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Tribute to the U-3A "Blue Canoe"


Bluehawk
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I wrenched on one of these with the following paint configuration for about a year, at Chanute Field. Flew with it a bunch of times during Air Training Command pilot quals and VIP hops. Waxed on it a bunch. My first real GI aircraft out of recip Tech School, and I really have fond memories of the little thing... not a sexy gnarly airplane, but really smooth, responsive, powerful and highly maneuverable for its size. If anyone else here ever had the experience, maybe this will bring back some memories too.

 

Here is Global Security's squib about it:

"Popularly known in the Air Force as the "Blue Canoe," the U-3 is the military version of the Cessna 310 light twin-engine transport. The prototype made its first flight on January 3, 1953. Production for the civilian market began in 1954, and in 1957, the USAF selected the aircraft for service as a light administrative liaison, cargo and utility transport. The Air Force eventually bought 160 of the 310s "off-the-shelf" under the original designation L-27A, later changed to U-3A. Thirty-five more were delivered in 1960-61 as U-3Bs--all weather versions with more powerful engines, additional cabin windows, a longer nose and a swept vertical fin.

The Cessna 310 is representative of one of the smaller twin-engine aircraft offered for business use. The aircraft is a low-wing configuration with an engine mounted in each wing on either side of the fuselage. The aircraft can be had with both normally aspirated engines or with turbosuperchargers. The specifications and performance given in table III are for the aircraft without turbosupercharging. The engines are six-cylinder, horizontally opposed, Continental engines of 285 horsepower each that drive controllable-pitch, full-feathering propellers. The aircraft normally has a seating capacity of five but can be configured for six. Maximum speed is 238 miles per hour at sea level, and cruising speed is 223 miles per hour at 7500 feet. The wings are equipped with split flaps which with a wing loading of 30.7 pounds per square foot result in a stalling speed of 77 miles per hour. The gross weight of the aircraft is 5500 pounds. The Cessna 310 has a zero-lift drag coefficient of 0.0267 and a maximum lift-drag ratio of 13. The Cessna 310 was first flown in January 1953. The aircraft is unpressurized and may be thought of as the smallest of a whole line of Cessna twins, both pressurized and unpressurized."

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Of course, our paint job did not include the MATS and their insignia, but the Canoe came in several paint jobs, and the one above was closest to what mine looked like.

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One time I cannot forget was when I got to go up with a Korea war pilot, a cheerful Major, who let me onto the manifest at Base Ops.

 

He was doing his obligatory quals. One of which was (ahem) an "Emergency dive engines off restart no props turning" :blink:

 

At about 3000 feet or so, he shut off engines, and the nose headed down.

 

He said to me, with a wry smile, "Watch this!" :rolleyes:

 

There we were, headed right straight into the ground, more or less.

 

At a certain moment, he got those engines fired up of course, and we were "miraculously" saved from a not-so-good outcome!

 

Dang, that was fun!

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Another time, on another manifest the Major let me get on, we were going up to Milwaukee from Rantoul - maybe for a recruiting hop?

 

On the way, our leading edge got iced up. The Canoe had inflatable boots of course, but in this instance they were not performing as predicted.

 

His solution? Waggle the wings, shake off the ice!

 

:D

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phantomfixer

Good stories...fond memories cool stuff...as a civilian pilot, we never switched off the engine in flight to practice engine out procedures...just power back to idle,,,carb heat on...to switch off both engines ...ballsy ...

is that the AMC museum's blue canoe?

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Good stories...fond memories cool stuff...as a civilian pilot, we never switched off the engine in flight to practice engine out procedures...just power back to idle,,,carb heat on...to switch off both engines ...ballsy ...

is that the AMC museum's blue canoe?

I swear, that pilot shut them down, feathered, and then started them both up, in nose down diving attitude.

 

That Canoe is somewhere I don't know where. But, the paint job is pretty near correct. I like that Boxcar there in the side background too.

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Come to think of it, not totally sure those props were feathered.

 

They were all stop though, and we were for sure headed on a straight down glide path.

 

The Major kept smiling :D

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mohawkALSE

Nice example. The USAF Museum has one but its hanging from the ceiling so in the dark buildings painted like that its hard to see. Ive always liked less common aircraft that served. The Army used them a little bit too.

