Need Extra Range?

skymstr02 · #1 04-18-02, 08:03 AM

Attached is a 150 gallon external fuel tank, do ya think that the Feds will buy it off?

birddog · #2 01-06-09, 11:52 PM

Looks good. What kind of fuel burn are you seeing with the the bigger engines?
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Free Pron

gkey · #3 01-24-09, 09:59 PM

I hope this is not a hoax, because it might be a darn good solution for quickly converting a plane for really long distances. Sure beats connecting and setting up a turtle pack, and does not eat up your available space inside the cabin! And since they fit very neatly under the wing like no other Cessna can brag about, they also would have minimal influence on the C of G. Overloading the plane might be an issue...

I wonder, are these available for purchase? Do they come in different sizes? Where did you get this picture from?

skymstr02 · #4 01-25-09, 06:01 AM

Sorry, this is not for real.
I hung the tank and took the photo. That drop tank orginally was on a Grumman F7F Tigercat, and has a 150 gallon capacity. Drop tanks are available in different capacities.
The standard Skymaster wing will not take the pylon mount that you see in the photo. The O-2A wing is built differently internally than a civillian wing, and is not interchangable to a civillian fuselage. There is internal structure to accept the loads from the hard mounts. The pylons are rated for 350 lbs max load.
In the advent of an engine failure, the external loads must be jettisoned, and I don't beleive that the local authorities would be keen on a couple hundred gallons of av gas potentially falling into the neighborhoods surrounding many airports.

gkey · #5 01-25-09, 07:25 AM

Ah, darn. And I checked, it was NOT April 1st.
Such tanks could have been a good idea though.

rhurt · #6 01-25-09, 10:06 PM

Owen Bell has underwing tanks mounted to his civilian P337 that he's flying daily. The wings were modified to accept the O-2 hard points, and the tanks have transfer pumps to pump fuel up to the mains for burning, or overboard in case you need to get below landing weight in an emergency. His current tanks are 25 gallons each, and he can make them up to 50 gallons each.

He also has TSIO 550s on the plane that are capable of 350 hp each. If they are running full power, the extra gas is useful.

I'll try to post a photo. You can contact Owen through his website: www.aviationenterprises.us

hharney · #7 01-26-09, 08:14 AM

Here ya go