| Aero Commander | |
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HW100 - 45000
UAW55 - 105000 RRW100 - 175000 PKRR - 7500 |
Aero Commander Aero Commander Formerly - Aero Design and Engineering Company Industry - Aerospace Founded - 1944 Founder - Rufus Travis Amis / Ted Smith Defunct - 1986 Parent - Rockwell-Standard, (1958-1981) / Gulfstream Aerospace, (1981-1986) Aero Commander was an aircraft manufacturer formed in 1944. In subsequent years, it became a subsidiary of Rockwell International and Gulfstream Aerospace. The company ceased aircraft production in 1986. History Aero was formed in Culver City, California, in 1944 to design and manufacture a light twin-engined transport aircraft. Ted Smith, a former project engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company, assembled a team of 14 engineers to design what would be the Aero Commander. Preliminary design was completed in 1946. The first prototype took flight on April 23, 1948, and was certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in June, 1950. Three men funded the company's early efforts: Philadelphia attorney George Pew and Oklahoma City brothers William and Rufus Travis Amis. In September 1950, it became the Aero Design and Engineering Company of Oklahoma. Its facilities consisted of an aircraft hangar and 26,000 sq ft (2,400 m2) manufacturing facility located at what is now Wiley Post Airport near Oklahoma City. In August 1951, the first production Aero Commander, the piston-engined model 520, rolled off the assembly line. It was designed as a business class twin-engine aircraft for corporate travelers. In 1954, the 520 was replaced by the 560 and 560A featuring a larger cabin and more powerful Lycoming piston engines. In 1955, the U.S. Air Force selected the Aero Commander as the personal transport for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, ordering 15 aircraft, two of which were used by The White House. This aircraft was a military version of the Aero Commander and was assigned a liaison function. It was used by Eisenhower to travel from Washington, D.C. to his farm at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In 1958, the Company introduced the first pressurized business aircraft in the form of the model 720 Alti-Cruiser. The company was acquired by Rockwell-Standard in 1958 and changed its name to Aero Commander Inc. in late 1960. The aircraft added fuel injection engines and other modifications to increase performance, resulting in the 1960 introduction of the Twin Commander. With the advent of the small gas turbine engine, the 680 T model was released in 1964, followed by the 690 series in 1971, and the JetProp series in 1979. The company later incorporated other aircraft types developed at smaller companies and marketed them as components of the Aero Commander line. It also developed a business-twinjet, the 1121 Jet Commander. The production of this aircraft was delayed with the company finally delivering to its first customer, Timken Roller Bearing Corporation, on January 11, 1965. Aero Commander sold the manufacturing rights to Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), who produced it as the Westwind. In February 1981, Rockwell International sold the Aero Commander division to Gulfstream Aerospace. The final Twin Commander model 1000, released in the early 1980s, was powered by Dash 10 engines. In December 1985, Gulfstream Aerospace was acquired by Chrysler Corp. With a new focus on the business jet market, production of the Twin Commander ended in 1986. In 1989, the Twin Commander Aircraft subsidiary of Gulfstream was acquired by Precision Aerospace Corporation. With this acquisition, the company transformed from an aircraft manufacturer to an OEM parts, service, and support provider. In 2003, the company was reincorporated as Twin Commander Aircraft, LLC. In 2005, the company was acquired from Precision in a management buyout. Aircraft Model name - First flight - Number built - Type Aero Commander 100 - - 548 - Single engine cabin monoplane Aero Commander 200 - - 76 - Single engine cabin monoplane Ag Commander A-9 - - - Single engine