More than anything else, it was my subscription to FLYING Magazine, beginning with the January 1955 issue, that created a thirst for additional knowledge and achievement. I was not alone. A lot of builders and dreamers were entering the private aviation industry in that era, helping transform it from a time of tube-and-rag taildraggers to sleek transportation aircraft.

In the mid-20th century, America was uniquely positioned for the creation of a modern noncommercial aviation system. There was a need for airplanes that could transport families and business people across the vast distances of North America, we had an airport of some sort in nearly every community, and our personal freedom and finances encouraged the utility of light aircraft. The inefficient war-surplus airplanes and vintage taildraggers leftover from the 1940s no longer sufficed. We were ready for easier-to-fly, purpose-built airplanes.

And experienced, visionary heads of aircraft companies were ready to provide them. As with the automotive industry, we had the Big Three—Beechcraft, Cessna, and Piper—plus eager-to-compete smaller companies like Aero Commander, Bellanca, Champion, Maule, and Mooney. As the 1960s arrived, new models and improved veteran designs showed up in the marketplace. Likewise, a new term, avionics, was coined, referring to a fresh crop of highly capable radios for our instrument panels, thanks to transistors and compact power supplies that shrank space requirements. 

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Powerplants also underwent development. Fuel injection and lightweight turbochargers were added to piston engines, small turbojets encouraged the concept of business jets, and new medium-horsepower turboprops filled the gap between 300 hp opposed recips and burly radials. By 1970, GA shoppers were able to buy anything from aerobatic two-seaters to pressurized, cabin-class twins. Available business aircraft ranged from turboprop executive airplanes to fanjet-powered corporate barges. Airports and airspace routings had been improved to accommodate GA’s growth. This laissez-faire ’60s atmosphere kept the industry’s engineering departments working overtime.

The declared goal during the frenetic ’60s and ’70s was to create “gap fillers.” Every company wanted to provide an airplane to suit every need and keep customers loyal to its brand. Piper had a fleet of Cherokee derivatives, from the 2+2 Cherokee 140, the everyday 180 and beefy 235, and the stretched Cherokee Six, leading to retractable Arrows and Lances, and even twin-engine Senecas and Seminoles. Piper’s earlier high-performance Comanche line was retained through 1972 in single and twin versions, with normal and turbocharged engines. And the company also offered heavier twins in various piston-engine Navajo and turboprop Cheyenne models, all while still building the venerable Aztec twin—not to mention the agricultural Pawnee airplanes and an occasional Super Cub.

Beech Aircraft also tried to fill every gap in the market with a Beechcraft. It expanded its line  downward from the three Bonanza models with a lighter Musketeer series, offered in trainer, cruiser, and retractable variants, and it even fielded a light-twin Duchess, all the while offering Baron twins in as many as five styles, plus the sexy Duke and cabin-class Queen Airs. Meanwhile, Beech’s King Air turboprop line grew longer and more capable, even leading into commuter-airliner variations. To round out its offerings, Beech acquired upscale business jets from Hawker and Mitsubishi. 

Cessna, meanwhile, outdid everyone, developing model after model to plug any sales leak in its line. At one time in the ’70s, I counted 22 singles and 13 twins among its offerings, in addition to the burgeoning Citation business jet lineup. Whatever you needed, from two-place trainer to pressurized single, from push-pull “safe twin” to back-door executive twin, agricultural airplanes and bushplanes, Cessna had them all. There seemed to be no end to the swelling Cessna tide, which amounted to 50 percent of the industry’s unit output during the boom times.

At the same time, little Mooney expanded its basic M20 retractable into longer and more powerful models, Rockwell developed single-engine and ag planes to supplement its piston and turboprop twin-engine line, Bellanca/Champion offered a half-dozen two-seat tailwheel airplanes to compliment its Viking retractables, Grumman was making two- and four-seat airplanes plus a twin-engine model, and Maule tweaked and stretched every possible variation from its tailwheel utility aircraft. 

Present Day Flying

Today, we are still enjoying the fruits of these developments in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.

