Wow Steve! I bet you are inventing reasons to go fly that thing. That's a true gem.

Ha - You can't fly your house but you CAN sleep in your plane ...

I will say it again, Commander is the Sexiest Turbine Twin........no competition.

it's quite beautiful....

Thanks for the nice comments.

Some good numbers for the commander

Vmc 94kts
Rotate 95kts
VXSE 97kts

Climb rate 3000+fpm at 130kts, I usually climb out around 160kts giving me a mid 2000fpm climb.

Range
474 gallon capacity.
80 gallons for first hour then
65 gph after that.

Speed 295kts - 305kts
Single engine climb rate 1000fpm and OEI climb gradient 500 ft per nm.

Stall speed low to mid 70kt range

Is it for sale? Everything is for sale.

My problem with selling planes is this. The best time to buy a plane from me is after about 5 years. Before the five year time is up I am too attached to it and after five year time frame I get nostalgic about the good times I have had in it.

Wow, just wow!
Great looking plane Steve.

Just dropped mine off with the shop to do an install of my newly overhauled Bendix fuel controller unit.
Been having a great time flying mine. Seriously a rocket ship, especially in the climb...

For me, the hardest bit of transition to this plane has been getting good landings.

The rest has been adjusting to the tremendous capabilities of this aircraft. ATC expects you to be on your A game when you are bombing it in at jet type speeds.

Even with poor landings, I'm turning off one or more exits earlier than I was in the Baron.

Just an amazing bird.

What altitudes are you getting the speeds and fuel burn?

I normally go straight to fl280 or fl270.

That is my normal speed, in colder temps I can get more speed.

Not Steve's plane but one like it, N840RB. I was coming from KAPA to KAPF. 1,450 nm, 4:20 enroute on 2,260 lbs. with a push. 305-310 KTAS all the way on 500 lbs/hr.

What is the reason for the exhaust coming back angled downward in the Commanders instead of straight back like other Garrett aircraft?

Erwin, the area right behind engine is taken up by gear storage and gear mechanism, so it wasn't possible to have a straight exhaust like on the MU-2, Conquest or Merlin. And the gear moved over from the last big piston models. So they did an angled exhaust rather than re-designing gear or widening nacelle.

OK, I see. It looks like your gear raises rearward? What is the emergency gear extension system comprised of?

Erwin, the area right behind engine is taken up by gear storage and gear mechanism, so it wasn't possible to have a straight exhaust like on the MU-2, Conquest or Merlin. And the gear moved over from the last big piston models. So they did an angled exhaust rather than re-designing gear or widening nacelle.

Thats a nice one and a fast one. I saw that one when mine was in the shop very similar.

How often has the nitrogen bottle been used, and how often did it do the job? Sounds like you know of very few times it has been used.

I'd worry that the reason you need the nitrogen is fluid loss, but the nitrogen would leak out the same way the fluid did. Perhaps the rapid discharge overcomes some amount of leakage to get the gear down. I imagine when you discharge the blow down bottle, it is rather violent.

The Conquest has what sounds like basically the same system. Hydraulic (engine driven) with nitrogen backup. I don't of any cases where the nitrogen has been used, although I am sure it has happened.

Mike C.