agricultural monoplane Ag Commander S-2 Thrush - - - Single engine agricultural monoplane Aero Commander 500 - 1948 - - Twin engine utility monoplane Aero Commander 1121 Jet Commander - 1963 - 150 - Twin engine business monoplane Ag Commander was a brand name used by Aero Commander for their line of agricultural aircraft. Two unrelated aircraft were marketed under this name: the CallAir A-9, sold as the Ag Commander A-9 and B-9, and the Ayres Thrush (aka the Snow S-2), sold as the Ag Commander S-2. Both aircraft were originally the products of smaller manufacturers that Aero Commander had purchased. The Ag Commander brand was dropped in 1970 when Rockwell dissolved the Aero Commander division. Aero Commander 100 Aero Commander 100 / Darter Commander Role - Light aircraft National origin - United States Manufacturer - Volaircraft/Aero Commander First flight - 1960 The Aero Commander 100, various models of which were known as the Darter Commander and Lark Commander was an American light aircraft produced in the 1960s. It was a high-wing monoplane of conventional design, equipped with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Design and development The aircraft was originally designed by Volaircraft, first flying in 1960. The firm marketed the original three-seat version as the Volaire 1035 and a four-seat version with a more powerful engine as the Volaire 1050 before North American Rockwell purchased all rights to the design on July 12, 1965, for production by its Aero Commander division. Production of the Darter Commander version continued until 1969 and of the revised Lark Commander until 1971 (by which time, Rockwell had dropped the Aero Commander brand name). A Volaire 1050 was exhibited at the 1966 Hanover Air Show and later sold to Finland. Other examples of the type were exported to Australia and Canada. Finding the light aircraft market too competitive for its liking, Rockwell ceased production of the Lark Commander in 1971 and sold the rights to all versions of the aircraft to Phoenix Aircraft of Euclid, Ohio, but this company never actually put it into production. Variants Volaircraft 1. Model 10 - prototypes. 2. Volaire 1035 - three-seat production version powered by Lycoming O-290. 3. Volaire 1050 - four-seat production version powered by Lycoming O-320. Aero Commander/Rockwell 1. Aero Commander 100 - alias Volaire 1050. - Aero Commander 100A - alias Volaire 1035. - Darter Commander - 100 with revised windows and other minor modifications. 2. Lark Commander 180 - revised aerodynamics, with swept fin and rudder and 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming O-360-A2F engine. Production from 1968. Specifications (Darter Commander) Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969-70 General characteristics Crew: 1 Capacity: 3 passengers Length: 22 ft 6 in (6.86 m) Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m) Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) Wing area: 181 sq ft (16.8 m2) Empty weight: 1,280 lb (581 kg) Max takeoff weight: 2,250 lb (1,021 kg) Fuel capacity: 44 US Gallons (166.5 L) Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320-A air-cooled flat-four, 150 hp (110 kW) Performance Maximum speed: 133 mph (214 km/h, 116 kn) Cruise speed: 128 mph (206 km/h, 111 kn) at 7,500 ft (2,285 m) (75% power) Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn) flaps down Never exceed speed: 170 mph (270 km/h, 150 kn) Range: 510 mi (820 km, 440 nmi) Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (4,000 m) Rate of climb: 785 ft/min (3.99 m/s) Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Cessna 172 Aero Commander 500 family (Aero Commander 500) Aero Commander twins Role - Utility and business aircraft Manufacturer - Aero Design and Engineering Company / Aero Commander / Rockwell-Standard Corporation / North American Rockwell / Rockwell International / Gulfstream Aerospace First flight - 23 April 1948 (Model L3085) Introduction - October 1952 Produced - 1951-1986 Number built - ~2,902 (1951 pistons, 951 turboprops) The Aero Commander 500 family is a series of light-twin piston-engined and turboprop aircraft