Microsoft Flight Simulator needs the electric Skymaster 337
Microsoft Flight Simulator needs a version of the Cessna Skymaster 337, but as the simulation points towards the future, I would like to have the electric version of the plane. Who dares create it?
The Cessna 337 Skymaster from Carenado has been my go-to airplane for many hours of flight simulation, from the original Microsoft Flight Simulator to X-Plane 11. In fact, I can say I’ve acquired all the commercial versions made available since FSD International launched its version for FS 2004. The package, which was later made compatible — well, almost — with FSX, offered two versions of the airplane, the “H” pressurized and turbocharged version, and the “D” standard model. It also included, as a bonus, the 02A military variant, in normally aspirated configuration which many will want to fly remembering the film that made the Skymaster a hero: Bat 21.
Back in 2011 I wrote one article for the Simflight network about the Cessna 337 Skymaster from Carenado, as the company introduced a High-Definition version. The original article, in Portuguese, no longer is credited to me, due to one of those mysterious things that happen on the web, but anyone familiar with my way of thinking and writting will know it’s mine. I picked from there some info that I believe is important to make my case so, yes, this is going to be, for some, a long article. I believe it is not boring, though, if, like me, you enjoy flying the Skymaster 337.
On the other hand, if you don’t know the plane, then I hope you’ll discover it here and join the group of people who want this aircraft with a unique push-pull configuration of engines in front and behind the cockpit, that make it easier to handle than a regular twin when an engine fails or has to be shut down. Yes, this is a twin-engine machine with unique characteristics.
I am familiar with the real Cessna Skymaster 337 because the aircraft was stationed at the Portuguese AirForce AB1, close to my parents’ home. Used by Sqadron 502 for mail transport and other duties, including multi-engine training of AirForce pilots, I grew up used to see them flying at low altitude over my house, and that helped to fuel my dream of becoming a pilot. I only made it to being a virtual pilot, though. Even as an adult, I kept living within a 10 minute drive from the air base, so I was familiar with the push-pull aircraft, which were kept in service by the PoAF until July 25, 2007, when the remaining fleet was retired. I publish here a picture of one Skymaster at the AirForce Museum, at AB1.
Carenado, don’t be a “me too”: build the Skymaster!
Although I wrote regularly for the PoAF magazine, Mais Alto, about flight simulation, I never had a chance to take a tour in the real Cessna Skymaster 337. Still, I did sit inside some of the 32 aircrafts at the airbase near Sintra, to photograph interiors and cockpits for a project of the Skymaster for flight simulation that I was involved with… ages ago.
Even though I never flew in the real aircraft, I’ve amassed many hundreds (thousands?) of hours flying the Cessna Skymaster 337, from the original versions from FSD International to those from Carenado, which is, as far as I know, the only company that has produced versions of the aircraft for the original Flight Simulator, Prepar3D and X-Plane 11. I’ve all of them and now with Microsoft Flight Simulator from Asobo running on my machine, I urgently need a company to recreate a version of the, from my point of view, most exciting push-pull aircraft in History.
Carenado’s decision to announce, recently, a PA-28R for Microsoft Flight Simulator when Just Flight is just about to launch the PA-28R Piper Arrow III and the PA-28 Turbo Arrow III/IV made someone comment this: “Hey, Carenado, instead of a ‘me, too’ aircraft, how about dusting off the Skymaster and bringing something different and cool to MSFS?”
This recent comment and others that I have seen online at different forums, confirm that I am not alone: more people want to have a Cessna Skymaster 337, like I do. I want the classic version but, hey, we’re living through changing times and maybe having an electric Skymaster 337 is a good idea too. I am not even asking for a fictional aircraft, as there are, not one but two projects which use electric power to move the classic airframe.
Not one but two electric Skymasters!