Refurbished examples of the golden age general aviation airplanes sell for many multiples of their original sticker price, while the limited-production, new single-engine airplanes are astronomically unaffordable. The promised introduction of “light sport” airplanes that would provide economical new aircraft hasn’t worked out. They are priced at about twice the expected figure and often don’t have sufficient payload to accommodate two adults plus full fuel. 

A serious implosion in light airplane production took place during the mid-’80s, closing many production lines and shrinking the supply of available models. This was due to an oversupply of airplanes during economic malaise, coupled with the growth of rapacious product liability lawsuits and concurrent manufacturer insurance costs. Most of GA’s growth shifted into big-ticket aircraft such as turbine-powered business airplanes, utility and owner-flown, single-engine turboprops, and fast-glass, piston-engine singles.

As the new millennium arrived, Cirrus Design brought not only a new sleek composite-construction personal airplane but a fresh approach to marketing it. With its integral emergency parachute, side-stick control, video-screen, GPS-based avionics and automotive interior styling, the Cirrus SR series appealed to a new generation of entrants to GA. The company quickly filled a void abandoned by the traditional airplane companies that had been acquired by corporate conglomerates that were more interested in selling big-ticket business aircraft than entry-level models. 

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The real revolution now stems from the utility gained by effortless navigation provided by GPS data flowing into advanced computing capability, so that panel-mounted displays can not only show current position but flight plan routing, all linked to advanced autopilot technology taking care of most cross-country piloting chores. With uplinked, in-cockpit weather integrated into tablet-based “electronic flight bags” or the avionics suite, there’s no longer any excuse for pressing on into unflyable conditions lurking over the horizon. 

Retrofitting this advanced technology into legacy aircraft is simply a matter of allocating enough money to make the airplane useful. The ADS-B mandate of 2020 has given more flexibility to ATC handling of any size of aircraft—at the cost of privacy and freedom. Yes, we deal with a multitude of airspace rules and restrictions, but we had to negotiate many of those same encroachments in the late 20th century, and with less computing power in the cockpit back then to help us avoid them. 

Airport infrastructure has shifted away from providing accommodations for all comers to building for the biggest user, leaving light general aviation to occupy the corners of the ramp or a remote edge of the airport. Stand-alone, family-operated FBOs have been replaced by chains of opulent palaces catering to the jet set. We can expect to pay for what used to be free services, because our minuscule fuel business is no longer important enough to be willingly subsidized by the big iron customers. 

Expectations are greater in the 21st century—in all aspects of life, not just GA. New entrants to flying expect seamless air conditioning, push-button actuations, plush accommodations, and high levels of service, compared with their more-tolerant parents and grandparents. If passengers can’t have Wi-Fi on board, they don’t want to ride with us. Privileges have their price, reflected in million-dollar sticker prices on new limited-production piston singles and multiple millions for personal turboprops. 

At least we still have options, even though we may have more money tied up in our instrument panel than a first-class traveling airplane cost back in the late 1900s. We’ve lost many airports to housing and industrial developments, but many remain, still giving access to communities via general aviation, providing transportation and utility possible in no other way. 

Flying’s Future

The future, from my jaded perspective, will be different, perhaps not to the tastes of my generation but still suitable and rewarding to those who’ll be doing most of the GA flying.

Accommodations might have to be made for the hyper-promoted electric urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles, manned and unmanned, in various stages of development for a market that may or may not exist. If airspace, bases, and routes have to be carved out for these anticipated thousands of mass-transit conveyances, we may see some disruption of traditional air traffic.

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The big unknown is the impact of governmental and public policy interference on a limited-participation activity like general aviation. Regardless of the facts, the loudest voices get the most attention at law-making levels, and well-meaning but shortsighted regulation can wind up stifling the freedom of flight enjoyed by private citizens. We must continue to support our GA membership organizations, and these associations must link arms with other interests, such as business aviation, helicopter operators, agricultural aviation, flight training, avionics shops, and FBOs, to ward off possible restrictions and bad laws stemming from class-envy and special-interest rhetoric targeting the industry.

