Thinking about a P337 - Questions

[hharney]

The search feature of this forum will provide answers for about any question you have. There is probably not a question about the Skymaster that has not been asked on this site. Saying that it is always good for others to see some of the interest that new buyers have to spark their passion.

Wing AD
http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ing+inspection
http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ing+inspection
http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ing+inspection
http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ing+inspection
http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ing+inspection

I am not aware of any mods to eliminate the inspection. There are a few air frames out there that are in the ball park for hours and only a dozen or so that are over the hill. It's not a big hour aircraft. The H model did not require the inspection as Cessna must have caught on to the issue and remedied. The H model is known as the best but it really depends on what you are doing and what's the mission. More on that H model in other answers.

[hharney]

TBO - Rear engine

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ul+rear+engine

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ul+rear+engine

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ul+rear+engine

http://www.337skymaster.com/messages...ul+rear+engine

I can't speak for the TSIO versions as my journey with Skymasters has been all normal aspirated. I have replaced two engines, rear and then front, and both went well beyond TBO. In the low to mid 2k for both and they were still operating when I swapped them out. The factory TBO is 100 hours less on the turbo TSIO's but I think you will find that most guys go beyond TBO. My theory is most of the Skymasters are owner flown and usually just one person as the pilot. Not a bunch of Part 135 with several pilots doing different things so the engines tend to go further. Also these TBO's were deemed 40 or 50 years ago and we have gotten a lot smarter how we care for them. Of course regular use is always the best for the engines and sitting idle is the worst.

Like you said they are Continentals and most hangar talk beats them up pretty good. The normal aspirated are really a simple engine and designed for smooth operation. The TSIO version was an afterthought and therefore taxes the system. Treat em right and they will respect you.

[acpilot]

Thanks hharney.

Some of these posts are pretty well seasoned (though still insightful). I'll start looking further back in the archives.

[hharney]

Use the search tab at the top of the window, I'll keep answering as I get time

[hharney]

Props

Nothing special about the props and overhaul or repair. One thing to note is that on the P model the front prop was increased to 78 inch diameter from the original 76 inch. The rear prop stayed 76 inch. The reasoning behind this change was to achieve the same single engine rate of climb for both engines. The rear was a little better on single than the front so Cessna's cure was increase the diameter of the prop 2 inches on the front to equal the rear in single engine rate of climb. Unfortunately it really put the prop close to the ground and picking up FOD from the front to send it back to the rear prop increased. There are techniques to avoid this problem.

[hharney]

AD's

The airplane really doesn't have a long list of AD's and the list isn't too bad on maintenance or occurrence. The list can be found on the FAA website

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Gu...e?OpenFrameSet

You now have to search Textron Aviation not Cessna

[hharney]

Cessna Support

These airplanes are 30, 40 and 50 years old. Cessna expected the fleet to survive a max of 20 years. Parts and support is there but can be challenging. Third party parts are a way of existence provided by several PMA'ed suppliers and manufacturers. There are expensive but I have heard that Beechcraft is more expensive. It is something that we all must be conscience of as these planes continue to age we need replacement parts and support but it's more from the private guys than Cessna.