USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE Cessna Skymaster: It may not be a speed demon and it’s definitely an unconventional twin, but Cessna’s push-pull model 337 is a lot of airplane for the money.
he Cessna 337 Skymaster is ar- ity than by a fundamental flaw in the have stabilized since we first exam- guably the most commercially idea. We really wanted that one to work. ined them several years ago, which Tsuccessful so-called push-pull If the push-pull concept was is more than we can say for other attempt, at least in terms of numbers seamless, the execution of it by piston twins. built. And although the 337 Skymas- Cessna was a little less so. The Sky- ter isn’t the most popular twin ever master acquired a reputation as a bit NOT REALLY SIMPLER marketed, it’s done just fine for itself of a maintenance hog and although When Cessna began to develop and has achieved its primary goal: its performance is respectable, other the Skymaster in the mid-1960s, eliminating asymmetric the accident history thrust and simplifying was horrid for twins. the pilot’s workload in Part of that was due to the event of an engine A potential Skymaster ownership training. The doctrine out. Unfortunately, as in those days was to you’ll see in our ac- nightmare is runaway maintenance actually surprise the cident scan on page 30, pilot with a real engine some Skymaster pilots costs, especially in pressurized models. shutdown to simulate find plenty of other losing one. In the hairy- ways to NTSB fame. chested thinking of the Still, the idea of the push-pull twins do just as well, if not better, day, instructors would even do this twin makes such fundamental sense on less fuel and on fewer dollars on takeoff. As a result, loss-of-con- that it has been applied to aircraft spent on wrenching. Like most designs in one form or another used twins on the market today, The Flying Bulls Skymaster for nearly 100 years and in liter- some Skymasters are a bargain, but ally dozens of models you’ve never others are premium priced. When in the main image is a 1969 even heard of. Remember back in avgas prices started to climb, market 337D. Aircraft Bluebook says 2005 when Adam Aircraft tried the values of twins started downward the average retail price should idea again with the A500 push-pull and today, you can find a reasonably piston twin? We do, and like many well-equipped Skymaster for under be around $42,000, but pris- before it, it failed more by market real- $100,000. Airframe values seem to tine ones demand a lot more.
24 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com January 2019 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE CESSNA 337 SKYMASTER
29 ft. 10 in. . 9 ft. 2 in drawings courtesy 38 ft. 2 in. www.schemedesigners.com
SELECT MODEL HISTORY USEFUL TYPICAL MODEL YEAR ENGINE TBO OVERHAUL FUEL LOAD CRUISE RETAIL 196367 337A,B SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL IO360C/D 1500 $30,000 93 1585 LBS 167 KTS ±$35,000 1968 337C SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL IO360C/D 1500 $30,000 93 1750 LBS 166 KTS ±$40,000 1968 T337C TURBO SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL TSIO360A/B 1400 $30,000 93 1705 LBS 195 KTS ±$45,000 196970 337D,E SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL IO360C 1500 $30,000 93 1780 LBS 166 KTS ±$42,000 1970 T337E TURBO SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL TSIO360A 1400 $30,000 93 1780 LBS 194 KTS ±$49,000 197173 337F,G SKYMASTER II CONTINENTAL IO360G 1500 $30,000 90 1705 LBS 169 KTS ±$51,000 1975 T337GP PRESSURIZED SKYMASTER II CONTINENTAL TSIO360C 1400 $30,000 150 1516 LBS 204 KTS ±$68,000 197677 337G II SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL IO360G 1500 $30,000 150 1705 LBS 169 KTS ±$69,000 19781979 337H II SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL IO360GB 1500 $30,000 150 1592 LBS 169 KTS ±$83,000 19781979 T337H II SKYMASTER CONTINENTAL TSIO360H 1400 $30,000 150 1596 LBS 200 KTS ±$88,000 1980 337H SKYMASTER II CONTINENTAL IO360GB 1500 $30,000 90 1705 LBS 169 KTS ±$78,000 1980 T337H TURBO SKYMASTER II CONTINENTAL TSIO360HB 1400 $30,000 90 1592 LBS 200 KTS ±$93,000 1980 T337HP PRESSURIZED SKYMASTER II CONTINENTAL TSIO360CB 1400 $30,000 150 1516 LBS 204 KTS ±$95,000