The Ampaire Electric EEL is a hybrid electric aircraft developed by U.S. startup Ampaire, established in Hawthorne, California. The forward piston engine of a Cessna 337 Skymaster (a push-pull aircraft) is replaced by an electric motor powered by a battery, in a parallel hybrid configuration. The demonstrator first flew on 6 June 2019.
The second project, from French company VoltAero, assembled a testbed based on the Cessna 337 Skymaster that had its first test flights also in 2019 and a demonstration flight on October 11, 2020. VoltAero developed in 2011 the Electric Cri-Cri, an ultra-lightweight airplane powered by four electric motors. With a propulsive power of 20 kilowatts, this single-seat aircraft provided highly valuable knowledge in areas of battery charging and electric system integration. The Cri-Cri is also available in Microsoft Flight Simulator, so maybe the developer of the title can explore the concept of an electric version. Just my two cents!
Here I want to explore the idea of an electric or hybrid Cessna 337 Skymaster, to contribute to less pollution, even in the virtual skies. The VoltAero version uses a Skymaster 337 as testbed, but the aircraft is different from the original, as the front engine is removed and two forward facing engines are mounted on the wings. It looks like a mix of the Skymaster 337, and the deHavilland Mosquito, and the final version, under the name Cassio 1, will, apparently, be much different, with a more futuristic look.
The Ampaire Electric EEL is different: Ampaire says it is primarily a testbed aircraft for the development of high-powered electronics, inverters, motors, and related systems. It is a platform for developing scalable technology and certification processes. But the EEL can also serve owner-flown, charter and short-haul regional airline/cargo carriers. With cost savings in terms of fuel that amount to 50–70% and a reduction in maintenance costs around 25–50%, the Ampaire Electric EEL is being used in two projects by ARPA-E and Mokulele Airlines.
An electric aircraft for island hopping
ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy), a branch of the U.S. Energy Department, has entrusted Ampaire to develop its new in-flight testbed aircraft, for deploying advanced technologies in a real flight environment. With it, ARPA-E can test new power distribution systems, high power electronics, inverters, electric motors, propellers, ducted fans, batteries, fuel cells, and even high-efficiency combustion engines.
Ampaire is also working with Mokulele Airlines to demonstrate the value of electric aviation in Hawaii, for island hopping. The state’s challenging geography makes surface transport arduous and inefficient. Ampaire’s electric technology yields significant cuts in operating costs, allowing faster and more frequent travel among the islands’ small airports. This demonstration, supported by Elemental Excelerator, allows Ampaire to fly a series of mock-operational flights with typical payloads.
The Ampaire Electric EEL is a testbed aircraft but also an interesting concept for short-haul regional flights which can be used today. For island hopping in Microsoft Flight Simulator it’s an interesting forward looking project based on the original frame of the Cessna Skymaster 337. I also believe that due to its system of propulsion, it introduces new operation processes and strategies, something that I would like to be able to explore in a simulation. How different will it be to fly the hybrid version of the Skymaster 337?
Can Asobo bring back the Reims Skymaster 337?
The Ampaire Electric EEL is, apparently, different from the VoltAero version, and because it keeps the original airframe, I would like to see it developed for Microsoft Flight Simulator, either by Carenado, who has done the most recent versions of the Skymaster 337, or another developer. It’s true that this is a niche aifrcraft, but I sincerely believe that the more people get to try it, the more Skymaster 337 planes we will see flying the virtual skies.
Also, as a last note, here goes a challenge for Asobo. As the production of the Cessna Skymaster 337 was centered in Reims, France for the last part of production, from 1982 onwards, maybe Asobo could explore the idea and bring the aircraft back to life. Nothing better than a French company to rebuild the Reims version of the 337 and add it an electric/hybrid propulsion system.
In the end, the most important thing is that we get the Cessna Skymaster 337 as a flyable option in Microsoft Flight Simulator. If possible, with the classic versions: standard and pressurized turbocharged… with the classic engine sound, and an electric/hybrid version included as option. One request more: make it work with a Virtual Reality headset, as that’s the only way I fly now.
