Aero Commander 500 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Aero Commander 500 Aero Commander 500
    Aero Commander 500
  • Aero Commander 690A Aero Commander 690A
    Aero Commander 690A
  • Aero Commander L-26C Aero Commander L-26C
    Aero Commander L-26C
  • 680FL Grand Commander 680FL Grand Commander
    680FL Grand Commander
  • Aero Commander 560A Aero Commander 560A
    Aero Commander 560A
  • Aero Commander 500S Aero Commander 500S
    Aero Commander 500S
  • Aero Commander 680E Aero Commander 680E
    Aero Commander 680E
  • Aero Commander U-4B Aero Commander U-4B
    Aero Commander U-4B
  • Aero Commander 500 Aero Commander 500
    Aero Commander 500
  • Aero Commander Aero Commander
    Aero Commander
  • Aero Commander 500 Aero Commander 500
    Aero Commander 500
  • Aero Commander 690 Aero Commander 690
    Aero Commander 690

Aero Commander 500 family

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 Aero Commander 520. Piston-engined versions manufactured after 1967 are known as the Shrike Commander.

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 through 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 to 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 horsepower of 520. The production model was named the Commander 520. The first Commander 520 was rolled out of the new factory in August 1951. Serial number one was used as an 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, WWII pilot 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 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 Eisenhower between 1956 and 1960. This was the smallest "Air Force One," and the first to wear the now-familiar blue-and-white livery.

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 Boudewijn from 1961 to 1973.

The unpressurized, long-fuselage 680FL was operated as a small package freighter by Combs Freightair in the 1970s and 80s, and by Suburban Air Freight in the 1980s and 90's. The aircraft was popular with pilots because it was extremely "pilot friendly" and with its 380 hp supercharged engines did well in icing. A number are still operated on contracts for cargo and fire control applications, as their piston engines offer good fuel specifics as low altitudes, and longer loiter times.

Safety concerns

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.

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 1961–1993, 24 aircraft crashed when spar failures caused the loss of the wing in flight. 35 more spars were found cracked during inspections.

Notable accidents

World War II hero and actor Audie Murphy died in an Aero Commander 680 while flying in a thunderstorm over Roanoke, Virginia on 28 May 1971. Five others and the pilot were also killed.

On 19 June 1964, Senator Ted Kennedy was a passenger in an Aero Commander 680 airplane flying in bad weather from Washington to Massachusetts. It crashed into an apple orchard in the western Massachusetts town of Southampton on the final approach to the Barnes Municipal Airport in 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.

Variants

  • Aero Commander L.3805 : Prototype, one built.
  • Aero Commander 520 : First production version, a developed L.3805 with taller fin and larger cabin with two 260 hp Lycoming GO-435-C engines, 150 built.
  • Aero Commander 560 : Model 520 with swept tail, increased take-off weight, seven seats and more powerful engines (two 270 hp Lycoming GO-480B engines) and refined wing, 80 built.
  • Aero Commander 560A : New undercarriage, stretched fuselage and other numerous refinements, 99 built.
  • Aero Commander 560E : Larger wings and greater payload, 93 built.
  • Aero Commander 560F : Powered with 350 hp Lycoming IGO-540 engines.
  • Aero Commander 360 : Lightened version of the 560E with four seats and two 180 hp engines, one built.
  • Aero Commander 500 : Economy version introduced in 1958, a 560E with 250 hp Lycoming O-540-A engines, 101 built.
  • Aero Commander 500A : First Aero Commander model – new nacelles to house 260 hp fuel-injected Continental IO-470M engines, 99 built.
  • Aero Commander 500B : 560E with 290 hp fuel injected Lycoming IO-540 engines, 217 built.
  • Aero Commander 500U/Shrike Commander : 500B with pointed nose and squared off tail, two 290 hp Lycoming IO-540 engines, replaced 500A, 500B, 560F and 680F, 56 built.
  • Aero Commander 500S/Shrike Commander : 500U with minor changes, 316 built.
  • Aero Commander 680 Super : Development of 560A with supercharged 340 hp Lycoming GSO-480-A engines and increased fuel capacity, 254 built.
  • Aero Commander 680E : Lightened 560E and 560A type undercarriage, 100 built.
  • Aero Commander 680F : 680E with new undercarriage and supercharged, fuel-injected 380 hp Lycoming IGSO-540 engines and new nacelles, 126 built.
  • Aero Commander 680FP : Pressurized version modified from 680F, 26 built.
  • Aero Commander 680FL Grand Commander : 680F with stretched fuselage and larger tail, 157 built. After 1967 known as the Courser Commander.
  • Aero Commander 680FL/P Grand Commander : Pressurized version of 680FL, 37 built.
  • Aero Commander 680T Turbo Commander : 680FL/P with Garrett TPE331-43 turboprop engines, 56 built.
  • Aero Commander 680V Turbo Commander : 680T with increased take off weight and slightly improved cargo capacity, 36 built.
  • Aero Commander 680W Turbo II Commander : 680V with pointed nose. squared off fin, one panoramic and two small cabin windows and weather radar, 46 built. .
  • Rockwell 681 Hawk Commander : 680W with improved pressurisation, air conditioning system and nose, 43 built.
  • Rockwell 681B Turbo Commander : Marketing designation for economy version of the 681, 29 built.
  • Rockwell 685 Commander : 690 powered by two 435 hp Continental GTSIO-520K piston engines, 66 built.
  • Commander 690 : 681 with new wing centre section and engines moved further outboard, two Garrett AiResearch TPE331-5-251K turboprops, 79 built.
  • Commander 690A : 690 with changed flightdeck layout and increased pressurisation, 245 built.
  • Commander 690B : 690A with improved soundproofing and internal lavatory, 217 built.
  • 690C Jetprop840 : 690B with increased wingspan, wet wing fuel tanks and winglets, two 840shp TPE331-5-254K turboprops, 136 built.
  • 690D Jetprop900 : Similar to 690C with internal rear cabin extension, improved pressurisation and five square cabin windows, 42 built.
  • 695 Jetprop 980 : Similar to 690C with 735shp TPE331-10-501K engines, 84 built.
  • 695A Jetprop 1000 : 690D with higher take off weight and more powerful TPE331-10-501K engines, 101 built.
  • 695B Jetprop 1000B : 695A with minor changes, 6 built.
  • Aero Commander 720 AltiCruiser : Pressurized version of 680, 13 built.
  • YL-26 → YU-9A : Aero Commander 520 evaluated by the US Army, 3 built.
  • YL-26A : Aero Commander 560 evaluated by the US Air Force, 1 built.
  • L-26B → U-4A : Aero Commander 560A sold to the US Air Force, 14 built. .
  • L-26B → U-9B : Aero Commander 560A sold to the US Army, 1 built.
  • L-26C → U-4B : Aero Commander 680 Super sold to the US Air Force, 2 built.
  • L-26C → U-9C : Aero Commander 680 Super sold to the US Army, 4 built.
  • RL-26D → RU-9D : Commander 680 for US Army aircraft fitted with SLAR (side looking airborne radar), two built.
  • NL-26D → NU-9D : One built.

