diff --git a/eth/downloader/downloader.go b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
index 2b2de1b5f..2f79c2dfd 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/downloader.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ var (
 	blockTTL       = 3 * blockTargetRTT  // [eth/61] Maximum time allowance before a block request is considered expired
 
 	headerTargetRTT  = time.Second          // [eth/62] Target time for completing a header retrieval request (only for measurements for now)
-	headerTTL        = 2 * time.Second      // [eth/62] Time it takes for a header request to time out
+	headerTTL        = 3 * time.Second      // [eth/62] Time it takes for a header request to time out
 	bodyTargetRTT    = 3 * time.Second / 2  // [eth/62] Target time for completing a block body retrieval request
 	bodyTTL          = 3 * bodyTargetRTT    // [eth/62] Maximum time allowance before a block body request is considered expired
 	receiptTargetRTT = 3 * time.Second / 2  // [eth/63] Target time for completing a receipt retrieval request
@@ -1064,7 +1064,7 @@ func (d *Downloader) findAncestor(p *peer, height uint64) (uint64, error) {
 					continue
 				}
 				// Otherwise check if we already know the header or not
-				if (d.mode != LightSync && d.hasBlockAndState(headers[i].Hash())) || (d.mode == LightSync && d.hasHeader(headers[i].Hash())) {
+				if (d.mode == FullSync && d.hasBlockAndState(headers[i].Hash())) || (d.mode != FullSync && d.hasHeader(headers[i].Hash())) {
 					number, hash = headers[i].Number.Uint64(), headers[i].Hash()
 					break
 				}
@@ -1226,21 +1226,24 @@ func (d *Downloader) fetchHeaders(p *peer, from uint64) error {
 
 			// If we received a skeleton batch, resolve internals concurrently
 			if skeleton {
-				filled, err := d.fillHeaderSkeleton(from, headers)
+				filled, proced, err := d.fillHeaderSkeleton(from, headers)
 				if err != nil {
 					glog.V(logger.Debug).Infof("%v: skeleton chain invalid: %v", p, err)
 					return errInvalidChain
 				}
-				headers = filled
+				headers = filled[proced:]
+				from += uint64(proced)
 			}
 			// Insert all the new headers and fetch the next batch
-			glog.V(logger.Detail).Infof("%v: schedule %d headers from #%d", p, len(headers), from)
-			select {
-			case d.headerProcCh <- headers:
-			case <-d.cancelCh:
-				return errCancelHeaderFetch
+			if len(headers) > 0 {
+				glog.V(logger.Detail).Infof("%v: schedule %d headers from #%d", p, len(headers), from)
+				select {
+				case d.headerProcCh <- headers:
+				case <-d.cancelCh:
+					return errCancelHeaderFetch
+				}
+				from += uint64(len(headers))
 			}
-			from += uint64(len(headers))
 			getHeaders(from)
 
 		case <-timeout.C:
@@ -1272,14 +1275,21 @@ func (d *Downloader) fetchHeaders(p *peer, from uint64) error {
 
 // fillHeaderSkeleton concurrently retrieves headers from all our available peers
 // and maps them to the provided skeleton header chain.
-func (d *Downloader) fillHeaderSkeleton(from uint64, skeleton []*types.Header) ([]*types.Header, error) {
+//
+// Any partial results from the beginning of the skeleton is (if possible) forwarded
+// immediately to the header processor to keep the rest of the pipeline full even
+// in the case of header stalls.
+//
+// The method returs the entire filled skeleton and also the number of headers
+// already forwarded for processing.
+func (d *Downloader) fillHeaderSkeleton(from uint64, skeleton []*types.Header) ([]*types.Header, int, error) {
 	glog.V(logger.Debug).Infof("Filling up skeleton from #%d", from)
 	d.queue.ScheduleSkeleton(from, skeleton)
 
 	var (
 		deliver = func(packet dataPack) (int, error) {
 			pack := packet.(*headerPack)
-			return d.queue.DeliverHeaders(pack.peerId, pack.headers)
+			return d.queue.DeliverHeaders(pack.peerId, pack.headers, d.headerProcCh)
 		}
 		expire   = func() map[string]int { return d.queue.ExpireHeaders(headerTTL) }
 		throttle = func() bool { return false }
@@ -1295,7 +1305,9 @@ func (d *Downloader) fillHeaderSkeleton(from uint64, skeleton []*types.Header) (
 		nil, fetch, d.queue.CancelHeaders, capacity, d.peers.HeaderIdlePeers, setIdle, "Header")
 
 	glog.V(logger.Debug).Infof("Skeleton fill terminated: %v", err)
-	return d.queue.RetrieveHeaders(), err
+
+	filled, proced := d.queue.RetrieveHeaders()
+	return filled, proced, err
 }
 