I remain eternally optimistic about aviation, because I’ve always observed humankind’s innate desire to fly. From the days of the earliest prehistoric human watching soaring birds, there’s always been something urging us to look skyward, yearning to share the perspective of height. People will always want to fly, and once having tasted the freedom of personal wings, it is difficult to give it up. It behooves us to share flight with as many of our friends and acquaintances as possible, building a coalition to preserve what we’ve been given. 

A love of flying, like all passions, has to be given away if it is to be continuously circulated back to the conferrer.

This feature first appeared in the Summer 2024 Ultimate Issue print edition.

The post Ultimate Issue: The State of U.S. General Aviation appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1979 Piper PA-60-700 Superstar.

Aircraft designer Ted Smith is well-known in general aviation circles for designing the Aerostar, a sleek, midwing light twin built for high-speed travel. The best performing versions of the Aerostar and upgraded Superstar aircraft still hold the title of fastest production light piston twins ever built. The aircraft was already a legend when it co-starred with Tom Cruise in the 2017 film American Made, but the movie certainly rekindled interest in the model, which had been out of production for decades.

A close look at certain details of the Aerostar might lead some observant people to other famous Smith-designed aircraft, including the Douglas A-20 Havoc and the Aero Commander general aviation twins that gained popularity soon after reaching the market during the 1950s. These earlier twins were more practical than the later Aerostars but nowhere near as fast or attractive. The rare Aerostar, whose production was repeatedly slowed by issues related to funding, design, and market conditions, will always be the subject of “what-if” discussions among aviation enthusiasts. Owners, however, love this fast, fine-looking, and innovative machine that clearly was ahead of its time.  

This 1979 Aerostar has 2,606 hours on the airframe, 972 hours on the left engine, 796 hours on the right, and 488 hours on each of its counter-rotating propellers since overhaul. The aircraft received new exterior paint last year. 

The panel features a Garmin G600TXi, Garmin GI 275, GNS 530W and 430W GPS/Nav/Coms, Flight Stream 210, GCU 485 mode selector, S-Tec 55X autopilot, dual Gramin transponders with ADS-B In and Out, Avidyne EX500 MFD, engine monitor, Shadin fuel flow monitor, color radar, Stormscope, and Sirius XM weather.

Pilots interested in flying one of the fastest GA piston twins ever developed should consider this 1979 Piper PA-60-700 Superstar, which is available for $600,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 1979 Piper Aerostar Is a Top-Tier Piston Twin and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Gracie Nino, the company’s marketing manager, notes that the 3,353-foot by 25-foot paved airstrip (89CA) is a distinctive feature of the property. While the airstrip was just only recently reopened to the public in 2021, its roots extend all the way back to 1967. At that time, the property’s owner commissioned the airstrip’s addition to the large acreage ranch for a specific reason. 

The runway’s initial purpose was to accommodate guests traveling from different parts of the state. As Halter Ranch’s website explains, the community was often invited to participate in short landing contests, flour sack bombings, and airshows. On any given day, there were reportedly up to 15 airplanes at the ranch, with fly-in patrons experiencing one of Californian aviation’s most active sites. One aircraft of the many that had flown into the site included then Governor Ronald Reagan, who arrived in his Aero Commander. 

With the exception of the slump of general aviation in the 1980s, the airstrip has long been a feature of the picturesque property. It wasn’t until more recently, though, that the multi-thousand-acre land was used as a vineyard and winery. 

“I think that the first grapes were planted in the 1990s by the MacGillivray family, who were the previous owners [since 1943]. So it was a winery, but they [only] had a couple of acres of grapes. Then when the current owner, Hansjörg Wyss, bought the property in 2000, that’s when more grapes went in. They went into the existing field that was already being used,” Nino said. 

Nino added that Halter Ranch’s founder and owner, Wyss, is a pilot and general aviation enthusiast. Additionally, the property’s general manager, Bryce Mullins, is a student pilot. Their and others’ efforts ensure that the airstrip is accommodating to the next general of Halter Ranch Airport visitors. 

