Eagle Creek Aviation Services is on the verge of delivering a Grand Renaissance Twin Commander to the Colombian Army—the fifth complete airframe overhaul and refurbishment of a Twin Commander that Eagle Creek has done for the South American country’s military.
At press time the airplane was being painted. The next step was to be a series of flight checks, followed by installation of a new executive interior. Eagle Creek was on target to deliver the airplane by the beginning of February 2018.
The previous four Grand Renaissance projects that Eagle Creek performed for the Colombian Army were on aircraft already being operated by the army. Eagle Creek purchased a Model 840 from a U.S. corporate operator for the fifth Colombian Grand Renaissance project.
The 840 came with recently overhauled TPE331-10T engines that met the requirements of the Grand Renaissance program, so no engine upgrade was required. The Colombians opted for the Garmin G950 all-electronic panel for their fifth Grand Renaissance along with an S-TEC Digital Flight Control System, Jeppesen Chart View, and a Garmin traffic detection system.
The country’s fourth Grand Renaissance Commander also had the Garmin G950 panel. Earlier ones were delivered with Garmin G600 Primary Flight and Navigation Displays and Meggitt Engine and Instrument Displays. Those aircraft may return to Eagle Creek for the G950 upgrade.
This Grand Renaissance also will be fitted with a modification that allows the main cabin door to open fully open so bulky cargo can be placed in the cabin.
The Colombian Army uses its Twin Commanders for a variety of missions ranging from executive transport to military surveillance and intervention.
