Photograph:
Aero Commander 560E VH-CAU (c/n 726-51) at Goulburn, NSW (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Business and executive aircraft
Power Plant:
Two 254 kw (340 hp) Lycoming IGO-540 six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engines
Specifications:
- Wingspan:
15.09 m (49 ft 6 in) - Length:
10.7 m (35 ft 1 ¼ in) - Height:
4.42 m (14 ft 6 in) - Wing area:
23.69 m² (255 sq ft) - Max speed at sea level:
402 km/h (250 mph) - Cruising speed at 70 % power at 3,050 m (10,000 ft):
373 km/h (232 mph) - Stalling speed flaps down:
119 km/h (73 mph) - Rate of climb at sea level:
484 m/min (1,587 ft/min) - Service ceiling:
6,675 m (21,900 ft) - Range at 55% power with 30 mins reserve at 3,050 m (10,000 ft):
2,745 km (1,705 miles) - Empty weight:
2,110 kg (4,650 lb) - Loaded weight:
3,402 kg (7,500 lb)
History:
After production of the initial version of the Aero Commander series concluded, the Models 520 and 560 appeared in 1954, powered by two 209 kw (280 hp) Lycoming GO-480-B engines. These introduced a few degrees of sweep angle on the vertical tail surfaces. Eighty examples of the Model 560 were built. In May 1955 the 560 was succeeded on the production line by the Model 560A in which the Lycoming GO-480-D1A engines of similar power supplanted the GO-480-B engines. There was a small reduction in the wingspan, the fuselage was lengthened slightly and the undercarriage was re-designed. 150 Model 560A aircraft were built from 1954 to 1956, and fifteen of these were supplied to the USAF under the designation U-4A.
In 1957 the Model 560E appeared. This differed from the Model 560 by having an extended wingspan and a greater payload. Seventy of these were produced up to 1959 when the Model 560F appeared. The new model made use of progressive refinement of the basic Commander design. This resulted in re-designed, slimmer engine nacelles in which the main wheels lay flat aft of the wing trailing-edge when retracted. These modifications were embodied in the 1960 models. The 560F then had two 269 kw (360 hp) Lycoming IGO-540 engines, and seated a maximum of seven persons. Three examples of the 560 series have been registered in Australia.