“Both our owner and general manager were both really excited about the history that has to do with the airstrip,” Nino said. “They, for quite a while, had been busy working on getting it re-established and did a couple of renovations to it during that time frame.”  

Nino advises that the runway is now a benefit for members of Halter Ranch’s Wine Club. In that vein, she introduced FLYING to one of Halter Ranch’s first aerial visitors, Steve Cox. Cox is a former F-15C aviator, and presently flies the Boeing 737 and 1964 S-35 Bonanza, is building a 2023 RANS S-21 bushplane, and produces the the YouTube channel, Cleared Direct.

He recently crafted a 20-minute video highlighting his experience flying to 89CA. Some highlights of the video include considerations for landing, a pre-departure briefing and, of course, an overview of the wine tasting experience.  

“I first became aware of Halter Ranch when my wife showed me an Instagram post of our friend flying into the place where he grew up, which happened to now be a fly-in vineyard on the Central Coast of California. It really got my attention since the Central Coast is one of my favorite places in the world having gone to Cal Poly, SLO [San Luis Obispo]. I was also excited to learn that my high school classmate Kevin Sass was the winemaker!”

Cox’s positive experience at Halter Ranch makes it easy for him to suggest the site to other aviators looking for a unique place to fly to.

“I would absolutely recommend this fly-in trip to other pilots. It’s truly what general aviation is all about. Going to unique destinations and enjoying great people and experiences. With a little pre-flight prep and good weather, this is a no-brainer.”

For those wanting to spend more time at the vineyard, especially those wanting to go “8 hours from the bottle to the throttle,” Halter Ranch has overnight accommodations available. 

“I have never been to a destination like Halter Ranch where you can land on the vineyard, taste wine on the vineyard, tour the preserved wildlands surrounding the vineyard in a Defender, sleep in vineyard accommodations, and have a five-star breakfast at the vineyard before flying home.”

Cox continued his explanation, “The pilot accommodations are new and well-appointed with a subtle aviation theme. One cottage is just the right size for one or two overnights for two people. We brought some simple provisions to make some pasta and veggies to go with our delicious Halter Ranch wine. There was a full kitchen which made cooking fun. There are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy with friends such as a fire pit, horseshoes, and even a pool,” Cox said. “There’s laundry in case you want to stay longer and still travel light.”

The post Halter Ranch Offers Wine With a View From Above appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“I learned to fly in a Lark Commander, got my multiengine rating in a Shrike Commander and then went up to Turbo Commanders and have flown almost every type of Commander that was made,” he said.

McCullough has accumulated more than 5,000 hours flying Commanders, and his life is deeply involved in the Commander family of airplanes. Together with Jack Erickson of Erickson Air-Crane, McCullough owns and operates Aero Air, a Twin Commander service center as well as a busy Commander operator. The company has expanded its mission, but the core of the business still lays with Commanders, using them for medical evacuation, fire spotting and charter services.

When McCullough flies personal trips, his first choice is his 690B Commander. “It takes 29 minutes to get to Sunriver,” he said, referring to a 120 nm trip he takes regularly from his base at Portland-Hillsboro Airport (HIO) to Sunriver, where he has a second home.

The Aero Commander 690B is a pressurized high-wing twin turboprop with a rugged design, simple systems and plenty of power. With a roomy cabin featuring seating for up to seven people, including the pilot, the airplane appears to have been designed with both the flying and non-flying occupants in mind: great comfort and visibility, good performance capabilities and nice handling characteristics. Its rugged construction also is well suited for unimproved airport operations. It is no wonder the 690B has become one of the most popular Commanders produced to date.

Long Legacy
Ted Smith, a former Donald Douglas engineer, conceived the idea of what was initially called the Aero Commander. Smith’s goal was to come up with an airplane design optimized to carry people to and from destinations the commercial airlines didn’t serve. Together with an engineering team, Smith designed and flew the first Aero Commander and was able to secure private funding for the final development and initial production of the airplane. The company that ensued was called Aero Design and Engineering Company.