RESALE VALUES SELECT RECENT ADs 1969 337D 1979 T337H 180K AD 2011-15-11 WING DAMAGE INSPECTION – – AD 2011-10-09 SEAT RAILS AND ROLLERS 80K – – AD 2007-04-19 SUPERIOR AIR PARTS CYLINDERS 60K – – AD 2004-21-05 INSPECT COMBUSTION HEATERS 40K – – SHOULDER HARNESS ADJUSTERS 20K – 2009 2012 2015 2018 AD 2004-19-01 SELECT MODEL COMPARISONS
PAYLOAD/FULL FUEL CRUISE SPEEDS PRICE COMPARISONS CESSNA 337H CESSNA 337H 1980 337H $78,000 CESSNA T337H CESSNA T337H 1980 T337H $93,000 PIPER SEMINOLE PIPER SEMINOLE 1980 SEMINOLE $65,000 PIPER TWIN COMANCHE TWIN COMANCHE 1972 TWIN COMANCHE $90,000 BEECH DUCHESS BEECH DUCHESS 1980 DUCHESS $70,000 500 700 900 1100 140 160 180 200 40K 80K 120K
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The original instrument panel on a 337, top, looks much like the one in a 210. The Rocket II Pristine Air- planes refurbishment from Aircraft Sales Inc., bottom photos, makes an existing Skymaster as modern as it can be. It includes a custom leather interior, a full panel of Garmin avionics and twin digital engine monitors.
single engine than a conventional twin. But, since the VMC rollover ac- cident doesn’t happen that often in the real world because training doc- trine moved to zero thrust instead of an actual engine shutdown, the airplane’s overall accident record isn’t that much better than conven- tional twins. A pilot looking to improve redundancy by stepping up from a single to a twin certainly will trol accidents achieve it with a Skymaster. But in due to VMC the bargain of gaining redundancy, rollovers were, pilots can be forced to accept a if not com- platform with more cabin noise, a mon, more set of operating peculiarities all its prevalent then own and tightly packaged systems they are today. presenting more of a challenge to In an maintenance personnel than if each engine-out engine resided on its own wing. situation, All of this might argue in favor of conventional a single-engine airplane or even piston twins a conventional twin. Then again, generally need if you fly over the Great Lakes at to be handled night, maybe not. with kid gloves lest MODEL HISTORY the airplane get too slow and The 337 Skymaster’s front/rear roll over on its back. So Cessna engine layout and high wing started approached this problem just as out as the fixed-gear Model 336 other designers had going back to in 1964, powered by Continen- the Caproni Ca.1 of 1914: They tal IO-360-A engines of 195 HP aligned the two engines with the apiece. Widely acknowledged as a airframe centerline, offering pilots slug, Cessna sold only 195 336s in the safety of a second engine one year of production; around 80 without the penalty of adverse remain on the FAA’s registry today. handling. If one quits, identify it, In 1965, the company folded the feather it and don’t worry about gear and upgraded powerplants to the dead-foot, dead-engine drill. a pair of Continental IO-360-Cs The FAA even granted the 337 its pumping out 210 HP, resulting in own class rating, limiting pilots the 337 Skymaster. Cessna sold 239 to centerline-thrust twins only. It copies that year. (Not really learning was much easier—and probably from its 336 experience, Cessna flew safer—to earn a multi-engine a cantilever-winged, lower-powered rating in a Skymaster than in a version, the 327, in late 1967, but it conventional twin. proved too slow and the project was Part of Cessna’s plan worked, dropped the next year.) since there’s little question the To make the original 336 a Skymaster is easier to fly on a retractable, Cessna borrowed the
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Terry Allen shared an image of his Skymaster’s clamshell cabin door, top. On post-1964 Skymaster mod- els, the landing gear retracts like most Cessna singles, kind of flap- ping around as it gets sucked into the wheel wells, bottom image. complex and occasionally trouble- some hydraulic landing gear system from the 210. In 1973, it was up- graded to a simpler and more reli- able electrohydraulic system. While less complex and easier to maintain, the system still isn’t as robust as, say, a Baron’s or Seneca’s. Early models also came with multiple fuel tanks, a system that proved problematic in the field. It was replaced in 1973 by a superior, less