized Skymaster, 1 built.
- FTB337G Milirole; military F337G with Robertson STOL modifications and underwing hardpoints, 61 built.[4]
- Lynx : Rhodesian designation for 21 FTB337Gs delivered to the Rhodesian Air Force.
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, was an attachment of Skymaster wings, tail, and rear engine to a Ford Pinto outfitted with aircraft controls and instruments.[11]
- 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.[12]
Military Operators
- Template:BFA
- Template:TCD[3]
- Template:CHI: Chilean Air Force
- Template:COL
- Template:CRI
- Template:DOM
- Template:ECU[3]
- Template:SLV[3]
- Template:EQG
- Template:Country data Guinea-Bissau
- Template:HTI[3]
- Template:JAM[3]
- Template:MEX[3]
- Template:PAR: Paraguayan Air Force One 337RG
- Template:PER
- Template:POR: Portuguese Air Force[3] (32 FTB-337G)
These aircraft were bought in 1973 to replace the force's aging Dornier Do 27 fleet, intensively used in the Portuguese Colonial War, but the first deliveries did not arrive until December 1974 - after the end of the war. The last Skymaster in service with the Portuguese Air Force was retired on July 25, 2007. - Template:Country data Rhodesia
- Template:RSA: South African Air Force
- Template:KOR[3]
- Template:LKA: Sri Lanka Air Force[3]
- Template:THA: Royal Thai Navy
- Template:TOG: Togo Air Force[3]
- Template:TTO
- Template:USA[3]
- Template:ZWE [3]
Specifications (337D)
Data from [citation needed]
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 engine, 210 hp (157 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200 mph (174 kn, 320 km/h)
- Range: 764 mi (664 nmi, 1,220 km)
- Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,944 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (6.1 m/s)
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wood, Derek: Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook, page 471. Jane's Publishing Company, 1985. ISBN 0 7106 0343 6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 92. Werner & Werner Corp Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 Taylor, Michael: Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft, page 67. Gallery Books, 1987. ISBN 0-8317-2808-6
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Fitzsimons, Bernie: The Defenders - A Comprehensive Guide to the Warplanes of the USA, page 54. Gallery Books, 1988. ISBN 0-8317-2181-2
- ↑ Green, William: Observers Aircraft, page 46. Frederick Warne Publishing, 1974. ISBN 0 7232 1526 X
- ↑ McClellan, J Mac: Adam A500, Flying Magazine pages 52-58. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., December 2007. ISSN 0015-4806
- ↑ Transport Canada (December 2007). Airworthiness Directives. Retrieved on 2007-12-05.
- ↑ CDF aviation management history. State of Claifornia. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Murphy, Daryl (2006). The Cessnas that got away. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.
- ↑ Mitzar, Flying Pinto?
- ↑ The Spectrum SA-550
External links
- Skymaster Owners and Pilots Association - aircraft type club
- Cessna Pilots Association - aircraft type club
- The Unofficial Cessna Skymaster Web Site
- Photo of the Cessna 327 Baby Skymaster
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Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
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| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cessna Skymaster". |
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- Cessna aircraft
- United States civil utility aircraft 1960-1969
- Propeller aircraft
- Multiple engine aircraft
- High wing aircraft
- Twin boom aircraft
- Push-pull aircraft
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