In 1950, four years after Smith put his ideas on paper, the Aero Commander 500S, also called Model 520 and later the Shrike Commander, received its certification paperwork from the Civil Aeronautics Administration—the predecessor to the FAA.

To prove the extraordinary single-engine performance and stability of the new airplane, Aero Design and Engineering Company organized a marketing demonstration flight from its base in Oklahoma City to Washington, D.C., in May 1951. But this was no ordinary demo. The airplane was fully loaded, and only one engine was operational. The propeller was even removed from one side.

The flight went off without a hitch, and the Aero Commander became a hit. It was even considered safe enough to become the first twin-engine Air Force One—used in the late 1950s by President Eisenhower. Later, the Shrike Commander was also made famous by Bob Hoover’s mind-blowing aerobatics routine.

Several other piston Commander models followed, and in the early 1960s, after Rockwell acquired the company, the 680FL Grand Commander was introduced. It featured a much longer fuselage and the trademark picture window under the wing. The same fuselage was used for the 680T, the first Turbo Commander, which sported two 575 hp Garrett AiResearch TPE331-43 engines (the production of which was later taken over by Honeywell Aerospace), providing higher gross weight capabilities and better performance. The 690 followed in 1973 with a 717.5 hp TPE331-5, a larger wing, rudder and dorsal fin, and a longer tail cone. The result was an airplane with a service ceiling of 31,000 feet, a 9,600-pound gross weight and a baggage capacity of 600 pounds. And with subsequent 690 models the performance numbers improved even more.

As is the case with many legacy airplane manufacturers, there is much confusion about the model names. This holds true in the case of the Commanders. As the 690 series continued to improve, it morphed into the 840 (690C), 980 (695), 900 (690D) and 1,000 (695A/B)—four models that also bear the name Jetprop. These new model numbers were “marketing model numbers that I believe were loosely tied to the thermodynamic horsepower available for the different engine models,” explained Geoffrey Pence, technical service manager at Twin Commander, who has worked on Commanders since 1973.

In 1981 Gulfstream acquired Rockwell and took over the Commander production. But the acquisition was the deathblow for the Commander production line as Gulfstream decided to zero in on business jets. After Gulfstream supported the Commander fleet for a few years, the type certificate and 58,000 pieces of production tooling were sold and have since traded owners several times. Since 2008, Twin Commander Aircraft is based in Creedmoor, North Carolina, and is a subsidiary of Firstmark Corporation—a company that specializes in the support of legacy aircraft. With 18 employees, Twin Commander provides technical, engineering and parts support.

And this type of support keeps the aging Commander fleet in the air. With about 1,000 Turbo Commanders built, about 750 are still flying, according to Matt Isley, president of Twin Commander Aircraft. The Twin Commander service centers are even capable of offering a full refurbishment program—the Grand Renaissance—to bring the airplanes back to tip-top shape. More on that later.

Rugged Simplicity
Looking at the Commander fuselage, its shape is nearly square. This shape provides a lot of space in the cabin, and the good news is that you don’t need to worry about filling it up. The 690 has a useful load of 4,180 pounds and a fuel capacity of 389 pounds, so the payload is well over 1,500 pounds, enough to fill all the seats and bring lots of luggage.

And speaking of luggage, the 224-square-foot baggage compartment, which has a weight capacity of 600 pounds, provides plenty of space for luggage, golf bags and skis (at least the new, shorter shaped skis). Randy Dunn, founder, owner and winemaker at Dunn Vineyards in Angwin, California, has owned Commanders for well over a decade and regularly flies to the Baja Peninsula in his Commander 690A. He recalls unloading the airplane at his destination one time and being unable to fit the luggage he and his wife brought into the truck that picked them up at the airport.

Dunn frequently lands on dirt strips and believes that “this plane is made for that kind of mission.” The propellers are high off the ground, and the landing gear is beefy and very strong.