originally built by the Aero Design and Engineering Company in the late 1940s, renamed the Aero Commander company in 1950, and a division of Rockwell International from 1965. The initial production version was the 200-mph, seven-seat Aero Commander 520. An improved version, the 500S, manufactured after 1967, is known as the Shrike Commander. Larger variants are known by numerous model names and designations, ranging up to the 330-mph, 11-seat Model 695B/Jetprop 1000B turboprop. Design and development The idea for the Commander light business twin was conceived by Ted Smith, a project engineer at the Douglas Aircraft Company. Working part-time after hours throughout 1944, a group of A-20 engineers formed the Aero Design and Engineering Company to design and build the proposed aircraft with a layout similar to their A-20 bomber. Originally, the new company was going to build three pre-production aircraft, but as the first aircraft was being built, they decided to build just one prototype. The final configuration was completed in July 1946 and was designated the Model L3805. Registered NX1946, the prototype first flew on 23 April 1948. The L3805 accommodated up to five people and was powered by two Lycoming O-435-A piston engines., it was an all-metal high-wing monoplane with retractable undercarriage using components from a Vultee BT-13 Valiant. The market segment planned for this aircraft to be sold to small feeder airliner firms and was originally designed to carry seven passengers, but instead found use in the private business aircraft and military market. Walter Beech test flew the aircraft in 1949 and expressed interest in buying the project, but passed on it, to instead develop the Beechcraft Twin Bonanza. Fairchild Aircraft also evaluated the prototype at its Hagerstown, Maryland, headquarters. The prototype flew successfully and the company leased, at no cost, a new 26,000 square-foot factory at Bethany near Oklahoma City to build a production version, certified on 30 June 1950. Nearly 10,000 hours of redesign work went into the model, including more powerful Lycoming GO-435-C2 engines, with a combined rating of 520 horsepower. The production model was named the Commander 520. The first Commander 520 was rolled out of the new factory in August 1951. Serial number 1 was used as a demonstrator, then sold in October 1952 to the Asahi Shimbun Press Company of Tokyo. Operational history In military service, it was initially designated the L-26, though in 1962 this was changed to U-4 for the United States Air Force and U-9 for the United States Army. Under ownership of Rockwell in the 1960s, World War II pilot R. A. "Bob" Hoover demonstrated the Shrike Commander 500S for decades in a variety of "managed energy" routines, including single-engine and engine-out aerobatics. His Shrike Commander is displayed in the colors of his last sponsor, Evergreen International Aviation, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Bob Odegaard continued the tradition in 2012, flying a 1975 Shrike 500S in a Bob Hoover tribute routine. One U-4B became a presidential transport aircraft for Dwight D. Eisenhower between 1956 and 1960. This was the smallest "Air Force One," and the first to wear the now-familiar blue-and-white livery. This aircraft is now owned by the Commemorative Air Force. As of 2004, Shrike Commanders remained in service with the United States Coast Guard and United States Customs Service. A single 560F was operated by the Belgian Air Force as the personal transport of the late king Baudouin of Belgium from 1961 to 1973. The unpressurized, long-fuselage 680FL was operated as a small package freighter by Combs Freightair in the 1970s and 1980s, and by Suburban Air Freight in the 1980s and 1990s. The aircraft was popular with pilots, because it was extremely "pilot friendly" and with its 380 hp supercharged engines did well in icing meteorological conditions. A number are still operated on contracts for cargo and fire control applications, as their piston engines offer good fuel specifics at low altitudes and longer loiter times. Single-engine safety In 1950, when the