Having experienced an engine failure in a 685, I know which aircraft I would rather be in
There is no doubt of the wonderful handling characteristics of all the Aero Commander piston twins, and the turbo-props, versus anything made by Piper, Beech or Cessna. However, there is a bit more too it than a simple comparison of power to weight ratio ---- and I am not, for one minute, suggesting that the good old Chieftain is better --- quite the contrary.
Compared to the direct drive engines, all the GSIO/GTSIO engines are rather fragile.
Tootle pip!!