Scary thought

[Ernie Martin]

Ed:

I agree with the thrust of Skyking messages, namely that a prop hitting a boom pales when compared to other risks (like traffic and weather), that the Skymaster is built like a tank, and that it is a high-performance aircraft which requires attention.

That said, let me disagree on two points. First, the aircraft was designed for the general aviation market, not as a military aircraft. The history of the Skymaster -- which you can link to from my "backup" website at www.SkymasterUS.com -- clearly indicates that the Army expressed interest in the aircraft after production of the 337 had begun. Some special mods were then incorporated in the military O2A (like foam in the fuel tanks and larger cowl flaps). It's possible that lessons learned in Vietnam may have led to some refinements in the later versions (like the 337G and beyond), but I've never read this. Second, if your instruction and experience was on a high wing aircraft (mine was on a Cessna 182), then you might find (as I did) that the transition is an easy one, with the help, of course, of a Skymaster-savvy instructor.

Ernie