37-696: The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster , used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010. In 1966, the United States Air Force (USAF) commissioned Cessna to build a military variant of the Model 337 Skymaster to supplement the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog in
74-406: A conventional twin-engine aircraft, primarily in that if an engine fails, the plane will not yaw toward that engine. Without the issue of differential thrust inherent to conventional (engine-on-wing) twins, engine failure on takeoff will not produce yaw from the runway heading. With no one-engine-out minimum controllable speed (Vmc), in-flight control at any flying speed with an engine inoperative
111-636: A dorsal air scoop for the rear engine. (The "Super" prefix was subsequently dropped from the name.) In 1966, the turbocharged T337 was introduced, and in 1973, the pressurized P337G entered production. Cessna built 2993 Skymasters of all variants, including 513 military O-2 versions. Production in America ended in 1982, but was continued by Reims in France, with the FTB337 STOL and the military FTMA Milirole . The Skymaster handles differently from
148-417: A few months prior to the actual calendar year. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969–70 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Yuma Proving Ground Yuma Proving Ground ( YPG ) is a United States Army series of environmentally specific test centers with its Yuma Test Center (YTC) being one of
185-691: A leaflet dispenser for use in the psychological operations (PSYOPS) role. While it was intended that the Skymaster be replaced in the FAC mission by the OV-10 Bronco , the O-2A continued to be used for night missions after the OV-10's introduction, due to the OV-10's high level of cockpit illumination, rendering night reconnaissance impractical. The O-2 was phased out completely after additional night upgrades to
222-649: A second facility in 1865, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot , to act as a supply base for Army posts throughout Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Supplies were delivered by riverboats and transported from the depot to military outposts by wagon. After Fort Yuma and the Yuma Quartermaster Depot closed in the 1880s, the Army did not return to Yuma on a permanent basis until World War II. Yuma Proving Ground traces its history to Camp Laguna and
259-612: A unique sound. The Cessna O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna Model 337 Super Skymaster. The first Skymaster, Model 336 Skymaster, had fixed landing gear and initially flew on February 28, 1961. It went into production in May 1963 with 195 being produced through mid-1964. In February 1965, Cessna introduced the Model 337 Super Skymaster. The model was larger, and had more powerful engines, retractable landing gear, and
296-534: Is "environmental testing," which makes the proving ground the Army's environmental test expert. The presence of the U.S. Army in Yuma goes back to 1850, when Fort Yuma was constructed on a hill overlooking the important Yuma crossing of the Colorado River. Soldiers at Fort Yuma maintained peace and protected the important Yuma crossing, which was used by thousands of travelers each year. The Army constructed
333-450: Is an American twin-engine civil utility aircraft built in a push-pull configuration . Its engines are mounted in the nose and rear of its pod-style fuselage. Twin booms extend aft of the wings to the vertical stabilizers , with the rear engine between them. The horizontal stabilizer is aft of the pusher propeller , mounted between and connecting the two booms. The combined tractor and pusher engines produce centerline thrust and
370-524: Is not as critical as it is with engines on the wing with the associated leverage; however, performance in speed and, particularly, rate of climb are affected. Flying a Skymaster requires a pilot to hold a multiengine rating, although many countries issue a special "centerline thrust rating" for the Skymaster and other similarly configured aircraft. Ground handling requires certain attention and procedures. The rear engine tends to overheat and can quit while taxiing on very hot days. Accidents have occurred when
407-967: Is the largest employer in Yuma County. In a typical year, over 500,000 artillery, mortar and missile rounds are fired, 36,000 parachute drops take place, 200,000 miles (320,000 km) are driven on military vehicles, and over 4,000 air sorties are flown from YTC's Laguna Army Airfield . About 10 percent of the YTC's workload is training. In a typical year, dozens of units come to the facility for realistic desert training, especially before deploying overseas. YTC's clean air, low humidity, skimpy rainfall – only about 3 inches (76 mm) per year – and annual average of 350 sunny days, add up to almost perfect testing and training conditions. Urban encroachment and noise concerns are nonexistent problems, unlike at many other military installations. YTC tests improvised explosive devices , commonly known as IEDs,
SECTION 10
#1732790764549444-640: The A-7 Corsair II at Naval Air Station Lemoore , California. These aircraft were later transferred to Strike Fighter Squadron 125 ( VFA-125 ), the F/A-18 Hornet FRS at NAS Lemoore, in 1986 for use in the same range control role. These O-2A aircraft were eventually replaced by T-34C Turbomentor aircraft transferred from the Naval Air Training Command. Of the six USN aircraft mentioned above, two were transferred to
