https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?ca ... e=aircraft

For anybody who has fancied a Commander 685 (Turbine Commander body with 435hp geared continental engines) here is your opportunity. Only a few dozen were made, less than 10 are on the FAA registry, and (when I was looking at them 4 years ago) just a few were actively flown - like 3 of them. Far and away the most active was this one owned by the State of Oklahoma. If there's a 685 airframe in the world you might want to buy ... this would be it.

Beware - the engines aren't well supported and, well there are a lot of other reasons these weren't popular.

But it's a big, badass bird.

The joke is "if you can see the end of the runway, it's too short"...

685's are nice and comfortable birds (prob the quietest cabin of all legacy twins), but they have a few drawbacks. Engine is overstressed at 435hp, and they'll need top end work halfway through, guaranteed. Low TBO. Cost a fortune to overhaul them. Performance is decent in cruise, and they have great range, but not short field airplanes, or hot and high planes. Fully loaded, bad climbers on one engine. They suffer from some of the turbines recurring inspections and overhauls, but without the performance or reliability of those.

I love Commanders, all Commanders, but these need a very specific mission and owner. They're not turbine alternatives. In fact, you could most likely run a Turbo Commander for the same money or even less. That said, if you get it for a good price, they offer a lot of comfort and bang for buck.

Ok Charles, at what price is it a steal. I am registered.

That looks like a cool bird to fly till the engines give out, and then put an alternative engine on... a pair of Allison’s? with such a rare engine and airframe, there should be a FSDO with a sympathetic ear willing to give a one time STC.

Get adam to put you in touch with his commander yoda. He can tell you.

And Line people meet you with a Jet A truck....

Hmmm, Commander 680FL-P, Queen Air 88, or Commander 685.... decisions, decisions.

I hope someone with deep pockets and a crazy love for planes of an era bygone buys it, maintains it, and keeps it flying. We used to have one years ago based at nearby Whiteman Airpark (KWHP). It was s/n 12058 registered at N57068 - now deregistered and probably a parts plane. The notes I wrote back then on the back of the photo include my comment, "last of the Mohicans".

The listing shows GTSIO 520 Continentals, not the Lycoming GO-435's . Don't know if those are any cheaper or easier to support than the 435's..That's a lot of airplane for the $ if the engines give you some decent service.

the 435 is the hp, not the cubic inches. It is a continental GTSIO-520 but boosted to something like 50" on takeoff. It is NOT interchangeable with the easy to support GTSIO-520's on the Cessna 421. The fuel injection system in particular is difficult (? impossible) to support.

Still need some help guessing what to bid.
It has fresh annual, I am thinking fly it till it quits, then sell the pieces.
I am hoping price is half a Duke. Since I am selling two.

Is it a sealed bid, one and done auction?

Call me 3wun4 - three too II -

Well my guru who used to work on these said it is worth 75k, quit bidding at 50k
If you break it, we can still get 50k.

https://www.controller.com/listings/air ... model/680v

Apparently they converted some of the pistons to turboprops. I think they are asking $225K on this turbine version with a lifetime of flying left on the motors.

No, that's a different model. Yes,they were offered simultaneously, but the 680V was designed as a turbine from the start.

We forget that many manufacturers offered turbines as an alternative to the main piston sales in the beginning - King Air and Queen Air's, 680V's and 685's, Merlin vs turbine Merlin etc. The clear distinction between the two fractions didn't pull ahead until the TBO's and reliability of turbines were proven. The first three factory models of the turbine Commanders had 2000hr TBO's, because that's how unproven they were back then. Only in the 70's did they expand to 3600hr TBO and later 5400hr TBO.

Minor nit, but the proposed Merlin I (piston version) wasn't produced and, to my knowledge, was never offered. The line started with the IIA (PT6) and IIB (Garrett)