On Thu, 2 Sep 2010 17:48:37 -0700 (PDT), John
wrote:

I don't know about the others but my understanding is that the
Skymaster was an attempt to design a twin engined plane that would
have the same overall dimensions as a single engine aircraft and be
safer to fly since it would eliminate asymetric thrust during engine
failure. The ironic thing is that the Skymaster safety record is no
better than a conventional twin.

I flew a Skymaster once. It was the pressurized version. I was
unimpressed by the single engine performance. While there was no
asymetric thrust there was a distince lack of climb capability, too
(with either front or rear out).

Your understanding is correct on the reasoning for the arrangement.
But sometimes there's no substitute for horsepower. ;-)