The landing gear system is pneumatic, hydraulic and gravity. That might sound complex, but “it’s a very, very simple system,” McCullough said. If the hydraulic gear extension fails, the gear simply drops out by gravity, and once it’s extended a set of bungees holds it in place.

The fuel system is simple too. The fuel tanks feed into one sump, so there’s no fuel management required.

“You just fill it up and burn it,” said McCullough. And at 300 knots TAS, he says you can expect to burn about 70 to 75 gallons per hour in cruise.

Two Honeywell TPE331 engines convert that fuel to power. The TPE331 is a direct-drive turboprop engine with a track record of high reliability. More than 13,000 of these engines have been delivered to date, and they have accumulated more than 116 million hours of flight time. The Turbo Commander 690 was originally designed with the 717.5-horsepower TPE331-5 engines, which provide a cruise speed right around 270 knots. But the engines can be upgraded to the Dash 10T, which together with the wide-chord Hartzell propeller brings the cruise speed up around 300 knots. Both the Dash 5 and Dash 10T provide good longevity, with a 5,400-hour TBO.

Grand Renaissance
Grand Renaissance is a transformation of the airplane into a like-new Commander, the only difference being that the time on the airframe remains. Only three of the domestic and one international service centers are capable of completing a Renaissance project, which according to McCullough takes about six to nine months to complete. Any Twin Commander can go through the Grand Renaissance program, but generally only Turbo Commander customers will put their airplanes through the program.

McCullough said the manual for the project is about four inches thick, so the upgrades and replacements are too numerous to list. Suffice it to say that the airplane is completely gutted, and the airframe and all the systems undergo a full refurbishment in which many components are replaced.

And once all the pieces of the puzzle are brought together, a custom paint job and interior installation are completed. Final inspections are done by a representative from Twin Commander Aircraft. After a new dataplate is put on and the airplane emerges from the service center, “it’s no longer a Twin Commander, it’s a Grand Renaissance Commander,” said Isley.

Bruce Byerly, vice president of Naples Jet Center and a longtime Commander salesman, says the resale value for Grand Renaissance airplanes remains higher than that of comparable new airplanes when they enter the used market, but Renaissance owners tend to hold onto their airplanes.

“We haven’t seen one done in the past five years that was put back in the resale market,” Byerly said.

However, the service centers assist potential customers in finding airplanes that they can take through the Grand Renaissance program. You can pick up a decent 690A or B for around $450,000 with the -5 engines or an upgraded model for just under $1 million, and “typically between 25 to 40 airplanes are available on the market,” explained Byerly.

“If you’re going to do a Renaissance, it’s also a good time to do the panel,” said Byerly. And most Renaissance customers do. Lately, customers tend to choose Garmin’s G500 or G600 screens in combination with a GNS 430/530 (which now will be replaced with the GTN 650/750). Byerly said Eagle Creek, Naples Jet Center’s affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana, is working on an STC for Garmin’s G950 glass cockpit.

When it’s all said and done, if the customer decides to include new avionics and the Dash 10T engine upgrade, the cost for a Grand Renaissance project can be more than $2 million, but it all depends on the history of the airplane and the current cost of the engine and avionics. Isely said 41 Grand Renaissance projects have been completed since the program began in the mid-’90s.

The benefit of the Grand Renaissance program extends to other Commander customers.

“It really keeps the parts movement active and keeps the airplanes flying,” said Byerly. And parts availability for this legacy airplane does not seem to be a problem. “Ninety-five percent of everything we sell for Commanders gets shipped out the door the same day,” said Isely.

Flying
On a beautiful summer day in Hillsboro, Oregon, I stepped into N71AA, one of Aero Air’s 690Bs with the Dash 10T conversion. Entering the airplane was easier than getting into my car. The bottom of the fuselage is close to the ground, and Aero Air created an STC that removes the short airstair and allows the door to be opened all the way, flush with the fuselage, which provides significantly more space in the doorway. This is particularly helpful for operators, such as Aero Air, that use the airplane for medical transport.