complicated system. A turbo version—the T-337B, powered by 210-HP TSIO-360-A or -B engines from Continental—appeared in 1967, but was dropped in 1972 with the addition to the Skymaster line of the almost-revolutionary pres- surized 337 version, the T-337G-P, powered by TSIO-360-C engines up-rated to 225 HP. The turbo reappeared in 1978, with TSIO-360-H powerplants, but Skymaster sales had begun slip- ping by then. Cessna pulled the plug following the 1980 model year, after a total production run of 2058, plus 332 pressurized versions. In addition, Cessna built slightly more than 500 Skymasters for the U.S. Air Force. These saw extensive action in Vietnam as the O-2A. This version boasts structural beefups, weight crept up during its years in hog—one that’s not entirely de- hard points and extra windows. production. Early models started served—and they aren’t all that fast These airplanes frequently appear at around 4200 pounds; late ones as like-powered twins go. on the used market and may well weighed 4630 pounds, with max Buyers should be aware, however, be the least expensive warbirds landing weight limited to 4400 that buying a cheap twin is not the available. Additionally, some civil- pounds. Meanwhile, the P-337, with same as operating a twin cheaply. ian models were converted to an its 30 extra horsepower, had a take- A hangar queen will eat through a O-2B configuration for the military off weight of 4700 pounds and max bunch of money if it needs remedial to use in psychological warfare. landing weight of 4465 pounds. work and, in any case, you’ll need to Major tweaks in the airplane’s his- Piston-twin prices are still a bit find a shop familiar with the breed tory were few, but there were many soft, and the 337 is no exception. to do the prebuy and maintain the designation changes. Beginning in On the upside, most of the deprecia- airplane going forward. The Sky- 1970, some inspection panels were tion has been squeezed out of these master doesn’t perform much better added—making maintenance easi- airframes. The downside? Cessna than a Cessna 210, and it has two of er—and the airframe was lightened 337s can’t be counted on to increase everything to maintain and replace, a bit, increasing useful load. The much in value. But a Skymaster driving up ownership costs. interior arrangement also changed is a lot of airplane for the money. through the years, with various com- Besides current fuel prices and future PERFORMANCE, HANDLING binations of seat mounting. uncertainties, other factors depress- Skymasters aren’t speed demons, As is common with any aircraft, ing prices are that the 337 has a although the turbocharged models the non-pressurized 337’s gross reputation for being a maintenance do respectably well for pilots willing
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uration stall speeds range from 55 to 62 knots, depending on the gross weight of the particular model— about 10 knots below conventional twins like the 310. As a result, a Skymaster will get off the ground in less than 1000 feet at gross weight—a feat very few other twins can manage. Barrier performance is not quite as good, however; the leisurely climb rate brings the Skymaster’s 50-foot take- off figures down to the middle of the light-twin pack. The single-engine climb rates of all the light twins tend to be very similar—200 to 300 FPM—be- cause engine-out climb rate is a certification point around which the airplane is designed. The FAA requires a certain minimum climb, figured by a formula relating to stall speed, and the manufactur- ers typically bump up the gross weight to the point at which the airplane just barely meets the FAA minimum. Any excess engine-out climb capability is, in effect, wasted payload. And payload numbers sell airplanes. What’s surprising is the differ- ence between the front and rear engines. Climb on the front engine only is about 50 FPM less than on the rear, but not necessarily for all versions of the Skymaster. Reader Robert Prader told us his research reveals that later models have better We shot this retired O-2A Skymas- gines, fuel burn tends to be reason- front-engine performance. “It is true ter, top, at AirVenture Oshkosh last able, ranging from 15 GPH to 22 that front and