I love The Aero Commanders. Back in 1979-1983, I woked for a part 135 outfit in BOS. They had two AC 690's and a Lear 23. I flew one of the AC690 for 4 years, flying cancelled checks at night, Monday night through Friday morning, BOS-EWR-DET-EWR-BOS, every night, 100 hrs. per month. I LOVED that airplane. I used to tell people I spent more time in N9166N than in my own bed! The Garretts are very loud, outside, but in over 4,000 hours in N9166N, I never lost a motor. Very reliable.
Keeping power into the flare was probably the most counter-intuitive part of that learning curve. Those Garretts can quickly become drag-chutes for unsuspecting newbies used to conventional power plants. I probably slam-dunked a couple until finally listening to the sage advice of my instructor. Maintaining 150 - 200 HP per engine, depending on weight, pretty much does it.
My favorite airplane in the whole world.. I’ve been flying since ‘96, over 13000 hrs, flown all kinds of pistons, turbo props , and jets and haven’t had the pleasure of flying a Turbo Commander.... sad, isn’t it😭😭😭
@JJLouisiana - Very cool, I love airplanes that land well with power on! Can't say I've flown anything as cool as a Commander, but the Piper Seminole does just what you're describing. Very fun and very controllable characteristic once you get it figured out. Thanks for the reply, and again... beautiful approach and landing.
@aaron8862006 She really is Aaron. One of the easiest and most enjoyable planes I've ever flown. The only learning curve was landing with those Garretts. Normally with most other planes from Cessnas to jets, you bring power to idle during flare. Not this bird. If you do (and I have instinctively), those nine-foot props essentially become drag-chutes as they flatten. Bang! The trick is to set power on final and keep it until rubber meets runway. Simple as that.
@aaron8862006 Thanks for the compliment! I hope you get to fly the AC90 one day. I've never flown the Seminole, but I've heard that it is one of the most stable and well-behaved planes out there. Sounds like an excellent personal aircraft and trainer.
A close friend of mine is a retired 727 captain who told me he liked to add power just prior to touchdown by rolling the nose over just a tad to kiss the wheels onto the pavement. I got my FE on the 727 way back when, but I recall in the sim when swapping seats, I could barely get her on the centerline, much less making a respectful landing...
It took some getting used to, even from 600 hours flying a King Air. But from a Boeing deck? Yes, it would be a rough transition, but one I think you'd mentally adjust to faster than you'd think. Funny how quickly we adapt when required...
Hi. As i am ever learning about gas turbine engines. On this particular turboprop engine, it seems to spin the prop straight away. Does this mean it does not have a free turbine? Sorry if this is a completely stupid question. Anton
antonr91 That is correct, it is a geared turbine. Hot gas turns the various turbine sections which, thru a series of reduction gears, turns the propeller. The Garrett's internal turbine turns at like 41k/min and the props at like 1.5k/min. They are loud but pretty bullet proof/reliable once you get them started. I have thousands of hours in the "junkstreams" which were powered by these. I'm still deaf from it, lol.