481-709: The Cuban exile group Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue) used Skymasters, among other aircraft, to fly search and rescue missions over the Florida Straits looking for rafters attempting to cross the straits to defect from Cuba, and when they found them, dropped life-saving supplies to them. Rescues were coordinated with the US Coast Guard , which worked closely with the group. They chose Skymasters because their high wing offered better visibility of
518-605: The U.S. Army in late 1990. USAF O-2As were augmented by the 1990 aircraft transfer from the Navy. Several disassembled USAF O-2s remain in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB , Arizona. Two O-2As were used at Laguna Army Airfield , Arizona as part of testing programs carried out by the Yuma Proving Ground . These were retired in October 2010 and sent to a museum. 35 USAF O-2 aircraft were later transferred to and operated by
555-610: The Army Corps of Engineers Yuma Test Branch, both activated in 1943. Located on the Colorado River, the Yuma Test Branch conducted testing on combat bridges, amphibious vehicles, and boats. Tens of thousands of mechanized and infantry soldiers were trained at Camp Laguna for duty at combat fronts throughout the world, from North Africa to the South Pacific. Abandoned campsites and tank trails can still be found on
592-588: The O-2A also entered the U.S. Army's inventory during 1967, from USAF stock. By June 1970, when production stopped, a total of 532 O-2s had been built for the USAF. During the Vietnam War , the O-2A was introduced as a replacement for the O-1 Bird Dog , in the forward air control (FAC) aircraft and served in that role with the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron . The O-2B was equipped with loudspeakers and
629-615: The OV-10. A total of 178 USAF O-2 Skymasters were lost in the Vietnam War, to all causes. Following the Vietnam War, the O-2 continued to operate with both U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard units into the late 1980s. Six former USAF O-2A airframes were transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1983 for use as range controllers with Attack Squadron 122 (VA-122), the Pacific Fleet Replacement Squadron for
666-635: The Reims-Cessna FTB 337G 'Lynx' was the main light attack aircraft used by Rhodesian Security Forces during Fire Force counterinsurgency air assault missions, which began in 1974. The Lynxes were armed with twin Browning .303 machine guns mounted above the wing and 37mm SNEB rockets, locally made Mini "Alpha" Bombs ( cluster bombs ), Mini "Golf" Bombs (450 lb (200 kg) blast and shrapnel bomb) and Frantan (a napalm variant carried in frangible drop tanks) bombs. From 1991 until 2001
703-620: The YTC in an area almost completely removed from urban encroachment and noise concerns. Restricted airspace controlled by the test center amounts to over 2,000 square miles (5,000 km ). YTC has the longest overland artillery range (40 miles or 64 kilometres) in the nation, the most highly instrumented helicopter armament test range in the Department of Defense , over 200 miles (300 km) of improved road courses for testing tracked and wheeled military vehicles, over 600 miles (1,000 km) of fiber-optic cable linking test locations, and
740-641: The aircraft. Modifications made for the military configuration included fore-and-aft seating for a pilot and observer, instead of the six seats of the civilian version; installation of view panels in the doors (for improved ground observation); installation of flame-retardant foam in the wing-mounted fuel tanks (slightly increasing weight, and reducing maximum fuel capacity by 3%); installation of military, rather than civilian, communication and navigation equipment and antennas; removal of propeller spinners ; increased gross weight (5,400 lb vs. 4,400 lb in civilian version), with component strengthening as required to support
777-452: The bulk of the workload. A heavy investment in technology and a highly skilled soldier-civilian workforce makes the proving ground a significant social and economic component of the local community. YTC encompasses 1,307.8 square miles (3,387.2 km²) of the northwestern Sonoran Desert and conducts tests on nearly every weapon in the ground combat arsenal . Nearly all the long-range artillery testing for U.S. ground forces takes place at
SECTION 20
#1732790764549814-565: The department's new air tanker program. In 1974, Senior Air Operations Officer Cotton Mason inspected 40 USAF O-2s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base . The best 20 were selected and shipped to Fresno, California . These aircraft had been FAC aircraft in Vietnam and were shipped back to the United States in containers, and were disassembled and on pallets when they arrived at Fresno. A crew of California Conservation Corps (CCC) members under
851-465: The facility at a cost of more than $ 100 million after closing its desert automotive test facility in Mesa, Arizona, that had been in operation since 1953. The new facility allows General Motors and Army automotive testers to test their wheeled vehicles all year-round. YTC offers the following for testing, evaluation, and training purposes: Yuma Proving Ground is a census-designated place (CDP) covering
888-548: The former Republic of Vietnam Air Force . During the Salvadoran Civil War , the Salvadoran Air Force received a total of 23 O-2As and 2 O-2Bs from the United States, the first arriving in 1981. They were employed to observe the movements of FMLN formations and direct air strikes against them, playing a major role in forcing the rebel movement to abandon large-scale operations. Near the end of
925-544: The front propeller and over the airframe while its front tractor propeller addresses undisturbed air. From 1976 until the middle 1990s, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection used O-2 variants of the 337 Skymaster as tactical aircraft during firefighting operations. These were replaced with North American OV-10 Broncos , starting in 1993. During the Rhodesian Bush War ,