The flat floor also makes it easy to move around the cabin. But, as often is the case with this class of airplane, climbing into the seats in the cockpit is not the easiest feat, because there is not much space between the seats and the center column.

But once I had strapped myself in I was impressed with the comfort and visibility. The Commander has a large, heated, wrap-around windshield and a skylight above each side window, providing terrific forward and side visibility as well as natural light in the cockpit.

McCullough explained that the direct-drive engines give the Commander 690B a propensity for hot starts, but as long as you watch the EGTs on start-up and shut the engine down at the first sign of a potential hot start, there is nothing to worry about. We got both engines started without a hitch.

Another potential gotcha is steering the Commander. Unlike many nose-wheel-equipped airplanes, there is no mechanical link between the rudder pedals and the nose gear. Instead, the steering is hydraulically actuated through the first part of the toe brakes, which activates a cylinder that turns the nose gear. Press the toe brakes further and the brakes on the main wheels are activated. The system allows the pilot to apply full rudder in one direction while applying steering in the other, which (while there is no good reason to do it) is quite unique. I agree that steering was a little tricky at first, but it didn’t take me long to get the hang of it, and I taxied the airplane smoothly toward Runway 31 at Portland-Hillsboro Airport (KHIO).

With an airplane coming in on final, we made a rolling takeoff, and while I pushed the throttles slowly, the power they responded with was remarkable. We got off the ground in no time and used a fraction of the 6,600-foot runway. McCullough claims he has landed and taken off with 71AA on a 1,900-foot airstrip, though he doesn’t recommend it for inexperienced Commander pilots.

We weren’t anywhere near gross weight with only three people on board, three-quarters worth of fuel in the tanks and no luggage, but the 4,000 fpm climb rate at 130 knots was still impressive. Satisfied with seeing that kind of performance capability, we pushed the nose over, and even at 160 knots we were pushing 3,000 fpm.

In addition to providing great climb performance, the Dash 10T engines reduce the performance issues associated with an engine failure. McCullough said it “climbs 1,000 fpm on one engine at gross weight.” And with the large rudder surface, asymmetrical thrust is easy to control. You can even trim the airplane out and put your feet on the floor. Several people I spoke with about the Twin Commander said an engine failure is a “non-event.” We didn’t kill an engine completely, but pulled the throttle back on the right one, and I felt that it was easy to control the airplane.

We did some stalls, and McCullough explained that the long, thick wing helps make the stall speed and Vmc within two knots of each other.

“If I lose an engine, I can maintain directional control of the airplane right to the stall,” he said.

With a clean configuration, the buffet came at 75 knots and with flaps 72 knots. I felt no tendency for either wing to drop.

I also played around with steep turns and got a good feel for the large control surfaces. I lost some altitude on my first attempt, but the second one was right on the mark. Despite being a heavy airplane, the 690B is fun and easy to hand-fly.

Although my preferred seat in an airplane is always up front, I unbuckled my seatbelt to check out the passenger experience. It was impressive. The interior was equally as nice as any airplane rolling off a factory floor, and there was plenty of legroom. But the most impressive thing was the massive picture windows in the rear, which provide the passengers with a view that nearly equals the pilot’s.

Returning for the landing, we were cleared for the shorter Runway 2. Through clear skies, I was looking right at Mount Rainier on final, approaching at 110 knots. As I got closer, I slowed to 95 knots over the fence and managed to finish the flight with a decent landing.

I have to admit that I always thought the Commanders looked a little strange. But after having a chance to fly a Turbo Commander, I now understand why the passion for these airplanes runs deep with those who fly them.

“It’s one of the cool things about Commanders — they’ve got kind of like a cult following,” said Byerly.

And it’s the same for those who work on these airplanes. Isely said some employees at the 18 Twin Commander service centers have been working on Commanders for more than 50 years, and the total amount of Commander experience for the employees adds up to more than 1,000 years.

Commanders might have been out of production for decades, but with hundreds still flying regularly and with strong support from Twin Commander, these airplanes should continue to fly for decades to come.

View our Commander photo gallery here.

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