Smart, sleek and relatively swift – the Rockwell Commander, G-RCED
By: shortfinals
Tags: $36000, 1937, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1988, 2009, 210 hp, Aero-Base Inc., Aerodynamic fixes, aircraft, Airworthiness Directives, American, Aviation, basically sound design, Bethany, bright red Ferrari, Canada, Cayman Islands, Commander 111, Commander 112, Commander 112TC, Commander 114, Commander 114B, Commander 115, Commander Aircraft, Commander owners, Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation, corporate ownership, Cotswold Airport, cowling, cracks in the main spar, cruciform tail, cruising speed, Curtiss, David and Danielle Pitman, delayed production, elevator, elevator hinges, England, equipment changes, existing airframes, experimental fighter, exude 'performance', failure of seat mountings, family of aircraft, Ferrari, fixed gear, forgiving landings, four full-sized adults, G-RCED, Gloucestershire, Great Britain, group of Commander owners, Gulfstream, Gulfstream American, Hampshire, IO -540-T4B5, IO-540-T4ASD, Kemble, lower cruising speed, Lycoming, Lycoming TO-360-C1A6D, Lymington, main spar, Middle East, Middle East consortium, military standards, Montreal, Montreal-based company, North American Rockwell, Oklahoma, performance, poor development, poor engine choices, post-1977 models, production line, prototype 112, re-start Commander production, reasonably equipped Commander, retractable undercarriage, reworking of the basic design, rights to the Commander design, Rockwell, Rockwell Commander 114, Rockwell International, roomy cabin, seat mountings, service improvements, smart styling, spare parts, streamlined nose, structural failure, trailing-link undercarriage, turbocharged Lycoming TO-360-C1A6D, undercarriage, underpowered, USA, VR-CED, XP-37
Category: aircraft, Aviation, British Isles, England, Great Britain, Kemble, United States
| Aperture: | f/9 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 34mm |
| ISO: | 200 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | NIKON D40 |
There are some machines which just exude ‘performance’, that shout ‘speed’ at you, even when they are standing still (try looking at a bright red Ferrari, and you get the feeling). This smart Rockwell Commander 114, G-RCED, does just that! Actually, the streamlined nose, and the scoop on the side of the cowling are reminiscent of the experimental fighter from Curtiss, the XP-37 of 1937. The aircraft shown, G-RCED, has been on both the American and Cayman Islands Registers (as VR-CED), but is now in the capable hands of David and Danielle Pitman of Lymington, Hampshire and is shown parked at Cotswold Airport, Kemble, Gloucestershire. Strangely though, this is one case where the actual speed achieved does not live up to visual expectations.
The Commander, produced by North American Rockwell (later Rockwell International) had a rather bad start; initially, there were two versions of the aircraft, the Model 111 (fixed gear) and the 112 (retractable undercarriage). The 111 didn’t go to production, and the prototype 112 suffered structural failure of the cruciform tail in flight. This crash lead to a redesign, and delayed production until 1972, when a reasonably equipped Commander would set you back about $36,000. The aircraft had much to commend it, a roomy cabin for four full-sized adults, smart styling, and a trailing-link undercarriage which made for very forgiving landings. However, the 112 was underpowered, leading to a lower cruising speed than its contemporaries. Changing the engine for a 210 hp turbocharged Lycoming TO-360-C1A6D on the Commander 112TC helped matters a good deal.
However, it wasn’t until Rockwell re-engined the Commander with a bigger Lycoming, a 260 hp IO-540-T4ASD (in post-1977 models an IO -540-T4B5), that the design lived up to its promise. Sadly, Rockwell stopped building the 114 series in 1979, and the rights to the Commander design were sold to Gulfstream American in 1988. Gulfstream never built a single aircraft and eventually a Middle East consortium bought the rights and, trading under the Commander Aircraft name, established a production line in Bethany, Oklahoma. Aerodynamic fixes, equipment changes and a reworking of the basic design gave rise to a family of aircraft with new designations – 114B/115/115TC. Like many GA companies, this one folded, and a group of Commander owners banded together to produce spare parts and undertake service improvements on existing airframes as the Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation. Even this did not work out, and neither did a 2009 agreement between CPAC and a Montreal-based company, Aero-Base Inc., which had announced plans to re-start Commander production, then – you guessed it – faded from view!
The Commander is a slightly heavy (built to almost military standards), but basically sound design which has suffered in the past from poor development, poor engine choices, and ever-changing corporate ownership. Despite this, and the issuance of several Airworthiness Directives (covering cracks in the main spar, the elevator hinges, and failure of seat mountings for example) Commander owners are loyal and almost fanatical in their support for this elegant and stylish single.
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Having the name of Rockwell would give me great confidence in any aircraft. I has not known of this one and thanks for its history of manufacture and design … too often we only see the end result and lack a certain appreciation, I think.
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