rear engine single- year. The O-2A worked well as an GPH total, with 19 to 20 GPH typi- engine climb rates are significantly observation aircraft, replacing the cal for a 150- to 160-knot cruise. different for all pre-1973 Skymaster O-1 Bird Dog in the mid 1960s as For comparison, a Twin Comanche models; however, the front and will do about the same speed on rear single-engine climb rates are an observation aircraft. The one 100 fewer horsepower and a lot less not significantly different for the in the lower image is a refurbished gas. Efficiency isn’t a Skymaster pressurized models and the 1978 pressurized P337H. These are pre- hallmark, except when compared to and later turbo models,” he said. mium priced. larger, faster twins. “If you consult the POH for any All-engine rate of climb ranges pressurized model, you will find from a modest 1300 FPM in the old that a single-engine climb rate of to take them into the teens. Owners 336 to a lethargic 940 FPM with the 375 FPM is listed for a standard day of normally aspirated models can last 337H models. We’re unaware of at sea level at gross weight, with no plan on between 155 and 165 knots any other twin-engine airplane with a mention of which engine is out. If true, depending on altitude and how book rate of climb below 1000 FPM; you consult the POH for the 1980 much fuel they want to burn. The even the old 150-HP Apache had a non-pressurized turbo model, you turbocharged and pressurized mod- book climb of 1250 FPM with both will find it specifies a climb rate of els will push 190 to 200 knots at engines running. On the other hand, 335 FPM for the same conditions, 20,000 feet, their maximum certified lose an engine in a 210 and there’s no again with no mention of which altitude. At middle altitudes, 170 to rate of climb, only a rate of descent. engine is out.” 180 knots is typical for the turbo In a 337, you should at least be able While leaving the gear down models, which isn’t all that bad. to eke out 200-300 FPM. produces a climb penalty of a bit Since Skymasters have relatively Like many Cessnas, runway per- over 100 FPM, raising it carries a small displacement six-cylinder en- formance is good. Landing-config- temporary 240 FPM hit. (Praeder
28 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com January 2019 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE told us this is about average for most nicely, at the expense of payload, of The basic airframe is stout, with twins and probably for single-engine course. One owner told us that with a rugged strut-braced wing. There retracts as well.) This is because Cess- long-range tanks full, he has seven- are remarkably few ADs on the na’s complicated gear door arrange- plus hours at 150 knots with 650 airplane. And remember that the ment adds drag while the gear is in pounds of payload (three people military version of the Skymaster transit. In an after-takeoff engine-out and bags). Not a bad compromise. did plenty of rough duty in Viet- situation, it may be better to leave the Oddly, the P-337 is allowed only nam, often flying home with bullet gear down, just as it is recommended five people; it was certified under holes or worse. in some singles to leave it down until different rules requiring an emer- Still, a potential Skymaster obstacles are cleared. gency exit in a six-seat airplane. nightmare is runaway maintenance In normal flight, the Skymaster Rather than put in the exit, Cessna costs, particularly in the turbo and has typical Cessna handling: heavy simply limited the seating to five. pressurized models, so the prudent in pitch, reasonably responsive ai- Early P models had a middle seat purchaser will closely examine lerons. (The P-model has especially hinged up and to the side to get at logbooks and service records of any light ailerons.) Pilots praise its IFR the back row, but these seats didn’t aircraft under consideration. stability. slide fore and aft. Access to the rear The Riley Rocket was a popular The noteworthy aspect of the seats in other Skymasters requires Skymaster mod and included up- Skymaster’s handling—indeed, the an awkward scramble over the grades to 310-HP TSIO-520 engines, whole reason for the airplane’s ex- center row. intercoolers, three-blade props and