Military operators

  • Argentine Air Force - One 500B, 27 x 500U and One 680.
  • Argentine Army Aviation - 680V, 690A.
  • Belgian Air Force - One 560F - served as royal transport 1961-1973.
  • Benin Air Force - One 500B.
  • Colombian Air Force.
  • National Army of Colombia.
  • Dominican Air Force - One 680T Turbo Commander.
  • Hellenic Army - Two 680FL.
  • Honduran Air Force.
  • Indonesian Army Aviation - Two 680FL.
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force - Three 681B.
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Army - Three 690, Two 690A.
  • Islamic Republic of Iran Navy - Two 500S, Two 690, 6 x 690A.
  • Ivory Coast Air Force - One 500B.
  • Kenya Air Force - One 680FP (no longer operated).
  • Republic of Korea Air Force - Three 520, Two 560F.
  • Mexican Air Force - 20 x 500S.
  • Niger Air Force - One 500B.
  • Nicaraguan Air Force.
  • Pakistan Air Force - One 680E (with radar nose), One 680F.
  • Pakistan Army Aviation - One 690B.
  • Philippine Air Force - One 690 .
  • South Vietnam Air Force - L-26
  • United States Air Force as the L-26 and U-4.
  • United States Army as the L-26 and U-9.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Aero Commander 500 family of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (Rockwell Aero Commander 500S)

  • 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.

    • Spécifications (Rockwell Aero Commander 500S)

  • Crew : Two.
  • Capacity : four passengers.
  • Length : 36 ft 9¾ in (11.22 m).
  • Height : 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m).
  • Wingspan : 49 ft 0½ in (14.95 m).
  • Wing area : 255 ft² (23.69 m²).
  • Airfoil : NACA 23012 modified.
  • Empty weight : 4,635 lb (2,102 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 6,750 lb (3,062 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 215 mph (187 knots, 346 km/h) at sea level (TAS).
  • Cruise speed : 203 mph (176 kts, 326 km/h) at 9,000 ft (2,750 m), 75% power, TAS.
  • Stall speed : 68 mph (59 kts, 109 km/h) flaps and landing gear down, CAS.
  • Minimum controllable speed : 75 mph (65.5 kts, 121 km/h).
  • Range : 1,078 miles (936 nmi, 1,735 km).
  • Service ceiling : 19,400 ft (5,913 m).
  • Rate of climb : 1,340 ft/min (6.8 m/s).
  • Powerplant : Two Lycoming IO-540-E1B5 air-cooled flat-six piston engines.
  • Power : 290 hp (216 kW) each.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Aero Commander 500 family of Wikipedia ( authors )
Aero Commander 500 : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).