|
My first aircraft - the ferrying of my old Aero Commander twin back to California.
So, here's a recent adventure I'd like to share. It was a trip I will never forget and it also marks a new chapter in my life; as an aircraft owner.
Just before christmas last year, an old 1953 Aero Commander 520 twin popped up on Ebay. I've always loved Commanders and vowed to one day own one, but I hadn't planned on it as my first aircraft as I thought that her age and other things were perhaps a little too much for a new owner. Anyway, the price was low, but there was a reserve; I thought I'd give myself $500 to bid with above the start price, just to see where the reserve was. Found out that I was immediately the high bidder and the reserve was met! Not what I had planned. Anyway, there was another week to go on the auction and I was sure someone else would come along and bid over me. As I drove home to Sweden from England over christmas, it became more and more apparent that no one was going to come along. I was the sole bidder. This terrified me to no end at first, but I'm glad that, in a way, she found me rather than the other way around. But first some history. The Aero Commander 520 was the first in a long line of future business aircraft from famous designer Ted Smith (Piper Aerostar, A-26 etc). When they came, they were the Learjets of their time. Very expensive and high end. The 520's were made from 1951 to 1954, when they got replaced by the slightly more powerful 560. They had the rather unusual geared Lycoming GO-435 that also powered Helio Couriers and many early helicopters. All the geared Lycomings have a bit of a bad rep, but unfounded according to those who own them. They just need to be flown right. The 520 is the only Commander with a straight tail, all the subsequent ones had swept tails. That basic design continued for another 30 years in various forms up until the last Rockwell Twin turbine commanders were made in the mid 80's. You might recall that famous ace Bob Hoover did aerobatics with his Shrike (500U) in the 60's, 70's and 80's. As I came back from the holidays I flew directly to a cold Detroit to have her pre-buy inspected by the Twin commander eminence gris and Commander-genius, Morris Kernick. I'd flown him out from California earlier and as I landed we met at a diner to get the verdict. Turns out that there were tons of smaller squawks and things that needed attention (as one would expect), but that she was in pretty good shape. Certainly one of the better 520's he'd seen - not that there are many left around. In annual and all AD's complied with, her paperwork in order and flown regularly. That's all I could ask for really, considering her age. This is how she looked first time I laid my eyes on her at KPHN: http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-1.jpg Testament to Ted Smith's wonderful lines is that she hasn't aged much. Except for the nacelles and the tail, she could be a new twin. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-2.jpg You can clearly see the tail resemblance of the Douglas A-26 Invader and the 520. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-3.jpg Big and roomy, certified for 5 people in the Normal Category. After all the boring title transfer works and clearing any liens, the task came to get her home to California and to Morris Kernick's shop in Stockton in the Bay-area for some necessary TLC. I'm only halfway though my twin rating, so I needed some help in this department. Fortunately, captain JimBob, owner of the Commander Mailing List, A&P/IA, professional ferry pilot and also an owner of an Aero Commander 680E was available to help me out. But there was a storm approaching from both ends of the coasts, so to be able to make an almost 1800nm journey safe in VFR conditions, everything had to be right. It looked like there was a small window last week where the whole trip could be done, albeit with a horrendous headwind (more about that later) and the risk of the Bay area getting hit by a rain storm. Said and done - we jumped on planes to Detroit and drove up, had her preflighted and loaded all the papers, spare seats and spare parts into her hold (she swallows insane amounts of luggage - you could easily get skis in there) and went to bed for a super early departure. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-preflight.jpg Here she gets fueled up the night before our departure. Crack of dawn we wake and a last check of the weather - it's clear skies, but the winds aloft are terrifying and low level windshear is forecast across the continent. We decide to go anyway. We warm the GO-435's up (and this is also the first time I hear her run) in the cold morning light and then taxi out to Rwy 22 and take off. We do a low pass for the former owner (who I later find out was in tears as she went by for the last time) and off we go. We stay low for the first three hours, averaging 150kts, skirting around Chicago Bravo airspace. The minute we try to go high, the headwind nails us and the GS drops dramatically. Michigan, Illinois and Iowa are flat as pancakes, so here we can really lick the earth and get good GS. It won't last. We do the first fuel stop at Grinnell, IA - terrible crosswind gusting to 27kts on final, and fuel her up with 88gals after 3.1hrs of flying (which is about 29gals/hr). Not too bad for staying so low. However, the right engine needs 3 quarts after 3hrs - this is less good. Her oil pressure is within the green, but slightly on the low side at low altitudes, and better up high (as we'll later find out). She produces good power, but this is something that's being looked at now as we speak. Can be many things - worn vacuum pump, worn valve seats etc, oil leaks etc. Doesn't necessarily have to be a bad top, but I'm nevertheless preparing myself mentally and financially for that. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-Idaho.jpg First fuel stop in Iowa. 88gals. Take off again and head for Nebraska. Pretty much all uncontrolled airspace flying and we rarely talk to anyone. We see even less aircraft and people as the giant American tapestry expands. We keep staying low and over unpopulated areas we literally skim the earth. It's a magic ride and very exciting speeding over vast beautiful landscapes. I'm flying most of it and it's got me hooked. Next stop is Ogalalla, NE. A rather sleepy little airport. We finally manage to rustle up a mechanic and buy some more oil for the right engine. The left one hasn't used a drop. We put another 90gals in and 4 quarts of oil. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-Nebraska.jpg Capt JimBob flying low over a frozen Nebraska. As we continue west, the GS start dropping even lower. We're seeing around 120-130kts now, so that's 20-30kts on the nose. As we get closer into Colorado the terrain slowly creeps up on you, and although we're still flying really low close to the ground, the altimeter is now showing almost 4000ft. It's a premonition of what lays ahead: The Rocky Mountains. Finally we see them. Like a huge majestic line of snow capped mountains - you can't fly around them unless you have some serious time to spare, and we don't. The Bay area rain storm is already in effect and is forecast to get worse, so we're in a race against time to get to California. So we leave the confines of ground effect and pull back - many of the Rockies are at 12500ft. Immediately we get hit by the headwinds and the GS plummets. As we get into the Rockies, the ride gets very bumpy. Mountain waves and huge sinks and climbs after each peak. It's pretty intimidating. At least the skies are clear and we still have daylight (that won't last much longer). http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-sierras.jpg The descent into Salt Lake city area after the Rockies. We still have the Sierra Nevadas to contend with ahead of us. At nighttime... Many of the peaks are above us and it becomes an exercise in finding the best way through the mountain and not stay above 12500ft for too long. We carry no oxygen. It's a beautiful ride, but a bit scary. After awhile it starts to taper off and we get through a pass and into Utah. Our destination is Spanish Fork airport just at the bottom of the valley. It's now pretty late in the afternoon and the sun is starting to set. I do my first (rather hard) landing here, but she doesn't seem to mind. It's hard to slow her down, due to how you have to fly with the geared Lycomings (never let the air move the propellers), so it's a powered approach and you only cut it just before flare. The huge flaps and the landing gear helps her get there. She lands at around 70kts and is in essence, just a big Cessna. Very docile. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-Spanishfork.jpg Refueling at Spanish Fork, UT. A beautiful and very busy GA airport at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The old girl draws a crowd wherever she goes and people love to to have a chat. We are up against it now. Sun is setting and the weather is worsening in the Bay area. We have to motor. Take off over the Salt Lake flats as the sun gives up its ghost. It's staggeringly beautiful and it hits you how wonderfully pretty America can be. GS is now in the 100kts range, which means we have 50-60kts on the nose! Unreal. We almost screw up really bad when we realize that the new Bendix/King AV80R GPS that JimBob has brought isn't showing the Restricted areas. The old G300XL in my aircraft did show it, but we hadn't looked at it much. I'm glad we did. We almost bust one of the biggest US military R-zones and had to do a detour that probably ate 30 mins out of our precious time. Night is now setting in and ahead of the might Sierra Nevadas are towering. I'm getting rather uneasy at the prospect of flying over 14500 peaks at night, but JimBob doesn't bat an eyelid. Thankfully it's a moonlit night, so visibility is good. However as we proceed, it's clear that the headwind has become even worse - we see GS of 80kts now. We won't make it to SF Bay on the fuel we have, or if we did, it'd be a close call. JimBob decides we need a last fuel stop and we call up Eureka, NV airfield on the Unicom and ask them if they're still open. They are (makes a difference from the UK, right?), thankfully. We land with a 28kts headwind and taxi up to a mom and pop FBO and get her topped up. Me and JimBob are ravished, not having had any time for food all day, so we devour some peanut butter cookies and fuel up on Coke. I make a half hearted attempt at trying to convince him to stop there for the night and try in the morning, as I'm really fearful of having to climb up to 12500ft again in the dark with mountains all around us. JimBob won't have it - we'd be socked in for a week, he says (and he was right). So we power up and fly out. It's an anxious climb. Altough the visibility is good, you can only really make out the snow capped tops, the darker bits