After decades of hard work, many Commanders are getting a make-over.
Even though many Commanders feature modern instrument panels and interiors, the throttle quadrant is one area that displays the airplanes’ age.The speed, carrying capacity and visibility of the Twin Commander 690 makes it a popular airplane among owner-operators. And these qualities also make it a good platform for aerial surveillance, fire and fish spotting, and medical evacuation.Garmin’s G500 or G600 PFD/MFD combo coupled with a GNS 430 or GNS 530 GPS/navcom have been popular instrument panel choices among the Grand Renaissance customers who opt for a cockpit upgrade.Although many Twin Commanders have been upgraded with modern interior and panel installations, it is the replacement and refurbishment of countless hidden parts, pieces and systems that differentiate a Grand Renaissance Commander.Honeywell’s TPE331-10T engines and Aero Air’s wide-chord Q-tip propellers make the Turbo Commander 690 a 300-plus-knot airplane.Large picture windows in the cabin provide excellent visibility for the passengers.The beefy landing gear, which is actuated by hydraulic and pneumatic systems and gravity, helps make the Commander a good airplane for unimproved airstrips.**Though similar in overall exterior dimensions, the interior of the Jetprop 1000 Commander is three feet longer than that of the 690, providing extra legroom for executives or additional space for operators such as medical evacuation providers. This interior configuration was introduced in the model 900 under the ownership of Gulfstream. **A nose recognition light kit, which includes one light on each side of the fuselage, is one of many STC enhancements that have been added to Twin Commanders. This STC was later upgraded for high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs and modified to make the recognition/landing lights arranged so that one light is directed toward the ground and the other straight ahead so other airplanes can better see you when approach them head on.The shape of the engine inlet for the Honeywell TPE331-10T engine that many Twin Commander owners have retrofitted into their airplanes is reminiscent of a large smile — a shape that may rub off on the pilot once the airplane gets airborne. The -10T engines help bring the cruise speed of a Turbo Commander 690 to more than 300 knots.The Commander’s wing design provides the airplane with benign slow flight and stall characteristics, which help make the airplane a good short field performer. The airplane also exhibits good single-engine climb performance.Airplanes that have had the engines upgraded to the TPE331-10T are easy to recognize by the wide, shiny exhaust stacks protruding from the engine cowls underneath the wings. Exhaust stacks from the -5 engines are enclosed.Commanders are brought down to bare bones when they go through Twin Commander’s Grand Renaissance program. After six to nine months, the airplane that emerges from the maintenance hangar is in like-new condition, with most of its parts either replaced or refurbished.For more on the Commander, check out our full-length feature, “Grand Renaissance Commander.“
