150Mike
Pre-Flight
I have been working on a lot of Aero Commander model 500B aircraft at work lately and because of that, I have been “reading up” on them even outside of work. One of the more interesting things that I have come across is that numerous examples of Aero Commander model 500A aircraft were supposedly "converted" into models 500B. From what I've read, the only actual difference between them is their engine installations - 260 hp TCM IO-470 series engines versus 290 hp Lycoming IO-540 series engines. The IO-470 powered 500A has engine air intakes on its cowlings that are vertically "centered" on the nose bowls of their cowlings whereas the Lycoming powered 500B, which has engines that utilize updraft cooling, has its air intakes configured lower down near the bottom of its cowling nose bowls. Other than those differences, the rest of the airframes of these aircraft appear to be essentially identical.
What I am wondering is - how were these "conversions" accomplished and by whom?
I haven't been able to find any record of a relevant STC and that, along with the fact that the aircraft in question seem to have been "officially" re-designated as actual models "500B", suggests to me that these conversions could have been done only by the Aero Commander factory in Bethany, OK, and NOT “in the field” by individual owners, etc. However, I haven't seen any official records to support that supposition.
I also tried to contact Aero Commander expert and "guru" Barry Collman, with whom I have had previous conversations about other Aero Commander topics, but for some reason he never responded to my e-mails about this particular subject (maybe my messages accidentally ended up in his Spam folder - or maybe they simply got overlooked in what I have to expect is the quite voluminous amount of message traffic that he must get every week.) In any case, it has since occurred to me to throw the question out there on this forum and see what I can dredge up…
(thanks for the help!)
What I am wondering is - how were these "conversions" accomplished and by whom?
I haven't been able to find any record of a relevant STC and that, along with the fact that the aircraft in question seem to have been "officially" re-designated as actual models "500B", suggests to me that these conversions could have been done only by the Aero Commander factory in Bethany, OK, and NOT “in the field” by individual owners, etc. However, I haven't seen any official records to support that supposition.
I also tried to contact Aero Commander expert and "guru" Barry Collman, with whom I have had previous conversations about other Aero Commander topics, but for some reason he never responded to my e-mails about this particular subject (maybe my messages accidentally ended up in his Spam folder - or maybe they simply got overlooked in what I have to expect is the quite voluminous amount of message traffic that he must get every week.) In any case, it has since occurred to me to throw the question out there on this forum and see what I can dredge up…
(thanks for the help!)