kind of blend into each other. In my paranoid mind it becomes a question of: yeah, I know the highest peaks have the most snow, but what if one peak somehow didn't get any snow and is higher than the rest...? We'd probably not see it. It's a terrible mindf**k. Under us there is nothing. Not even a single light. Our GS is now 70kts. JimBob has in 16.000hrs and 30 years of flying never had such headwinds, he says. He's furious and exhausted at the pace we're making. We've been in the air for more than 13hrs now. She barely climbs without going backwards and we often see GS drops to 50kts in climbs to clear peaks. The dangerous temptation is to ever so slightly push the nose over just to gain some speeds, but with 14000ft peaks all around you, that's not such a good idea. It's also a rough ride with all the windshear. I think the wings will come off at times and I'm very nervous during this part of the flight. Then the left engine shudders. I first think it's just some more turbulence, but its not. A moment later it happens again, but this time worse. "That's the left engine trying to quit on us", JimBob says matter of factly as he checks the magnetos. I'm almost having a heart attack by this point. We're at 12500ft and there is nothing but peaks below us. At night. Nowhere to go. And she won't fly on one engine much higher than 6000ft... But we motor on and the engine doesn't give us any more scares. I'm on edge, checking oil pressure and vitals constantly for the rest of the flight. As we get closer to California area we see that the Bay are is socked in. We are forced to fly south, extending our stay over the Sierra Nevada peaks, doing my nerves no good. We're still at 12500ft and the ceilings in the Bay area are at 6-7000ft OVC according to Oakland FSS. We have to find a hole, or else we face having to cross back over the Sierras into Nevada and go to Lake Tahoe. I dread having to cross those mountains again with an engine that's given me a scare. Finally we see a faint light between the layer of clouds at the foot of the mountain. It turns out to be Pine Mountain Lake airport (E45) and its beacon (thank god for light beacons!). We just manage to squeeze it in between the mountain and the OVC. The ride down is pretty scary, extremely bumpy and we skim the OVC to stay clear of the ridges, so momentarily lose all visual references. "I think we've made it" JimBob says as we see the lights from the San Francisco area spread out before us. It's a comforting sight after 15hrs of flying, let me tell you. As a final insult, we get 30kts tailwinds for the last 10 minutes of our ride. Thanks a lot. JimBob PTT lights the runway up at Stockton and we land uneventfully. We taxi up to Morris hangar where he's been patiently waiting. I'm too tired to put the gust locks on and just leave her for the night. We go to a night open diner to get a meal and unwind and debrief. Morris is already giving multiple possible reasons why the right engine drinks too much oil and why the left one nearly quit on us (unpressurised magneto, fuel valve, etc). He's confident there are easy fixes for both. I'm blessed that I'm accompanied by such knowledgeable and expert people - the Commander community is very strong in the US. It has been one of the most scary and exhilarating days of my life. I will never forget it. I will however try to forget the $1600 fuel bill... http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/N527P-fuel.jpg She likes this. All considering, she behaved flawlessly except for the scare with the left engine. She's a real gentle plane (we did a power on stall early and it was no worse than any single I've flown) and has great harmony. Not too fast and not too slow - cruises at 150-155kts, but can with a flap gap seal STC go 10kts faster. Built tough and can land on any surface (they're still used extensively in south America and Africa on grass strips) with those big mains. She has a really interesting, and for the time, advanced Autolean feature so you never have to lean her. She's also got the simplest fuel system in the world - there isn't even a fuel tank selector. All four tanks gravity feeds into a center tank. Up high she consumed about 20-23gals/hr, which isn't bad for her age. That huge tail and elevator can also help you keep her straight in almost any crosswind. She will require some fixes, like steering needs to repaired and her brakes are very worn. Wrong bolts on ailerons and over-tightened, manifold pressure gauge left engine sticks, hydraulic hoses in engine bay are old and needs replacing etc, etc. Plenty of minor squawks. Her radios also need a polish - as it was now we xmitted on one and received on the other. But all in all, a pretty good apple. Well, time will tell anyway. Next time I pick her up (after some local circuit instruction), I'll be flying her myself back to LA. Wish a new vintage Commander owner luck, will ya? Here are some videos of our start up and take off at KPHN earlier that day taken by a friend. As you can tell, the GO-435's exhausts go straight into what's called augmentor tubes, so she's pretty loud on the ground. In the air she's not bad at all - they have a wonderful purr and you could easily have a conversation in there with headsets off (albeit in a loud voice). |
congratulations, sounds like a fun trip. Certainly likes the Avgas doesnt it!!
I hope you have many enjoyable and safe flying journeys in her :ok: |
Great report, very enjoyable reading, thanks!
