N56S

N56S is a Cessna 337 Skymaster, a twin-engine piston aircraft operated by LEMBERGER JOHN R. SkyMeter has tracked 88 flights totalling 137 hours of airtime via ADS-B. The most frequent segment is KAUS to KAUS. Service window in our records spans 385 days. Of those flights, 24 (27.3%) carry at least one detected incident — go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Cessna 337 Skymaster has a maximum takeoff weight of 4,630 lb, light wake category.

About the Cessna 337 Skymaster

The Cessna 337 Skymaster is one of aviation's most distinctive light twins, instantly recognizable by its push-pull centerline engine configuration — one tractor propeller on the nose, one pusher on the tail boom. Introduced in 1965, this unconventional layout solved the most dangerous problem facing conventional twin pilots: asymmetric thrust after an engine failure. With both engines mounted on the fuselage centerline, the Skymaster eliminates the yaw and roll forces that cause loss-of-control accidents in traditional twins, making single-engine handling straightforward enough that Cessna marketed it as "the twin-engine aircraft that flies like a single." The military adopted the design as the O-2 Skymaster for forward air control missions in Vietnam, where its excellent visibility, slow-speed handling, and engine redundancy proved ideal for low-altitude reconnaissance and target marking over hostile territory.

Powered by a pair of Continental IO-360 engines producing 210 horsepower each, the civilian 337 cruises around 170 knots and carries up to six occupants with a useful load near 1,600 pounds. Its fixed landing gear and relatively simple systems made it popular with owner-pilots seeking twin-engine safety without the complexity and operating costs of retractable-gear twins like the Cessna 310 or Piper Aztec. The high-mounted wing and twin-boom empennage provide excellent downward visibility, a feature prized by pipeline patrol operators, fish spotters, and aerial surveyors who became the type's most loyal operators after production ended in 1980.

Today the Skymaster occupies a unique niche in general aviation — too slow and thirsty for serious cross-country travel compared to modern singles, yet valued by pilots who appreciate its docile single-engine characteristics and those who need the mission flexibility of twin-engine redundancy for overwater or remote operations. SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with the largest observed operator.