developers were working to satisfy Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) regulations for certification of the 500, they chose a novel method of demonstrating its single-engine safety and performance: they removed one of the two-bladed propellers, secured it in the aft cabin, and flew from Bethany to Washington, D.C. on one engine. There they met with CAA personnel, then replaced the propeller and returned to Oklahoma in the conventional manner. The flight received nationwide coverage in the press. In 1979, the National Transportation Safety Board reviewed light-twin engine-failure accidents, involving the 24 most popular model-groups of light twins between 1972 and 1976. They found that the piston-engined twin-Commanders had averaged slightly over 3.4 engine-failure accidents per hundred-thousand hours, the second worst number of all aircraft under review. The most engine failures were suffered by the small-engine versions of the Piper Apache, at 6.9 failures per hundred thousand hours; the third-worst, the Beechcraft Travel Air, averaged 2.9 failures; the average for all models was only 1.6. Countering the statistical evidence, Rockwell demonstration pilot Bob Hoover's famous airshow stunt routine, with the Shrike Commander, included a full aerobatic routine performed first with both engines, then with one engine out (and the critical engine, at that), then both engines out, and gliding. Then in his final airshow performance, in a supreme demonstration of conservation of momentum, he did all that, then landed the Shrike Commander dead stick (engines off), coasted the airplane down the runway then from the runway down the taxiway and silently let the craft roll slowly to a full stop right in front of the crowd. The turboprop twin-Commanders - with much more powerful engines (and most with longer bodies, allowing greater rudder leverage, critical for single-engine control) - came out on the opposite end of the rankings, with one of the lowest rates of engine-failure accidents of all "light" twins examined, at only 0.4 per hundred-thousand hours. Wing spar fatigue Beginning in June 1991, senior engineers met with FAA officials to discuss concerns over the Aero Commander's main wing spar, which was believed to be susceptible to stress fatigue and subsequent cracking, and was believed to have resulted in a number of fatal crashes. From approximately 1961 to 1993, 24 aircraft crashed when spar failures caused the loss of the wing in flight. 35 more spars were found cracked during inspections. Variants Type certificate data sheet 6A1 and 2A4 model - name - approved - TC - engines - power - MTOW - ceiling - seats - fuel - built L.3805 - - - - - - - - - - 1 520 - - 1952-01-31 - 6A1 - 2× GO-435-C2/C2B - 2× 260 - 5500-5700 - - 5 - 145 - 150 560 - - 1954-05-28 - 6A1 - 2× GO-480-B/B1C - 2× 270 - 6000 - - 7 - 145 - 80 more powerful 520 with increased weight and swept tail, revised wing, landing gear, fuselage, vertical tail, and primary control system 560A - - 1955-07-01 - 6A1 - 2× GO-480-D/C/G - 2× 275 - 6000 - - 7 - 156 - 560 with longer fuselage, revised engine installation, wing, landing gear, fuel and oil systems 560E - - 1957-02-21 - 6A1 - 2× GO-480-C/G - 2× 295 - 6500 - - 7 - 223 - 93 560A with Larger wings and greater payload, revised engine installation, wing, wheel and brake installation, fuel system with outboard tanks, and landing gear location 560F - - 1961-02-08 - 2A4 - 2× IGO-540-B - 2× 350 - 7500 - - 7 - 223 - 680F with unsupercharged engine and reduced gross weight 360 - - - - - 2× 180 - - - 4 - - 1 Lightened 560E 500 - - 1958-07-24 - 6A1 - 2× O-540-A2B - 2× 250 - 6000 - - 7 - 156 - 101 560E with decreased gross weight, powerplants, and 560A landing gear 500A - Aero Commander - 1960-04-07 - 6A1 - 2× IO-470-M - 2× 260 - 6000 - - 7 - 156 - 99 500 with new nacelles, fuel injection engine and new landing gear 500B - - 1960-07-13 - 6A1 - 2× IO-540-B/E - 2× 290 - 6750 - - 7 - 156 - 217 500A with fuel injection 500U - Shrike Commander - 1964-12-11 - 6A1 - 2× IO-540-E - 2× 290 - 6750 - - 7 - 156 - 56 500B with pointed nose and squared off tail 500S - Shrike Commander - 1968-03-15 - 6A1 - 2× IO-540-E - 2× 290 - 6750 - - 7 - 156 - 316 500U with minor changes 680 Super - L-26C → U-4B L-26C → U-9C - 1955-10-14 - 2A4 - 2× GSO-480-A1A6 - 2× 340 - 7000 - - 7 - 223 - 254 supercharged 560A 680E - - 1958-06-19 - 2A4 - 2× GSO-480-B1A6 - 2× 340 - 7500 - - 7 - 223 - 100 680 with Lightened 560E/560A type undercarriage, extended wing and increased maximum weight 720 - AltiCruiser - 1958-12-05 - 2A4 - 2× GSO-480-B1A6 - 2× 340 - 7500 - - 6 - 223 - 13 Pressurized 680-E, structural modifications to the fuselage, extended wing and increased maximum weight 680F - - 1960-08-23 - 2A4 - 2× IGSO-540-B - 2× 380 - 8000 - - 7 - 223 - 126 680E with fuel injection engine, new nacelles, new main gear and increased maximum weight 680FP - - - - - 2× 380 - - - - 223 - 26 Pressurized 680F 680FL - Grand Commander - 1963-05-24 - 2A4 - 2× IGSO-540-B - 2× 380 - 7000-8500 - - 11 - 223 - 157 680F with larger tail, 2 built for the US Army as the RL-26D → RU-9D with SLAR, Courser Commander after 1967; stretched 680FL(P) - Grand Commander - 1964-10-08 - 2A4 - 2× IGSO-540-B1A/B1C - 2× 380 - 8500 - - 11 - 223 - 37 pressurized 680FL 680T - Turbo Commander - 1965-09-15 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-43 - 2× 575 - 8950 - 25,000 ft - 11 - 286.5 - 56 680FL/P turboprop 680V - Turbo Commander - 1967-06-13 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-43 - 2× 575 - 9400 - 25,000 ft - 11 - 286.5 - 36 680T with slightly improved cargo capacity 680W - Turbo II Commander - 1968-02-05 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-43BL - 2× 575 - 9400 - 25,000 ft - 11 - 286.5 - 46 680V with pointed nose. squared off fin, one panoramic and two small cabin windows and weather radar 681 - Hawk Commander - 1969-03-20 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-43BL - 2× 575 - 9400 - 25,000 ft - 11 - 286.5 - 43 680W with improved pressurisation, air conditioning system and nose 681B - Turbo Commander - - - - - - 25,000 ft - - - 29 Marketing designation for economy version of the 681 685 - Commander - 1971-09-17 - 2A4 - 2× GTSIO-520-F/K - 2× 435 - 9000 - 25,000 ft - 9 - 256-322 - 66 690 powered by piston engines 690 - Commander 690 - 1971-07-19 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-5 - 2× 717.5 - 10250 - 25,000 ft - 11 - 384 - 79 681 with new wing centre section and engines moved further outboard 690A - Commander 690A - 1973-04-25 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-5 - 2× 717.5 - 10250 - 31,000 ft - 11 - 384 - 245 690 with changed flightdeck layout and increased pressurisation 690B - Commander 690B - 1976-10-05 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-5 - 2× 717.5 - 10325 - 31,000 ft - 10 - 384 - 217 690A with improved soundproofing and internal lavatory 690C - Jetprop 840 - 1979-09-07 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-5 - 2× 717.5 - 10325 - 31,000 ft - 11 - 384 - 136 690B with increased wingspan, wet wing fuel tanks and winglets 690D - Jetprop 900 - 1981-12-02 - 2A4 - 2× TPE 331-5 - 2× 748 - 10700 - 31,000 ft - 11 - 425-474 - 42 690C with internal rear cabin extension, improved pressurisation and five square cabin windows 695 - Jetprop 980 - 1979-11-01 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-10 - 2× 733 - 10325 - 31,000 ft - 11 - 425-474 - 84 more powerful 690C 695A - Jetprop 1000 - 1981-04-30 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-10 - 2× 820 - 11200 - 35,000 ft - 11 - 474 - 101 more powerful 690D with higher takeoff weight, built for the NOAA 695B - Jetprop 1000B - 1984-02-15 - 2A4 - 2× TPE-331-10 - 2× 820 - 11750 - 35,000 ft - 11 - 474 - 6 695A with minor changes Certified from 1954, the seven-seat 560 is powered by two 270-295 HP Lycoming GO-480s. From 1955, the 680 has Supercharged 340-380 HP Lycoming GSO-480s. From 1958, the lighter 500 is powered by two 250-290 hp Lycoming O-540s or Continental IO-470s. From 1963, the stretched 680-FL offered up to eleven seats. It gained two 575 HP AiResearch TPE-331 turboprops from the 680-T in 1965. From 1971, the heavier 690 has a larger wing and more powerful 717.5-748 HP TPE-331s. From 1979, the final 695 Jetprop 