I wonder which day you did the flight? I flew commercial SFO-Frankfurt on 2/15, and the winds on the ground were whipping up huge dust vortices over the dry lakes in Nevada. Even from FL330 it was spectacular, and I was very glad not to be down there. |
Adam
What a beautifully written article on a lovely looking aircraft : ) The pictures are stunning too! Noticed you do not have deice anti ice ? Are you keeping her in the warmer states in the USA in which case you probably won't need boots? She does look lovely and looks like you got her for a snip. Just got back from the states renewing my type rating so shattered and writing this on I Phone. I wish you many happy and safe hours in her! Have you named your new bird yet ; ) Pace |
Congrats! Sounds like the beginning of a great adventure (and love affair...)
Where's she going to live? |
Good reading indeed, and my particular compliment for the level of language quality. I'd almost wonder if you can be a native English speaker...
|
Fantastic post, and beautiful looking aeroplane! :ok: If you need a co-pilot from SFO to LA, then I am your man and would be more than happy to come along for the ride!
(I also own a Commander....though not a twin one ;))... |
Excellent report Adam, I felt like I was in there with you! By the way, is that snow piled up outside the hangar at Detroit?
|
A great story. Sounds like you had a great experience. Did yu find out what was causing it to use oil?
30gph for 150kts sounds a bit ruinous and about £250/hr for fuel over here!! Thanks for posting it |
Happy owning.
I am not sure I would have gone over the mountains in the first place with an engine using that much oil - as you indicate the glid down height was way above the terrain - but each to their own. |
Twin Commander
Shouldn't you have had a pre-buy inspection done before making a bid though ? After all Ebay is an auction site and once you have bid and been the highest bidder you have bought the goods.
Or did the seller offer that option ? |
(they're still used extensively in Africa on grass strips) It's nice to see there are still a few of these older piston dinosaurs being flown regularly. Now get Jim Reader to take some air-to-air pics. Lovely story though - enjoyed reading it - thank you. |
Thanks Adam - you made me late for work this morning, as I was so engrossed in reading your post! :}
SD |
Well, her oil consumption turned out to be 3/4 of a quart per hour subsequently, so not quite a full quart like for the first leg. Still way too much, of course. Investigation continues. Actually, I haven't heard from Morris, which means he hasn't had time to get her into the shop yet, so I don't know the cause of the oil consumption yet.
Most of the early Commanders didn't have anti-ice. There's a guy called John Towner who owns - I'm not kidding - over 30 of them that he uses in his night freight operation. He's got his own STC for a weeping wing a la TKS that you can retrofit to the 500's. Don't think it covers the 520 and the 560, but I could be wrong. The wing is pretty much identical. Some of the 560 and many of the 500's we're offered with factory boots, but as far as I know the 520 was never. I'd would be nice to have, but for the kind of flying I'll be doing it's not really necessary. Aircraft will be based at Santa Monica airport. N5926S - yes, it was the 15th! Whipping winds. Yes, that was snow outside the hangar. |
This elderly lady has boots Photograph of Aircraft G-AWOE
I don't know how the mod was approved, or even if it was given the age of the aircraft and the age of the owner. Lovely machine Adam, I've spent a couple of hundred very happy hours in the cockpit of a Commander including a westbound Atlantic crossing. |
That's John Houlder's 560, right? Think it's still at Elstree, but I don't know if she gets flown much these days. That aircraft he's taken all over the world. In fact, I don't know if there are many Commanders still in service in the UK. Anyone seen any recently?
There's another interesting story of two barely out of college teenagers who bought an old 560 and flew around the world with it. I'm trying to find the link to their website as it's a good read. Funny thing is when they came to one of those yearly Commander gatherings a couple of years ago, they were too young to be able to rent a car, yet they'd flown a vintage Twin Commander all around the world! A dream would be to some day get mine over to Europe for a summer and do some touring there. Englishal - thanks for offer, I might. |
I don't know if there are many Commanders still in service in the UK. Anyone seen any recently? SD |
A 690 Turbine at Cambridge too. Flown both piston and turbine versions, turbine one cruises at 290 kts TAS! Climbs like a rocket too! Lovely design.
|
There's a couple of the later turbine 69Xs at Fairoaks, I don't know if that counts? Worth adding is that when we stopped in Grinnell, IA for fuel, the small FBO's card reader didn't work. So they guy just writes me a receipt for $457 and says "mail me a check when you get back home"! Only in the midwest could that happen, I think. |
I have Twin Commander experinece in 500's and 690's, and was a check airman in the TurboCommander. they're decent airplanes; large in size for a light twin, a little heavy, very stable. Dogs in ice. They have a big airplane feel to them. Their single engine behavior is benign. On a powered-back descent, there's no discernable change in feel with loss of one powerplant. I've flown them on fires, on charters, and for the government. They're solid, nice-flying airplanes with a few gotchas.
