I have a few hangars that I rent out. I stopped in one to use the bathroom while in town and noticed that a Rockwell Commander 112A was there having some work done.

I have only seen them in photos so it caught my eye and I did a quick walk around.

The cabin looks very roomy, the landing gear is trailing link, looks like a small Lycoming 360 engine (based on airframe size, seemed like it should have a 6cyl). Overall, the plane looks really well built.

Has anyone owned one?

How do they fly?

How is the maintenance & parts availability?

What is the history of the manufacturer?

Just curious.

Thanks in advance, KJ

Keith,
Here’s the most recent thread on the Commanders, with lots of info and opinion, including my thoughts as a prior owner of two 114s: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=103281&hilit=Commander+114

I only have about 15 hours about 10 years ago in one that looks just like that one, so I'm far from an expert on them. It was one of the most comfortable and best flying GA airplanes that I've flown. The cabin is very roomy, good vision, and good ergonomics. They had larger fuel tanks than similar airplanes, so they had a long range.

The only minus' that I can think of were an AD on the elevator spar for cracking (the one I flew had one side cracked and we repaired it), and the 112 was underpowered. I bet the 114 or 115 would make a great airplane. Think Cherokee 140 of the series..

Most seemed to leave the factor well equipped with avionics, and it seems that (generally)many had few upgrades after that other than a loran or stand-along GPS.

I'd take a 114/115 in a heartbeat.

That 112 looks comfy but slow.

My first plane was a 114. I put about 500 hours on it in a few years. It has wonderful flying characteristics, but it's rather slow due to its big, fat, comfortable cabin. I'd plan on about 145 to 150 ktas with it's IO 540.

It has dual entry doors, and a large central arm rest - if the interior has been redone it can feel like a German luxury car.

In the 1990s the 115 version was introduced and those have the option of a turbocharged IO 540. That would seem a better power plant to me.

I look back fondly on my time in the Commander.

Owners group:
www.commander.org.

pretty active group, well up on issues with parts etc.

RAS

I had an instrument student in a 112 years ago, agree with all the above. The 112 is pretty under-powered in Texas summertime heat. The cockpit is very nice though.

Mr. Rockwell had a beech sierra and found it too small and too fast.

Thank you for all the replies and the link to the thread about the commander. Interesting plane, it sure does look good inside & out.

KJ

Did y'all know that Rockwell made a mooney copy at one time. I didn't until I saw it in a shop last week. Almost identical.

Don't know about any Mooney copy, but they bought the Meyers 200 line and produced them. That was a nice aircraft.

I looked into buying a 114. Seemed like great airplanes, tons of room, great useful load and CG range. Speed isn't its strong suit but it was going to be fine for my mission. But I ended up with an F33A instead. Commanders are orphan airplanes. Eventually the part supply is going to run out. Also, they have gone down about 20% in value over the last 10 years. The F33 has some limitations, but they have held their value pretty well over the years, and its going to be a long time before parts are going to be an issue with them.

The Rockwell Commander was the first general aviation aircraft to be certified under FAA Part 23.

I'm a member over on the COG forum and according to those who have the planes, parts aren't a problem



Ron

I'm a member over on the COG forum and according to those who have the planes, parts aren't a problem



Ron