Skymaster in the record books
 

A point to ponder on for "regular" twins' owners, who smirk at Skymasters:

"...this time he (sic: Roger Cable) flew a twin-engine Cessna Skymaster. In addition to serving as Walters communications link to various ground stations he broadcast live to the listening audience of KKAR radio. Walter was still climbing 100 feet per minute as he passed through 40,000 feet. By the time the plane reached its maximum altitude, it was in such a steep attitude that he was literally "hanging on the prop" clawing for every foot of height. The outside temperature was 60 degrees below zero and the cabin heater going full blast gave little relief. One hour and forty-five minutes after takeoff, Walter had reached 43,699 feet setting a new world Class-l.c altitude record for light aircraft, which still stands today."

Jakes,

When was that record set? What model Skymaster?

I have absolutely no idea.
It was just something someone posted on the CPA forum, and I found it interesting enough to share. Maybe someone with more info can chime in.

http://www.cableairport.com/history/hwalter.htm

Pretty cool, "But" when I originally read it, I assumed it meant that the Skytruck hit FL43+. However it appears that it was just acting as the spotter/comm link, probably again in the FL22 range.


Be that as it may, I have in the past hung mine on the props at 3000 ft, and did 2 complete 360's registering 0 on the Airspeed, and 24 knots on the GPS.

I did not even notice that! Sniper's eye!
Anyone knows the highest altitude a Skymaster has ever been to?

PS I'm sure you mean 30,000 ft?

Nope, 3000'. I was talking about how slow you can actually fly one of these machines. I was practicing VTOL in case I ever needed it :)

Roger, can you expand a bit on flying a 337 so slow that "hung mine on the props at 3000 ft, and did 2 complete 360's registering 0 on the Airspeed, and 24 knots on the GPS"? Specifically, in calm air (so GPS speed is close to airspeed) you could keep the airplane without stalling at 24 knots? Do you have a stall kit? How heavy were you? If it's mostly because the props' helicopter effect (in addition to the lift from the wings) are helping keep the plane up, don't you stall easily at such a steep angle of attack?

In addition, can you extrapolate your findings to losing an engine shortly after takeoff and going around (for instance, if you're overloaded and/or density altitude is high and/or the working engine is not at full power). Are you saying that one should be able to coax a Skymaster to fly at 24 knots? While turning slowly?

Finally, I hope no one tries this at home. Which begs my last question: does it take speciall skills to do this (e.g., are you an acrobatic pilot and keeping the aircraft from stalling took above average skills)?

Ernie

Sorry for the delay. Was in Key West for a week of debauchary, and took a week more to recouperate.

When I originally "hung" my skytruck, it was a 70-E as I recall. No turbo's just me, light on fuel, and had a Horton STOL with stall fences.

I would not recommend anyone doing it, and I was over Lake Ontario at the time, so if I splatted, it would have really been more of a splash. Be that as it may, I was really just doing it for slow flight practice that got a bit out of hand :) No aerobatic experience by the way.

As for the most important question, ie single engine failure on takeoff: I am a strict proponent of speed over altitude in the takeoff environment (provided there is ample clearance at the end of the runway). I believe Dick Collins did dome testing a few years back and he also believes in the speed vs altitude theory.

The time it takes to stall an aircraft at takoff with one engine out (or no engine) is mere seconds, if you are too slow and trying to gain altitude too quickly. This vs the more leasuriely glide one will encounter (if you can't climb) with one engine out at a reasonable (above blue line airpeed).

So my answer would be NO, I don't beleive that you could expect nor should you try to "hang on one prop" in an engine out in a takeoff environment, as the slow speed and potential snap stall would be a far larger danger than a reasonable descent as afforded by sufficent airspeed.

As an example, few years ago I chartered a 210 in Jamaica (which had a piece of cardboard stuck in an empty radio hole, that had GARMIN printed on it with a magic marker), So the young pilot pulls it off the runway with the horn blaring, and continues to climb out at 55+/-. I turned to him and said "are you nuts ?" If you puke this engine, not only are we going to snap roll this thing, we are probbably going to go over backwards because of the angle of attack."

He wasn't amused.

The morale to the story: Always carry sufficent airspeed in case of an engine failure" and 2 "always take the bus in Jamaica."

bending the horizon!
 

Jakes, speaking of bending the horizon (your avitar (sp)) You cant really tell in the pic (its from my phone) but hear the horizon is soft and curved. And oh yes that is Phonix down there. We were headed for LA at FL460.

sorry FL430... my bad...

OK, so now you just made me jealous!!

One day, when I'm grown up, I wanna fly a jet too...
Seriously, I wonder what secondhand VLJ's will go for in a decade's time...

Those were the days my friend...
 

Those were the days my friend...