istence—shows up when an engine The Skymaster’s visibility is excel- air conditioning. Rockets come on fails. Instead of the normal yaw- lent—about as good as it gets in any the market now and again, at a pre- roll-stall-spin scenario too often light airplane, single or twin. The mium price over stock models. following engine failure in “con- view down is unlimited, of course, Ohio-based Aircraft Sales’ Pristine ventional” twins, the Skymaster and the wing’s leading edge is back Airplanes modification (www.pris- continues to fly straight ahead. An far enough that it doesn’t block tineairplanes.com) offers the Rocket unprepared or rusty pilot can take upward vision, either, as with most II full refurb for the Skymaster, while his time and concentrate on the task Cessna singles. Good visibility is adding intercoolers to P337 models, of identifying and feathering the not only a safety feature; it adds plus new avionics, paint and interior prop on the failed engine, without to the feeling of roominess in the on all models. Including the aircraft, worrying about losing control. cockpit. a fully refurbed Rocket II could top The Skymaster is also quite noisy, $600,000, but like all of the other PAYLOAD, RANGE since the passengers are sandwiched refurbished aircraft the company A Cessna press release from the between the engines. Also, sympa- pumps out the end result is a like- 1970s describes the Skymaster as “a thetic vibration can be a problem, new aircraft, following almost six full six-place airplane with nearly a particularly without prop synchro- months of intense rework. ton of useful load.” nizers. Conventional twins are Other 337 mods include vortex Good luck with that. At best, the quieter by far. generators from Micro Aerodynam- two rear seats can accommodate ics (www.microaero.com) and in- youngsters. And that press release MAINTENANCE, MODS tercoolers from American Aviation conveniently forgot when the fifth Te Skymaster was the most complex (www.americanaviationinc.com). and sixth seats are installed, there’s aircraft ever engineered and manu- Both Horton (www.hortonstack- no baggage space, nor is there a bag- factured by Cessna’s Pawnee Divi- door.com/stolcraft_description. gage door. Consider the Skymaster sion, which otherwise built only htm) and Sierra Industries (www.si- a roomy four-placer. Cessna singles. Evidence suggests jet.com) apparently still offer STOL Real-world useful loads run the division simply wasn’t up to the kits and other aerodynamic mods. around 1500 pounds—not bad at task, particularly in the 1975-1980 A wing spoiler kit is available from all, and several hundred pounds period when production was grow- PowerPac Spoilers (www.powerpac- more than a Twin Comanche. ing rapidly and Cessna was plagued spoilers.com). Standard fuel is 93 gallons, which by an epidemic of design, engineer- Aviation Enterprises (www. should leave more than 900 pounds ing and production problems. cessnaskymaster.com) offers a wide available for payload; plenty for four For example, the pressurized Sky- range of major modifications for passengers and their bags. Standard master was initially such a disaster Skymasters, ranging from air con- fuel is just adequate, however—un- that the first year’s production was ditioning, airstair doors, extended less you throttle back—providing a recalled to the factory for complete wingtips, IO-550 engine conver- bit more than three hours with IFR remanufacture and modification. sions—for one or both engines— reserves at fast cruise. Distinct from other twins, Cessna long-range fuel and MT propellers. Pre-1973 airplanes with long- had to pack everything into the The company also can provide range tanks had a four-tank fuel fuselage, not having the luxury of various parts, including cargo pods. system; later ones came with a sticking systems out in the wings Similarly, RT Aerospace (www.rtae- two-tank system. The long-range or into the nose. As a result, access rospace.com) offers several items tanks—150 gallons in 1975 to 1980 is difficult and it is those systems of interest to the Skymaster owner, models, 131 gallons in earlier mod- where most maintenance problems including a convertible rear seat for els—solve endurance limitations will be found. the baggage area.