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Ive always liked less common aircraft that served. The Army used them a little bit too.

 

Yes they surely did... Maybe I was among the last of the last purely recip (vs turbo or jet) guys, or in the last wave of us. It was an honor, turns out... to serve on them.

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I'm with you BlueHawk. Despite its status (now) as an antique the old straight tail Cessna 310 is one of the nicest looking aircraft ever to grace the skies. Attached pic is of one that is still flying that I've lusted after for some time.

 

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Nice to see a civilian version!

 

The U-3 always seemed like such a solid aircraft, solid, relatively quiet, nice bird.

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Great tribute thread! I work for an air charter company that has three 310Rs. They are still dependable workhorses, we use them for cargo and passenger.

 

Older B models can be had for less than the price of a new pickup truck, $25-35k.

 

https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/24753625/1957-cessna-310b

https://www.controller.com/listings/aircraft/for-sale/25026693/1958-cessna-310

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Yes, there are parts out there from many sources. Not cheap, but out there. We are currently hanging a new engine on a Turbo 310 (T310R) to the tune of about $45k. Another local company ran about a dozen 310s, here's three of them including "Tweety" a yellow 310Q.

 

 

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How great it is to see that bird still in use!

 

One thing I liked most about it was the retractable gear. After gear up, she just seemed to "float" in the wind...

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They are a really handy airplane, nearly 1,000 mile range at 165+ knots carrying 800 pounds of people or freight. One of the airlines we support has their maintenance hub nearby. If an airliner breaks, we use the 310s to pick up mechanics and parts and fly them to the AOG (Aircraft On the Ground). One day this winter, we flew one small box containing a small bypass valve to Atlanta for a major airline. The mechanics were poking fun at us about how we had the smallest (and only) prop plane at ATL. I said, "Yet this little prop plane just delivered the part you need to get that 767 moving."

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mohawkALSE

After my father left the Army and went into the ARNG he started his civ flying career flying light twins like that. Used to to fly Navajos, Barons etc til he got checked out in a jets. Funny there is still a bunch of cargo charters out there like that still all these years later. One of my friends just got hired on as an A&P at one that run all sorts of light air cargo in twins and Lears. I worked on a 310 in A&P school, think it was a 310E if I recall correct.

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SO nice to see other people appreciating the 310!

 

Another story, having also to do with that AF Major mentioned earlier and our U-3A...

 

The one, and only, time I ever got to "take the wheel" by myself on an AF plane, I was sitting in the right seat (for some reason I do not remember at this point), the Major asked if I would like to give it a try. So, I took hold of the wheel and he asked me to come to a certain heading off to the right. Dutifully I watched the indicator, but, as I went that direction, I actually pressed on the rudder pedal as if I was braking going into a curve in a car. Not a good beginning, but he laughed a lot about that... I did too, after the embarrassment wore off.

 

:rolleyes:

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MattS is right of course, about the relatively low cost of entry for buying an early 310. The fixed costs will eat you alive if you don't spring for the cost of a good pre-buy inspection up front. For a pre-1961 (straight tail) 310 I'd rather spend $60-$70K for an aircraft with freshly overhauled landing gear, low time props and engines and avionics that are of post-2000 vintage. Installing a zero time O-470M will cost nearly as much as the $30K paid for one of those early 310s.

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Good points...

 

Question:

Of all possible Cessna aircraft (excluding ones most notable for rarity, historical or age factors), where would the U-3/310 rank on the scale of overall desirability and reliability?

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Swifter echoes the old adage that the purchase price is just the entry price, the real costs on an airplane are in maintenance and fuel. I might be biased, but I think the 310 is one of the most dependable and reliable Cessna twins out there. The high price still commanded by low-time well equipped 310s ($175-250k) is an indicator of this I think. Grissom Air Museum has a rather beat-up Army version on display outside also.

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Good question! I think they retained the U-3A designation even when transferred to the Army.

 

Here's one used by the Kentucky NG: http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Army/Cessna-U-3B-Blue-Canoe-310M-L-27B/651855/L

 

And the USAF Museum one: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/198030/cessna-u-3a/

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