Make sure your wing spar AD is done; best to get it done one time with the wring root mod. I've done five of them; they're a bear, but it beats having to strip out sealant and go back in repetitively. Where many aircraft should be configured by the FAF on an approach, the Commander, especially on one engine, should be configured only when the landing is assured, and can be assured on one engine. Know your systems, especially your hydraulic system. Keep your struts and pistons clean. I've seen several commanders geared-up given failed seals, largely due to failure to keep them clean. I've also seen hydraulic failures and seal failure from using the wrong fluid (skydrol). The fuselage tank continues to be a source of leakage, with potential for explosive vapors in the baggage area. On the ice question, you may hear someone say the Commander handles ice well. I can testify to the fact that it really doesn't. I was with the chief pilot of a charter operation once, when he asked a new-hire class how much ice the commander could carry. He went on to say that the Twin Commander can handle as much ice as one can hang on it, and will only lose 15 knots. I happened to be with him when we picked up ice. We lost 50 knots in less than a minute and couldn't maintain altitude. Damage was done to the airplane from ice coming off the props. The commander is a stable instrument airplane, but avoid ice if you can, regardless of the protection the airplane might have. Forget the autolean feature. It's not what you think it is. Lean manually. If you love your motors get multipoint monitoring, and lean manually. In my paranoid mind it becomes a question of: yeah, I know the highest peaks have the most snow, but what if one peak somehow didn't get any snow and is higher than the rest...? We'd probably not see it. It's a terrible mindf**k. It's always a good idea to carry a roadmap, along with sectionals, WAC's, and low altitude enroutes. Even when flying VFR. Roadmaps give important clues about terrain, including the best paths through terrain when flying. Congratulations on your safe trip. Enjoy your new ride. |
Very cool story, and yes, only in the Midwest! Ah I miss being Stateside....
Videos are fantastic. Sound of the takeoff is epic. You'd know what that was if it flew overhead. |
Before 1958 (I think it is) and the introduction of the 500 version, the Commanders didn't come with the stainless steel/aluminum wing spar sandwich which caused galvanic corrosion and is subject to a 36 month inspection still (unless your remove it with an STC), so the early 520's and 560's don't need it thankfully. I do however have to subject it to a 5year/500hrs prop inspection, which is quite costly. Thankfully mine was done 160 hrs ago and has some time left on it.
I'll look into the autolean feature. Most experts have warned me not to ever lean manually, as it cooks the motors when you add your own lean on top of the barometric autolean system. Perhaps with good monitoring, like a JPI system, one could combine the two for optimum performance. |
Adam
I have flown a 690B. It had Dash engines and performed like a ballistic missile which would outclimb many light jets. Speed was 290 kts, 100 kts over the fence! Bags of character with quite a cosy cockpit. An ergonomic nightmare :) Down side wirh the Dash engines was the engine and prop noise was like a hammer drill. Pilots seats were better Pax areas would give you a headache. The one I flew had a nasty wingdrop in the stall but that may have been unique to that particular aircraft. Having said all that loved it as many do for its looks, quirkiness, speed and climb rate as well as its strong build. Pace |
Yeah, the 690's are rockets, I've heard. Especially with the dash 10 engines. I'd love to have a turbine one day. The earlier 690's had the dash 5 engines and I can't exactly remember what it was, but they have a pretty limited TBO for a turbine or something. There's even a 680V, which was the first turbine they released in the mid 60's. They can be had for not much money, but once again the engines are slightly problematic.