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Cessnas seem generally blessed CESSNA 337 MISHAPS: PILOTS with good owner organizations, Our review of the 100 most recent are followed. That was confirmed perhaps because the company aban- accidents involving airplanes in the by a pilot who was scud running doned the piston market in 1986 Cessna 337 series produced results beneath an overcast, in flat light and stayed out of it until 1997. The clubs and groups have proven to be that were good, bad and, frankly, off the coast of Alaska on a winter as good as it gets when it comes to just plain strange. day. He hit a pressure ridge in the support. We’ll start with the good news: ice, wrapping the front prop around Every Cessna owner should There were only two runway loss of the cowling and stopping its rota- join the Cessna Pilots Association control (LOC) accidents involving tion. He was able to continue to his (www.cessna.org). The organiza- 337s—a very low rate and, in our destination. tion offers the usual benefits, opinion, powerful evidence of good Six pilots lost an engine after including an insurance program, ground-handling characteristics of takeoff and did nothing to clean monthly newsletter and fly-ins, and the marque. up the airplane. Not surprisingly, has a wealth of Skymaster-specific On the bad news side, we were they were unable to climb. Nearly information. We found a useful if surprised by the number of fuel- all of them then stalled the airplane unofficial Skymaster website for the Cessna Skymaster—SOAP, for related accidents—15. That is nearly and lost control. A pilot who lost the Skymaster Owners And Pilots twice the rate we’ve observed for an engine in cruise and landed in a (www.337skymaster.com). the tip-tank Cessna twins—300- and field after not feathering the prop 400-series—which have a reputa- was unable to describe the engine OWNER FEEDBACK tion for being endowed with a failure procedure for the airplane. I’m the owner of my second Cessna complex fuel system. At least five pilots unsuccessfully 337, a 1977 normally aspirated The fuel-related accidents were tried a single-engine takeoff—some 337G Skymaster II. The 1976 and split almost evenly between pilots after arguing with other pilots who newer models incorporate all the who mismanaged the fuel aboard— tried to talk them out of it and one design upgrades done throughout running a tank or tanks dry and with passengers. One of the air- the 337 model run, and a particu- not causing fuel to flow from a tank planes had not had an annual in 10 larly nice upgrade, the 150-gallon long-rang tanks. This is an on/off containing it to the engine(s)—and years. cross-feed fuel system, which means simply not putting enough fuel in There were five fatal accidents there are no tanks to switch, just the airplane for the intended flight. and one non-fatal in which the front and rear. Four metal tanks in However, where things started to pilots had incapacitated themselves each wing utilize the wing dihedral turn strange to us was that so many with drugs or alcohol. sloped to drain 100 percent to the pilots simply didn’t bother to check The rate of what we consider inboard wing root tank, with only to see if they had any fuel in the stupid pilot tricks was so high in the 1.2 gallons of unusable fuel on each airplane at all (or were too cheap to 337 we can’t help but wonder about side. There’s also heavy-duty land- buy any) and had the engines quit why an airplane designed to be safe ing gear, larger wheels and heavy- right after takeoff. One put fuel in may attract more than its fair share duty double-puck Clevelands with only one wing and others only in of pilots who don’t seem to give a semi-metallic brake pads, another real nice option that came standard the aux tanks and then selected the fig about safe operations. On that on 1977 Skymaster II models. nearly empty tanks. note we’ll close with the 337 pilot I prefer the “aspros,” normally In proving that the late gonzo who was practicing his IFR skills at aspirated Continental IO-360 G journalist Hunter Thompson was night, without a safety pilot, and engines, which will go to TBO and right when he said, “When the going flew into the side of a mountain. beyond, but their weakness (being gets weird, the weird turn pro,” one a lightweight Continental engine pilot decided to ferry his 337 for ACCIDENT SUMMARY design) is they don’t tolerate the maintenance after the interior had heat distress of turbocharging, and OTHER 22% been stripped out—including the particularly the always-on heat dis- FUEL RELATED 15% fuel selector handles. You got it, he tress of turbocharging plus bleed-air ENGINE/MECH 11% ran tanks dry and