980/1000 is powered by 733-820 HP TPE-331s. Operators Military operators Algeria Algerian Air Force - 1 x 680E survey aircraft in 1986 Angola Angolan Air Force - 1 x 690A VIP aircraft in 1986 Argentina Argentine Air Force - 1 x 500B, 27 x 500U and 1 x 680 Argentine Army Aviation - 680V, 690A Bahamas Royal Bahamas Defence Force - 500S (no longer operated) Benin Benin Air Force - 1 x 500B Bolivia Bolivian Air Force - 1 x 690 in 1986 Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Air Force - 1 x 500B in 1986 Colombia Colombian Air Force National Army of Colombia Costa Rica Public Force of Costa Rica Cuba Cuban Air Force - 1 × 560 acquired in late 1956 Dominican Republic Air Force of the Dominican Republic Greece Hellenic Army - 2 x 680FL Guatemala Guatemalan Air Force Honduras Honduran Air Force Indonesia Indonesian Army Aviation Command - 2 x 680FL Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force - 3 x 681B Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation - 3 x 690, 2 x 690A Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation - 2 x 500S, 2 x 690, 6 x 690A Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Air Force - 1 x 500B Kenya Kenya Air Force - 1 x 680FP (no longer operated) Laos Kingdom of Laos Royal Lao Air Force - 1 x 560 (no longer operated) South Korea Republic of Korea Air Force - 3 x 520, 2 x 560F Mexico Mexican Air Force - 20 x 500S Nicaragua Fuerza Aérea de la Guardia Nacional Niger Niger Air Force - 1 x 500B Pakistan Pakistan Air Force - 1 x 680E (with radar nose), 1 x 680F Pakistan Army Aviation - 1 x 690B Panama Panamanian Air Force Philippines Philippine Air Force Thailand Royal Thai Air Force United States United States Air Force as the L-26 and U-4 United States Army as the L-26 and U-9 Venezuela Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela Government operators Indonesia Indonesian National Police United States Texas Highway Patrol Civil operators Samoa Talofa Airways Notable accidents On 19 June 1964, Senator Ted Kennedy was a passenger in an Aero Commander 680 airplane flying in bad weather from Washington, D.C., to Massachusetts. It crashed into an apple orchard in the western Massachusetts town of Southampton on the final approach to the Barnes Municipal Airport near Westfield. The pilot and Edward Moss, one of Kennedy's aides, were killed. Kennedy suffered a severe back injury, a punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding. World War II hero and actor Audie Murphy died in an Aero Commander 680 crash while flying as a passenger on 28 May 1971. The aircraft was flying in bad weather at night and was on approach to Roanoke, Virginia when it flew into the side of Brush Mountain outside Blacksburg, Virginia, West of Roanoke. Four others and the pilot were also killed. On 11 August 2002, photographer Galen Rowell, his wife Barbara Cushman Rowell, pilot Tom Reid, and Reid's friend Carol McAffee were killed in an Aero Commander 690 crash near Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop, California. Specifications (Rockwell Aero Commander 500S) Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976-77. General characteristics Crew: Two Capacity: four passengers Length: 36 ft 9.75 in (11.22 m) Wingspan: 49 ft 0.5 in (14.95 m) Height: 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) Wing area: 255 sq ft (23.69 m2) Aspect ratio: 9.45:1 Airfoil: NACA 23012 modified Empty weight: 4,635 lb (2,102 kg) Max takeoff weight: 6,750 lb (3,062 kg) Powerplant: 2 × Lycoming IO-540-E1B5 air-cooled flat-six piston engines, 290 hp (216 kW) each Performance Maximum speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 kn) at sea level (TAS) Cruise speed: 203 mph (326 km/h, 176 kn) at 9,000 ft (2,750 m), 75% power, TAS Stall speed: 68 mph (109 km/h, 59 kn) flaps and landing gear down, CAS Minimum control speed: 75 mph (121 km/h, 65 kn) Range: 1,078 mi (1,735 km, 936 nmi) Service ceiling: 19,400 ft (5,913 m) Rate of climb: 1,340 ft/min (6.8 m/s) Aero Commander aircraft 100 . 111 . 112 . 114 . 115 . 200 . 500 . 520 . 560 . 580 . 600 . 680 . 685 . 700 . 720 A-9 Ag Commander . S-2 Ag Commander . Jet Commander |