Single engine Cessna Skymaster

A United States Navy owned and operated 1976 Cessna O-2A/337H retrofitted with a larger rear engine, and no front engine, came to the airport today, and I had to make a video of it. I'm a very big fan of Skymasters, and have seen pictures of these retrofits before, but never in person.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Skymaster
• O-2
• 337
• Cessna
• Navy
• Mixmaster
• Military
• Vietnam

[fubleduck]

I'm sure it flies well, but I see a catch 22. A bigger rear single engine has got to create an even greater cg issue that would require an even longer front section. Hopefully, it can still counterbalance w/out bumping it back up to twin engine weight, though I assume the longer nose makes it unlikely. It is my understanding that the rear engine squeezes more performance out of the plane than the removed front engine would have. Is its power off stall speed single engine standard?

[MrNorthernRed]

Very interesting airplane- I'd read about a company that did single-engine conversions, but those were to a turboprop (P&W PT-6?), this one seems to have a big piston engine, like something out of an old Piper Comanche 400.

Thanks for posting!

[TheCannonofMohammed]

I guess this is great because you can carry a few extra bags in the nose, but you can't tell me that engine-out safety hasn't suffered.

[lostfirerock]

WTF????

[GreenFabian]

Wow, looks amazing, but, how sure is flying it?

Certainly the engine should be a powerful one.

I love this airplane, I've flown it and it's really nice.

I made a coverage of the history of this airplane, why this unusual way to install the engines, but it's in Spanish, anyway, here's the link.

Regards,

Fabián Puentes.

[kruk106]

Its called a Pelican. It was modified by The Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies. They also have a Twin Otter

[fernfeyes]

The long nose is for poking thru clouds...simple storm avoidance system..

[maxsmodels]

Conroy did a mod like that

[Lanny615]

I wonder if its a 206 engine in the back?

[krlos116]

love it