September 2017

MT CERTIFIES COMMANDER FIVE-BLADE COMPOSITE PROP


MT-Propeller Entwicklung GmbH has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification of its “Quiet Fan Jet” five-blade scimitar composite propeller on the Twin Commander 690/695 series with either the Honeywell TPE-331-5 or Dash 10T engine. The installation is already EASA certified.

MT-Propeller President Gerd Muehlbauer says the installation offers a number of advantages over conventional metal props:

  • An approximate 10-percent reduction in takeoff distance (MTOW, SL, ISA conditions).
  • Slightly faster cruise performance (3 to 4 kts at MTOW and ISA).
  • Cooler ITTs during engine start up, therefore less engine wear and reduced risk of hot start.
  • Lighter than the original propellers by 8 kg (17.7 lbs) per propeller assembly.
  • A reduction in Cabin noise of between 3-5 dB(A).
  • The STC complies with strict German noise regulations for unrestricted airport operations in Germany and other European countries.
  • Serious ramp appeal.

The MT-Propeller has no life limitation, and is repairable in the event of FOD-related damage. The prop has bonded nickel alloy leading edges for erosion protection. The five-blade prop also provides near vibration-free propeller operation.

TBO is at 3500 or six years, with plans to increase that to 4000 hours or six years. The retail price for a pair of five-bladed, constant-speed propellers with feathering and nickel leading edges is $98,500.00 (including exchange for the existing propellers and spinner assembly). Freight from Germany and Installation are additional.

The STC Kit includes two five-blade full-feathering constant-speed propellers, spinner assemblies, slip ring assemblies, and deice kits.

For more information contact Mike Laver at Air 1st in Aiken, South Carolina, the exclusive distributor for the MT Twin Commander props; telephone 803-641-9999 or email [email protected].

TWIN COMMANDER SERVICE CENTERS AT UPCOMING NBAA


Several Twin Commander factory-authorized service centers will have displays at the National Business Aviation Association Convention and Exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center October 10-12.

Banyan Air Service, based at the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Executive Airport, will be at the Avfuel collection of service providers in Booth 4314 and the FXE booth, N924. Executive Aircraft Maintenance, based at the Scottsdale, Arizona, Municipal Airport, will be at Booth #11438 in the Central Hall, and National Flight, based at the Toledo, Ohio, Express Airport, will be in Booth C10836.

If you will be at the NBAA Convention and Exhibition, plan to stop by these Twin Commander Service Centers to see what they might offer in the way of service and parts support for your Twin Commander, and in the case of Banyan and National, FBO services when flying to KFXE or KTOL.

WEATHER THROWS PUNCHES AT COMMANDER SERVICE CENTERS


Hurricanes Harvey and Irma dealt some damaging blows to Houston, Texas, and Naples, Florida, where two authorized Twin Commander Service Centers are located, but fortunately both escaped major damage.

Global, located in the Tomball Jet Center at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport in northeast Houston, escaped the major flooding or damage that affected much of the Houston area, but the area surrounding the airport was flooded. Global was shut down for five days after Harvey because the water was high “all around the airport,” said Sherrie Ray, who along with her husband Doug own and operate Global. “It’s still slow going, but we are thankful we came through it okay,” she said.

Naples Jet Center at the Naples, Florida, Municipal Airport, took a near direct hit from Hurricane Irma that made landfall in Florida in early September with winds clocked at 143 mph at the airport. NJC had moved all the airplanes in its storage and maintenance hangars, and no staff were on site when the storm hit. The Category 4-strength winds destroyed the mesh doors on two large storage hangars owned by NJC, but no other significant damage was reported.

The company resumed operations several days after the storm. The two hangar doors will be replaced.

MORE OF WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ON TWIN FACEBOOK PAGE


“All the news that fits” is an appropriate slogan for the hefty New York Times, but limited space in the Twin Commander eNews and Flight Levels magazine sometimes forces us to limit the photos or words accompanying a story. Well, to use another famous media slogan (this one from Paul Harvey), “the rest of the story” often can be found on Twin Commander Aircraft’s Facebook page.

For example, in last month’s eLetter we published a dramatic photo of a Shrike Commander in formation with an F-86 Sabre, P-51 Mustang, and T-28 Trojan taken during EAA’s 2017 AirVenture. The occasion was a tribute to the legendary Bob Hoover, who flew all of those aircraft in his post-war career.

We had more great photos of the formation, but no room in the eLetter to publish them, so they have been placed on Twin Commander’s Facebook page.

You can find lots of other interesting information and photos on the Facebook page, which has grown dramatically in popularity since it was launched two years ago—more than 1,000 people have “Liked” the page.

For all the news that fits Twin Commander, see our Facebook page.

August 2017

SHRIKE FEATURED IN HOOVER TRIBUTE

PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Slocum

The opening day of AirVenture 2017 was an experience Bruce Byerly will never forget. Byerly, of Byerly Aviation in Peoria, Illinois, was aboard the Shrike Commander that participated in the Bob Hoover Tribute flight on Monday, July 24. Hoover, who died October 25, 2016, was revered for his flying skills, which he demonstrated at air shows by performing one- and two-engine-out aerobatic routines in a Shrike. He performed the routine at Oshkosh for years, and continued to attend the event after he stopped performing. AirVenture paid tribute to Hoover this year with a fly-by and missing man formation featuring four of the North American/Rockwell aircraft he flew—an F-86 Sabre, T-28 Trojan, P-51 Mustang, and the Shrike.

PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Slocum

Months before AirVenture Byerly was asked if he knew anyone who could provide a Shrike for the planned AirVenture Tribute flight. “I’ll be there!” he answered. Byerly called Pat Hossman, Jr., to whom he had sold a Shrike, and Hossman offered his airplane for the AirVenture event. Byerly picked it up in North Carolina and arrived at OSH Sunday evening. The next day all the pilots involved in the Tribute flight met for a detailed briefing, and then took off for a formation photo shoot followed by two low-altitude formation fly-bys for the tens of thousands of AirVenture spectators. On the second pass the P-51 slowly pulled up and out of the formation in a missing man tribute to Hoover.

Byerly flew in the Shrike with veteran air show pilot Doug Rozendaal. “We made a plan, and it was executed like clockwork with military precision,” Byerly said of the Tribute.

“It was an honor and a privilege,” Byerly said of the experience. “Bob Hoover is my hero. He was there from the birth of flight through the jet age, and those guys are few and far between. It was an honor to have known him.”

EAGLE CREEK DISPLAYS COMMANDER 1000 AT AIRVENTURE

Eagle Creek Aviation Services was on the ground at AirVenture with a prominent display featuring a Commander 1000 fitted with the new Garmin 950 electronic panel. Eagle Creek, a regular participant in AirVenture, occupies a spot in the manufacturers’ display area that is on the main thoroughfare adjacent to air show center. Thousands of people walk by the display daily, and it is a preferred spot for watching the air show, especially the Friday night air show.

Eagle Creek also hosted a Tuesday evening barbecue for customers at its RV compound in Camp Scholler, a large campground just to the west of KOSH Runway 18-36 that operates only during AirVenture.

Many companies host evening social get-togethers during AirVenture, and Eagle Creek plans to make the barbecue an annual event.

PERSONALIZE YOUR COMMANDER BELTS

Aircraft restraints—seat belts—typically don’t get much consideration when it comes to adding style and presentation to your interior. Aircraft Belts, Inc. is out to change that perception.

A sister company to Twin Commander Aircraft, Aircraft Belts manufactures and sells aircraft restraint systems for both crew and passengers. Configurations range from traditional three-point restraints (lap and shoulder harness) to five-point crew restraints. Restraint buckles are available in lift-lever, push-button, and rotary configurations.

ABI also is offering replacement restraint systems that feature distinctive custom engraved lift lever lids featuring the Twin Commander head-on or profile view.

If the restraints in your aircraft are looking a bit worn, or are a mismatch with your interior colors, call Brian Harbaugh of Twin Commander Aircraft at 919-956-4385, or email him at [email protected]. He will refer you to Aircraft Belts, Inc. for a quote on a stylish and distinctive set of new restraints.

For more information see http://aircraftbelts.com/.

LAND’S END OFFERS TWIN COMMANDER SWAG

You have the option of having the Twin Commander logo applied at this phase of your purchase.

While you’re adding style to your aircraft interior, why not add some Twin Commander style to your own wardrobe, home, or office. Twin Commander Aircraft has a partnership with Land’s End to provide a full range of quality men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories to Commander owners, pilots, and enthusiasts. A variety of Twin Commander promotional products also are available from Land’s End.

To see Land’s End Twin Commander products, go to:
https://business.landsend.com/store/twin_commander_aircraft/

Depending on the clothing or promotional products you select from the site, you will be given the option of having the Twin Commander logo applied. In many cases, you can specify the logo color and where on the item it will be applied.

SUMMER FLIGHT LEVELS IS IN PRINT


The Summer edition of Twin Commander’s Flight Levels magazine has been published and distributed to subscribers and authorized service centers.

The issue features a profile of Commander 980 owner Steve Binnette, a senior American Airlines pilot who, with his wife, owns and operates a business requiring frequent travel to a variety of U.S. cities. Binnette, who had flown piston Commanders as a young freight pilot, says that when he went looking to upgrade from a Cessna 421, “My earlier experience with Commanders left quite an impression on me. I wanted to get back into a Commander.”

The issue’s “Service Center Profile” features Naples Jet Center, a busy Twin Commander Service Center in Naples, Florida. The accompanying “Commanding Profile” is on Scott Dillon, Executive Vice President of Naples Jet Center and its parent company, Eagle Creek Aviation Services in Indianapolis. Dillon rose from a newly certificated A&P mechanic at Eagle Creek to managing all the company’s properties, which also includes Montgomery Aviation at Indianapolis Executive Airport.

In his “From the Factory” column, Twin Commander LLC President Matt Isley writes about how the concept of reinvention realizes its highest form in Twin Commanders. Advances in airframe, engine, and avionics technology and service have kept Twin Commanders on the sharp edge of the turboprop market, Isley says “Change…is an absolute necessity if you want an airplane that keeps pace with contemporary standards of performance, comfort, and reliability.”

If you do not currently receive Flight Levels, you can sign up for a free subscription at www.twincommander.com