962-575: The increase; and removal of interior upholstery. The O-2 first flew in January 1967, and the plane went into production shortly thereafter in March. Performance (especially at cruising altitudes) was degraded due to the added antennas and significant weight increase, but was considered sufficient for the anticipated low-level operation. The USAF took delivery of the O-2 Skymaster in March 1967 and
999-443: The largest military installations in the world. It is subordinate to the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command . YPG's headquarters is located at its YTC in southwestern La Paz County and western Yuma County in southwest Arizona , United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of the city of Yuma . Of the four extreme natural environments recognized as critical in the testing of military equipment, three fall under
1036-583: The management authority of YPG. Realistic natural environment testing ensures that American military equipment performs as advertised, wherever deployed around the world. YPG manages military equipment and munitions testing at three locations: The Arctic Regions Test Center at Fort Greely, Alaska ; the Tropic Regions Test Center operating in Panama , Honduras , Suriname , and Hawaii ; and at YTC. The common link between these test centers
1073-488: The most modern mine and demolitions test facility in the western hemisphere. Realistic villages and road networks representing urban areas in Southwest Asia have been constructed and are used for testing counter-measures to the threat of roadside bombs. It is estimated that the track can be used to test about 80 percent of the Army's wheeled vehicle fleet. More than 3,000 people, mostly civilians, work at YTC, which
1110-520: The number-one killer of American service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan . Hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles fly at the proving ground each year from the six airfields located at YTC, as do helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft conducting personnel and cargo parachute drops. Many friendly foreign nations also visit YTC to conduct test programs. The General Motors Desert Proving Ground – Yuma opened at YTC in late July 2009. General Motors built
1147-677: The proving ground. Camp Laguna lasted only until the end of World War II. The Yuma Test Branch was closed in 1949 and reactivated two years later as the Yuma Test Station, under the operational control of the Sixth U.S. Army. In 1962, the station was named Yuma Proving Ground and reassigned to the U. S. Army Materiel Command as an important component of the Test and Evaluation Command. On 26 July 1973, it officially received its full name – U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground. The following year it
Cessna O-2 Skymaster - Misplaced Pages Continue
1184-444: The role of forward air control . Both the civilian and military Skymasters were low-cost twin-engine piston-powered aircraft, with one engine in the nose of the aircraft and a second in the rear of the fuselage. The push-pull configuration provided centerline thrust, allowing simpler operation than the low-wing mounting of most twin-engine light aircraft, and allowed a high wing to be used, providing clear observation below and behind
1221-456: The runway is shorter than the single-engine take-off roll and pilots, unaware of a rear engine shutdown, have attempted take-off on the nose engine alone. Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Directive 77-08-05 prohibits single-engine take-offs and requires the installation of a placard marked "DO NOT INITIATE SINGLE ENGINE TAKEOFF". The Skymaster's unique sound is made by its rear pusher propeller slicing through turbulent air from
1258-566: The supervision of a CDF Battalion Chief, who was an FAA Certificated Mechanic with Inspection Authorization (IA), reassembled the aircraft. They were placed in service in 1976, and served CAL FIRE for more than 20 years, until replaced by a fleet of OV-10 Broncos . Data from General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era [REDACTED] Media related to Cessna O-2 Skymaster at Wikimedia Commons Cessna Skymaster The Cessna Skymaster
1295-425: The war in 1990, the rebels' acquisition of SA-7 missiles resulted in the loss of two O-2As, while another was destroyed by mortar fire, and two more were lost in crashes. In the mid-1970s, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection , or CAL FIRE, found that the contractor-owned air attack aircraft, mostly single-engine Cessna 182s and Cessna 210s , did not provide the airspeed and safety needed for
1332-707: The waters below, they were reliable and easy to fly for long-duration missions (averaging 7 hours), and they added a margin of safety with twin-engine centerline thrust. In 1996, two of the Brothers to the Rescue Skymasters were shot down by the Cuban Air Force over international waters. Both aircraft were downed by a MiG-29 , while a second jet fighter, a MiG-23 , orbited nearby. Cessna has historically used model years similar to U.S. auto manufacturers, with sales of new models typically starting
1369-462: Was designated as a Department of Defense Major Range and Test Facility Base. Since its early days, Yuma Proving Ground has been a desert environmental test center for all types of military equipment and materiel. However, developmental and a variety of other types of testing of artillery systems and ammunition, aircraft armament and targeting systems, mobility equipment, and air delivery systems, not necessarily desert environmental-related, now comprise
#548451