|
Adam;
You're right that is John's machine. AFAIK he still flies it and he is well past his ninetieth birthday. I remember him setting off for Argentina in her when I was a young pilot and he set several distance records in her. There was a rumour around Elstree a few years ago that when he dies the CAA won't allow the aircraft to go anywhere else due to the number of unapproved mods (boots?) SNS3 is very right about the icing, no aircraft has scared me as much in ice as the Commander. I flew over Cambridge on Monday morning in the helicopter and actually called to ask if the aircraft I could see taxiing was a Commander. According to the controller they have two based there. Such a shame that G-AWOE is the last of her type on the UK register. |
What a fantastic story! I've always loved the Aerocommanders. Even more complicated than an Airbus :)
My dream has always been a 680FP - folding gear in flat nacelles and 5000psi hydraulics! |
Yeah, the 690's are rockets, I've heard. Especially with the dash 10 engines. I'd love to have a turbine one day. The earlier 690's had the dash 5 engines and I can't exactly remember what it was, but they have a pretty limited TBO for a turbine or something. They're not "dash" engines, incidentally. Today they're Honeywell engines, though most still refer to them as Garretts The engine is a TPE-331, with various dash numbers denoting model variations. Thus, the -10 is actually a TPE-331-10, etc. The TPE-331 is one of the most complex turboprop powerplants out there. Unlike the the Pratt PT6, it gives nearly instant power response, but it can also be a much bigger liability if something goes wrong (and there's more to go wrong). |
520, straight 560, and 680E
Adam,
Thanks for posting this story! I hope I get to see you two another time, and it sure looks like she is in good hands. Did you noticed on the video how you can even see the sparks coming out of the exhaust? Just a clarification, John Houlder's AC is a 680E, which is the same bird Jim Bob has. They have a longer fuselage (10.75 inches) than your bird, and the "E" stands for Extended wings (49 ft instead of 44), plus a whole lot more power: they have GSO-480s, Geared Supercharged (mechanical) developing 340 HP (think how your gas bill would have been with this bird). Remember that the 720 Alticruiser was basically a 680E with a pressurized cabin and all the supercharged model have de-ice boots. Barry Colleman would be the one to ask which other "bath-tub" nacelles Commanders have them. All the flat nacelles ones have the option of de-ice boots or TKS system. Since you took such great pictures of your bird, I will share my Dad's straight 1955 (and you will see why 527P is so dear to me as well...); same as the 520 but with GO-480B rated Max 270 Hp. with the swept tail, but same fuselage and wingspan. I'm new to this site, and I can't attach photos, although Adam obviously managed... meanwhile here is a link to them: https://picasaweb.google.com/YVABE560/YVTABE# Enjoy! |
Wonderful pictures, Peter! And thanks again for coming out to see her off.
What was the reason behind your dads gear up? |
I like the 'augmentator tubes' at the exhaust, a bit like the aircraft equivalent of a Harley Davidson.
Do they actually augment anything, apart from the noise? |
Augmenter tubes augment airflow through the nacelle; they use exhaust gas passing through the augmenter tube as a jet pump to draw more cooling air through the nacelle, and specifically to direct that cooling air for more accurate, efficient intracowl airflow (cooling airflow inside the cowling).
Exhaust gasses are directed through the augmenter tube. and both the exhaust gas flow and the positioning of the tube itself draw air from inside the engine nacelle and cowl area into the augmenter tube to increase, direct, and assist airflow. |
YV-ABE belly up
Adam,
From what I understand it was a hydraulic failure (most likely a complete line rupture). Jim Metzger posted several times warning Commander pilots on this issue (@matronics.com): "As soon as the first engine is started, pull the breaker and do no push in until the next start. It is not in the POH but should be. We have been advocating this for years and I have had two members call me to thank me. They were able to manage a complete hyd failure..." then the issue came up again (Jim M.): " THIS SHOULD BE A REMINDER TO ALL THE FLAT NACELLED COMMANDER DRIVERS. NEVER LEAVE THE GROUND WITH THE AUX HYD PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKER IN, NEVER, EVER! Even with a ruptured line, there should easily be enough fluid to control the airplane until it stops. The breaker should not be pushed in until the mains are on the ground. There is about 2 pints of fluid in the reservoir below the stand pipe. Of course the offending line would render that brake useless, but the steering would work. It would still be an emergency for sure! ... ... Inspect all of them and dont kid yourself. If they have any corrosion, change them out... DOING THIS (pulling aux hyd) ASSURES THAT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH FLUID FOR BRAKES AND STEERING. PLEASE, LETS STOP BEING STUBBORN ABOUT THIS BEFORE ANOTHER AIRPLANE IS LOST! Don't really know if my Dad new about this trick... unfortunately I was too young! Take care, |
Just passed my Multi Engine checkride here in So Cal, so getting closer to flying her home by the day now. Tough as nails Vietnam vet as the examiner who didn't give me an inch up there. I made tons of mistakes, but in the end, and to my own surprise, he was happy enough with me to give me the rating.
Next is some instruction in type (after all the repairs have been done) and I should be good to fly her back to her new home. Hopefully in the next two weeks or so. |
What a great story. Well done. You have a PM.
|
Well, here's a little update for anyone that cares.
