Airmail: Commander is a Pilot’s Airplane

Dianne White

Airmail: Commander is a Pilot’s Airplane

  • By Dianne White
  • March 29, 2017
  • Airmail

Commander is a Pilot’s Airplane

I’ve been a Twin & Turbine reader since the dawn and read the latest On Final by David Miller (March 2017) with interest. A friend and I owned Twin Commander 1000 N79PH for 12 years. We got jet fever and moved to an Embraer Phenom 100 N43EP for the last seven years. The Phenom has been a great airplane, but the Commander remains a favorite.

There is a dramatic difference between the Commander 840 and 1000. The latter were the last 100-plus planes built and offer FL350 ceiling, 300 knots cruise speed, and 1,800 nm range. With something like 20 North Atlantic crossings in this plane, the long range was a marvelous asset. For instance, my wife and I flew non-stop from Rotterdam, The Netherlands to Crete, Greece.

The other issue is the Commander, like any turboprop, has none of the contaminated runway issues of a jet. During a New England winter we are locked out of many airports with the Phenom, that would be open to a Commander especially with reverse prop thrust.

The Commander 1000 does not have the big picture windows in back, and new thick windows and better soundproofing make it a very comfortable aircraft. Flown solo with a light fuel load the plane has the same gross weight and horsepower as a P-51 Mustang.  The initial climb rate is phenomenal.

Finally, I heard long ago, “The Commander is a pilot’s airplane; the King Air is a passenger’s airplane.”

John Wood
Concord, Massachusetts 

About the Author

Dianne White
Growing up in an aviation-centric household, Dianne White was destined to fly. Combining her passion for aviation and talents as a writer, she has spent the past 30 years working as a professional journalist and communications professional. For 14 years she served as Editor-in-Chief of Twin & Turbine Magazine and has held editor roles at a number of other aviation titles, including CJ Magazine, Cirrus Pilot, King Air Magazine and MMOPA Magazine. She also served as Vice President of Corporate Communications at Cessna Aircraft Company. Dianne is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and is an active multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot with 2,000 incident-free hours.

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