couldn’t turn the pressurization. My engines have STALL 11% 1800 hours (Continental remans) valves to change tanks. and burn one quart of oil every five We’ve flown Skymasters off and VFR INTO IMC 9% IMC LOC 9% hours. Plan on roughly $60,000 for on for nearly 40 years, have done factory reman engines and props, LDG GEAR ISSUE 6% single-engine work and observed and more for turbocharging. that they go straight ahead follow- OVERSHOT LDG 6% Indeed, Skymasters swallow ing an engine stoppage and will HARD/BOUNCED LDG 6% 100LL at a pretty good rate. Be- hold altitude and usually climb if the INTENTIONAL S.E. T.O. 5% tween 6000 and 8000 feet and POH procedures for engine failure engine settings of 2400 RPM and 24 inches of MP, plan on about 22
30 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com January 2019 USED AIRCRAFT GUIDE
GPH. As I jokingly tell my friends, 337 specialty maintenance, service my Skymaster will do anything and sales organization in Salt Lake on 150 gallons of fuel that your City, Utah, from whom I purchased 182 Skylane can do on 80 gallons, my current 337G. Without hesita- but will get me home if an engine tion I can recommend Lillie Enter- crumps. The fuel burn isn’t a con- prises as a highly knowledgeable, cern to me. With today’s typical fuel honest and ethical organization to READER SERVICES prices, plan on $80 to $120 per- do business with. hour fuel costs. Range is a comfort- In my first 337B, I lost an engine TO VIEW OUR WEB SITE able five to seven hours—farther while preoccupied by Houston Ap- Visit us at: than many can tolerate in the cabin. proach at a peak traffic time after a www.aviationconsumer.com As for maintenance, as an owner/ 30-minute flight from Austin, Texas, mechanic I can say plan on a lot. As and forgetting to switch tanks after FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR a rule of thumb, budget as much as taking off and flying low and slow SUBSCRIPTION: you would for a last-minute first- in a steep bank taking aerial photos Phone us at: 800-829-9081 class airline ticket for everywhere of a construction site. Actually, it you go in a 337. I hate to say what’s was such a non-event, I wasn’t im- been said plenty of times: There are mediately sure what had happened, TO CHANGE YOUR MAILING OR more buyers who can afford the but like in all light twins when E-MAIL ADDRESS, RENEW YOUR 337’s purchase price that can actu- something such as this happens, SUBSCRIPTION OR TO ally afford to properly maintain it. say your ahh shucks, and then try CHECK PAYMENT STATUS, If a purchaser is financially well-off to figure out if the second engine is VISIT OUR enough to simply toss the keys to about to pack for the same reason ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE: one of the several well-known and as the first one. If so, you might well-respected 337 specialty shops have 10 seconds to do exactly the Log on at: to manage and perform routine right thing. Head up and locked, www.aviationconsumer.com/cs maintenance, so much the better. true enough, but it might be a very Costs would not be a seen as show- different outcome in a conventional To change your address by mail, attach your present mailing label to stopper to keep such a unique and twin. this form (or a copy of this form) enter nice flying airplane in service. Inflight visibility outside the your new address below and mail it to: Never forget that you are flying a cockpit is as good as it gets. Like 45-year-old legacy aircraft, which is in a 500-series Aero Commander, the most complicated one ever built you sit ahead of the wing’s leading THE AVIATION CONSUMER at Cessna’s Pawnee factory, and that edge. The only better flight visibility P.O. Box 8535 includes the landing gear system. If might be in a military O-2 model Big Sandy, TX 75755-8535 you are not already a Cessna-knowl- 337 with a full bubble side and edgeable A&P yourself, as I am, I overhead windows—the flight vis- would strongly suggest becoming ibility is truly amazing. There’s also Name ______one. Cessna factory technical and hardly ever the need to stand on a Company ______parts support is in general really rudder during most conditions. excellent. Certain parts of course Cessna 337s generally handle Address ______are no longer produced, but they’re with the familiar control forces of Address 2 ______available from vendors on the sec- a heavy Cessna—think 210/206, City ______ondary and salvage markets. except with lighter elevator forces, The Cessna OEM fuel gages are large long-span fowler flaps and State ______Zip: ______functionally useless for planning with elevator trim tab and flaps E-mail ______maximum range, except for timed interlocked to minimize