After being in the shop for almost 4 months, I was getting very anxious to get her out of there. I suppose I wasn't mentally prepared for just how long everything takes with aircraft. A week can go by just whilst you're waiting on some silly part to be sent... http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/AC52-3.jpg Getting forced out of the shop by an overly keen new owner.. Finally, Morris, the mechanic, said she was getting close. We got a hold of an instructor with some Aero Commander time and he came up with me (IO - we flew a Trinidad there and back). But it didn't work out for various reasons. I knew it was time to call JimBob again who'd helped me ferry it back from Detroit. He's not a certified instructor, but you can't find anyone with more experience in these aircraft. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/AC52-1.jpg Had to be jump-started during all tests, as battery was crap. The joys of old aircraft... JimBob flew down to meet me in Northern California and I'd promised to fly him back up to Washington and get familiar with the aircraft along the way. On the way up the left generator quit, which was annoying, but thankfully I had one more. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/AC52-2.jpg Old school, to say the least. I swear that tumbling big AI is original...and it's terrible. Long story short, the training and familiarisation process contained amongst other things: shutting one engine off and landing feathered, doing insane short grass strip landing and t/o and tons of normal t/o's and landings until it felt right. After half a day it was time to do my first solo takeoff and it went pretty well, if I may say so myself. The weather was terrible. We did most of my circuits in about 800ft ceilings and it was wet, wet, wet. http://www.adamfrisch.com/images/AC52-4.jpg Up in the wet Washington/Oregon area, one has to contend with drizzle and 800ft ceilings. Feels just like ole Blighty.. Anyway, after JimBob deemed me capable enough not to kill myself, I was let go. Battling with myself, I launched from Portland to the west as the weather looked slightly less c**p that way. It would be an all too familar read in the NTSB report: "Inexperienced pilot, little time in the aircraft, CFIT, etc". I didn't want to be that guy, but at the same time I was dying to get to fly her, on my own, just us, not anyone babbling in my ear telling me what to do. But first I had to get out of Jim's narrow strip with all his ex-Navy and retired Pan Am airline pilot neighbours watching me. I managed, but it was probably not too pretty. After about 3 hrs of weaving and bobbing around in the valleys of Oregon, I had to give up and land at Roseburg. I'd not come very far in my journey - it had mainly consisted of going down a valley, chickening out and turning into that CFIT guy I desperately wanted not to be. Anxiety ran high. But I wasn't giving up quite yet. Evening was coming and I thought I'd give it one last poke. I found a opening towards the Pacific and managed to snake my way to the coast, but by this time it was almost dark. I tried to get south, but it was jammed with clouds into the sea. I landed at a little field by the coast called Cape Blanco, but soon realised it was nothing there that could provide for me for the night (note to self; always have a sleeping bag in the aircraft, always have some dry food and always keep a warm jacket or pullover there), so I launched to the next one north which was Bandon State. Refuelled and decided this wasn't much better, so I fired up with the aim to go north again to the next really big airport, Oregon State. By now it was dark and and as I taxied out my landing lights, taxi lights and all the interior lights went black! That was a sign as good as any that there'd be no more flying that day. I could barely see the taxiway as I taxied back to the apron. I managed to rustle up the last motel in Bandon, only to find there was no taxi service in the whole town. I walked about 3 miles in pitch blackness until finally the friendly town cop took pity on me and drove me into town. Next day, the weather looked slightly better, but not by much. I launched south following the coast. The wet Pacific air that comes in can only rise as the coast is so rugged, so it turns into low lying clouds immediately. It's stunningly beautiful, but not flying friendly. I tracked the coast, bobbed and weaved, often with a mist layer below me and an overcast above and barely any sight of land. The hum of two engines was reassuring and I'd never have dared on one. Finally there was a wall of clouds going down to the sea. It looked a little bit better out towards the ocean, but even with two engines, I'm not brave enough to do a 50nm mile detour, half empty tanks, not knowing if I can make it back into shore on the other side... It was turnaround time. The three airports I'd passed were all impossible to get into with the clouds, as they nestled in the hills. Finally I got into Little River, fuelled up an sat it out. Not a soul in sight on any of these smaller airports. A Coast Guard Hercules thundered by and I asked him over the radio how it looked towards the south and he said it was getting better, so I decided to give it another try. As I came closer to San Francisco, the same bl**dy wall into the ocean again. Standard procedure in SF, I might add - weather is always crap there. But there was just a hole big enough to fit a Commander through towards the inland, so I took my chances with that wormhole. And lo and behold - inland was pretty clear and the trip back to Stockton was uneventful. The aircraft ran like a Swiss watch. Not a hickup. If you don't