 // fetchBodies iteratively downloads the scheduled block bodies, taking any
diff --git a/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go b/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go
index c013f3d2c..4ea8a8abe 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/downloader_test.go
@@ -1258,6 +1258,7 @@ func testInvalidHeaderRollback(t *testing.T, protocol int, mode SyncMode) {
 	// rolled back, and also the pivot point being reverted to a non-block status.
 	tester.newPeer("block-attack", protocol, hashes, headers, blocks, receipts)
 	missing = 3*fsHeaderSafetyNet + MaxHeaderFetch + 1
+	delete(tester.peerHeaders["fast-attack"], hashes[len(hashes)-missing]) // Make sure the fast-attacker doesn't fill in
 	delete(tester.peerHeaders["block-attack"], hashes[len(hashes)-missing])
 
 	if err := tester.sync("block-attack", nil, mode); err == nil {
diff --git a/eth/downloader/queue.go b/eth/downloader/queue.go
index 1f46d0a4a..dd839de19 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/queue.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/queue.go
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ type queue struct {
 	headerPendPool  map[string]*fetchRequest       // [eth/62] Currently pending header retrieval operations
 	headerDonePool  map[uint64]struct{}            // [eth/62] Set of the completed header fetches
 	headerResults   []*types.Header                // [eth/62] Result cache accumulating the completed headers
+	headerProced    int                            // [eth/62] Number of headers already processed from the results
 	headerOffset    uint64                         // [eth/62] Number of the first header in the result cache
 	headerContCh    chan bool                      // [eth/62] Channel to notify when header download finishes
 
@@ -365,6 +366,7 @@ func (q *queue) ScheduleSkeleton(from uint64, skeleton []*types.Header) {
 	q.headerTaskQueue = prque.New()
 	q.headerPeerMiss = make(map[string]map[uint64]struct{}) // Reset availability to correct invalid chains
 	q.headerResults = make([]*types.Header, len(skeleton)*MaxHeaderFetch)
+	q.headerProced = 0
 	q.headerOffset = from
 	q.headerContCh = make(chan bool, 1)
 
@@ -378,14 +380,14 @@ func (q *queue) ScheduleSkeleton(from uint64, skeleton []*types.Header) {
 
 // RetrieveHeaders retrieves the header chain assemble based on the scheduled
 // skeleton.
-func (q *queue) RetrieveHeaders() []*types.Header {
+func (q *queue) RetrieveHeaders() ([]*types.Header, int) {
 	q.lock.Lock()
 	defer q.lock.Unlock()
 
-	headers := q.headerResults
-	q.headerResults = nil
+	headers, proced := q.headerResults, q.headerProced
+	q.headerResults, q.headerProced = nil, 0
 
-	return headers
+	return headers, proced
 }
 
 // Schedule adds a set of headers for the download queue for scheduling, returning
@@ -976,7 +978,11 @@ func (q *queue) DeliverBlocks(id string, blocks []*types.Block) (int, error) {
 // DeliverHeaders injects a header retrieval response into the header results
 // cache. This method either accepts all headers it received, or none of them
 // if they do not map correctly to the skeleton.
-func (q *queue) DeliverHeaders(id string, headers []*types.Header) (int, error) {
+//
+// If the headers are accepted, the method makes an attempt to deliver the set
+// of ready headers to the processor to keep the pipeline full. However it will
+// not block to prevent stalling other pending deliveries.
+func (q *queue) DeliverHeaders(id string, headers []*types.Header, headerProcCh chan []*types.Header) (int, error) {
 	q.lock.Lock()
 	defer q.lock.Unlock()
 
@@ -1030,10 +1036,27 @@ func (q *queue) DeliverHeaders(id string, headers []*types.Header) (int, error)
 		q.headerTaskQueue.Push(request.From, -float32(request.From))
 		return 0, errors.New("delivery not accepted")
 	}
-	// Clean up a successful fetch, check for termination and return
+	// Clean up a successful fetch and try to deliver any sub-results
 	copy(q.headerResults[request.From-q.headerOffset:], headers)
 	delete(q.headerTaskPool, request.From)
 
+	ready := 0
+	for q.headerProced+ready < len(q.headerResults) && q.headerResults[q.headerProced+ready] != nil {
+		ready += MaxHeaderFetch
+	}
+	if ready > 0 {
+		// Headers are ready for delivery, gather them and push forward (non blocking)
+		process := make([]*types.Header, ready)
+		copy(process, q.headerResults[q.headerProced:q.headerProced+ready])
+
+		select {
+		case headerProcCh <- process:
+			glog.V(logger.Detail).Infof("%s: pre-scheduled %d headers from #%v", id, len(process), process[0].Number)
+			q.headerProced += len(process)
+		default:
+		}
+	}
+	// Check for termination and return
 	if len(q.headerTaskPool) == 0 {
 		q.headerContCh <- false
 	}