attitude constant-power cross-country flying changes in landing configura- To order or renew a subscription, when starting with full tanks. For- tion. There’s plenty enough rudder enter your name and address above and tunately, Cessna’s fuel flow gauges authority for wing-low slips for alti- check the subscription term you prefer: are pretty accurate, and are helpful tude control during approach. And [ ] 1 year (12 issues) $69 in that regard. it’s easy to land on the mains with [ ] 6 months (6 issues) $34.50 I suggest sourcing Cessna factory the elevator authority to maintain a [ ] Check enclosed [ ] AMEX parts, service, wiring and main- nose-high touchdown and rollout. [ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa tenance manuals for the 337, in As for mods, gear door mods addition to the Continental engine eliminate much of the complexity Card # ______manuals. I really feel this airplane and maintenance burden of a seem- Expiration Date ______can’t be owner-flown and main- ingly endless number of squat switch Signature ______tained without them. adjustments and potential malfunc- I have personal experience with tions causing mostly false positive YOUR RENEWAL Ron Lillie of Little Enterprises. He’s indications of gear not down and IS JUST A CLICK AWAY! a longtime multiple 337 owner and locked. Seemingly the whole belly of www.aviationconsumer.com pilot himself and the proprietor of a the plane opens up at gear extension
January 2019 www.aviationconsumer.com The Aviation Consumer • 31 FEEDBACK WANTED CESSNA 310
It’s time again to take a fresh look at the Cessna 310 market in an upcoming Used Aircraft Guide in Aviation Consumer. We want to know what it’s like to own these aren’t too expensive to have in- Cessna Skymaster twins, how much they cost to stalled and are generally agreed to operate, maintain and insure and (continued from page 31) aid low-speed controllability at the bottom of the airspeed/stall enve- what they’re like to fly. If you’d and retraction, so the gear door mod lope, with no significant effect on like your 310 to appear in the appears to be a pretty worthwhile, cruise speed. The 337 comes over magazine, send us any photo- well-thought-out one. the fence a wee bit hot, so when graphs (full-size, high-resolution When the gear doors open, they flying heavy, any improvement to please) you’d like to share to look like speedbrakes. They create the low, slow and touchdown flight a flat-plate area on the both the air- envelope would seem worthwhile. the email below. We welcome plane nose and rear door pairs large As for insurance, driven by all the information on mods, operating enough to swallow up several beach standard underwriting guidelines, expenses or any other comments balls, so it’s easy to understand why hull valuation is a big factor. The that can be helpful for buyers the landing gear system creates so same goes for pilot experience/time- considering one. Send correspon- much drag that the 337 won’t climb in-type. dence by February 10, 2019, to: at gross weight after an engine Pricing is all over the map and failure during the takeoff roll and some new owners might find that while the gear is in transit. getting insurance for a Skymaster Aviation Consumer Robertson and Horton STOL might be cost prohibitive. Some Email at: kits, as well as VGs, are available. might not even qualify without lots ConsumerEditor@ Leading-edge cuff and stall fences of additional training—not neces- hotmail.com sarily a bad thing.
One of the most worthwhile Terry Allen I have limited experience in mods for a Skymaster might be via email Cessna 182 models, but the flying qualities seem similar. landing gear doors, shown in I am on my second Skymaster; the I normally cruise in the mid teens the photo below. first I had about five years and this and see a total fuel flow of 18 GPH current one well there with 160 knots true airspeed. over 10. The pres- Insurance has cost me an average ent one is a 1967 $2152 per year based on a hull value T337B. The biggest of $55,000. Parts and labor have positive features averaged $8644 per year, with a high of the Skymaster year around $15,000 and a low year are, one, that it can just over $2000. carry just about I have been a member of the anything I can Cessna Pilots Association since I got stuff in it, and two, the first Skymaster and have ben- is that it has two efited greatly from the organization. engines. I live on I also have been lucky to have a lo- the far north coast cal IA who has plenty of experience of California and with Skymasters. there are serious mountains in three Steve Bowser directions. via email
32 • The Aviation Consumer www.aviationconsumer.com January 2019