count the electrics, that is. Or the generator... ;) Don't know what the problem is, but the annual is due soon so that will be dealt with then. More downtime to look forward to! So, how is she to fly? She stores energy really well and a 500ft climb is just a pull back - don't have to touch the throttles or anything. Very stable and much better on one engine than the Seneca I trained on, which surprised me as this is much heavier. My approcahes were always dead on, something I'm not known for being good at with the Cessnas... She's just stable as a rock and makes your job easier. Insane rudder control with that big paddle and we did some slips that could rival a Cub's. And JimBob did a short field t/o that blew me away: 3/4 flap and pull back fully aft on the yoke as soon as she rolls and she's off the ground at about 45kts. I couldn't believe it - pretty impressive for such a big bird. In cruise, I pulled back on the power and ran her about 20-22" and 2500 rpm (geared engines, so the RPM is higher than on direct drives) and this gave about 140kts in speed and about 29gph. This is at sea level - up high I think it would be more like 23gph. Knuckles to the firewall, she does about 160kts in ideal conditions. Certainly not the fastest twin around, but not the slowest either. 23gph isn't bad - I know a few Bonanzas that burn that! I put 13 hours on her solo in these two first days and I have another 5 planned for tomorrow. It's great to build up the confidence in her and get a "feel" for everything. I trust the main systems completely, now I just wish the electrics and that old tumbling ancient AI could be dealt with.. All in due time. It's easy to try to do too much and all at once. I'll fly her with her avionics and instruments as is for a while and not overextend myself. Just buying gas will take care of that for you all by itself - I'm skint after these two days! Other problems: We had a broken tach angle reduction gear on the right engine, and that was the reason she burned so much oil. Or at least that's what we thought. Right engine still burns a bit too much oil (albeit less than before) and it spits it out on the nacelle and it streaks back. A quick drain is leaking, so that could perhaps be the cause, but it could be a ring as well. The annual will tell. Tomorrow I will fly down to Aircraft Spruce in Corona and buy some 120W thick oil to see if that helps. Engine runs great, has great compression and produces great power, so somehow I don't believe it's anything fatal. Here's a very patchy video of my trip back (as I was too busy weaving and bobbing to capture much), but please don't ridicule for the unintentional wink - I was chewing a mint to calm my nerves. :E |
Thanks Silvaire. Once I'd made my way out to the coast, the door slammed shut behind me. The next day I was tracking a curtain of solid clouds for hundreds of miles. Thankfully I finally found a hole or else it would have been to turn around for the second time that day. And although in America there's an airport every 5 miles, by the coast that's not always the case. They're pretty sparse up there, limiting one's options.
So I think the lesson to be had is that if you really need to go places VFR in these parts, it' best to do so inland and over the desert where the weather normally is CAVOK. The coast is always a bit treacherous. But my god is it pretty. |
The view is indeed very pretty up there :D Thanks for this wonderful story. I bet it makes many of us who don't have their own plane yet think about getting one too now :)
|
I made it to Corona but like a moron uplifted fuel at El Monte just before I left for over $6.40/gal! I need to pay more attention. In fact, I have no excuse as on my little Foreflight app it gives you the low and high fuel prices at various fields.
I also thought that I'd, in the benefit of full disclosure, would share the costs of owning so far. All these numbers are really hard to get by when you're looking to buy for some reason - it's as if people are cagey and keep that info to themselves. Maybe they're afraid of being labelled as rich bastards that can afford such a frivolous hobby, or something. If I can dispel that in any way, that will be my mission. I want every pilot to own an aircraft! I'm not rich, but I have a decent salary. If I can afford it, anyone with a normal to good job could. Granted, this might not be the case in Europe, where the cost of ownership is slightly higher, but still doable. Her total bill for all the things that I wanted rectified: $11,864. That's not bad at all. On top of that I bought a new battery for $607 and spent $2200 on pre-buy inspection, $1500 on ferry flying and finally $2700 on instruction (and I got taken for a ride there - could have been done for $700). Plus the Avgas, which probably amounts to $3000 so far. She's in for her annual now and that will obviously add extra, but most of the squawks have already been addressed, so it's mainly a case of opening up all the inspection lids and making sure she's safe. I don't expect the annual to cost much more than $4-5000. So to recap, the total so far (excluding the annual) has been: $21,871. Of course it's a lot of money, but cheaper than a coke habit;) And I know people who are into racing, motocross, go-carting, horses, vacations, boating etc who spend far more than that a year. |
Thanks for the update,
What does it look like inside, can you post some photos of the interior. You mentioned it was a 5 seater, but I can't imagine the layout. |
I'm afraid I don't have any. I'll try to take some when I next pick her up.
|
| All times are GMT. The time now is 05:49. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.