Weaned on Garmin 1000, Rosoff Finds Happiness in Garmin 950 Commander
Neil Rosoff’s research led him to the conclusion that a later-model turboprop Twin Commander had just about everything he was looking for in his next airplane: twin-engine safety for flying over high terrain and at night; excellent performance and benign handling characteristics in the event one of those two engines checked out; truly excellent performance with both engines operating; generous fuel capacity coupled with miserly fuel flows at altitude to yield long-range legs; and a grin-generating, “pilot’s-airplane” personality. There was just one thing missing... Rosoff had always wanted to learn to fly, but business and family took precedence. With his two children grown and gone and his successful IT staffing business sold, it was time for Rosoff to fulfill his…
Garmin G950 Panel Approved for Twin Commander Turboprops
Eagle Creek Aviation Services has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for Garmin G950 installations in Twin Commander aircraft. The G950 is an integrated all-electronic flight deck that introduces new levels of situational awareness, simplicity, and safety to the Twin Commander cockpit. The G950 is the complete Garmin 1000 package with the exception that it incorporates the S-TEC 2100 Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) rather than a Garmin autopilot. The initial STC covers 695A s/n 96000 – 96055 Commander 1000s. Eagle Creek expects other turboprop models soon will be added to the STC. The Garmin G950 integrates all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, and weather on a large, 12.4-inch multifunction display and two 10.4-inch primary flight displays. The total panel transformation…
OPERATOR PROFILE – Forty-Four Years and Five Commanders Make for a Love Affair
Charles West has been in business for 49 years, and flying for 54. In West’s case, the two belong together. Almost all of his flying is for Wells & West, his general construction and development company founded and still based in Murphy, North Carolina. He’s owned 28 airplanes and two helicopters, and currently has five. Talk to him for two or three minutes and you’ll know what his favorite airplane has been over the years. “When I was a little boy in the 1950s, the Forest Service used to come in with a Commander,” he says. “I said that someday I’m going to get me one of those.” In 1970, after owning a Beech 18 and a Cessna 310, he…
From the Flightline
Commanding Presence – After Four Decades at Mid-Continent, Founder Gary Riggs Retires
April 1, 1977 was a great day for Gary Riggs. After 14 years working on the production line at the Rockwell Commander factory in Bethany, Oklahoma, and then as a mechanic at the factory-owned service center in Dallas, he now…
Flying the Garmin 950 Commander
A year and a half ago I was among the attendees at the 2013 Twin Commander University who received our first view of the work that Eagle Creek Aviation Services was doing in developing a Garmin 1000 system in their…
Twin Commander University Convenes in April 2015
Things you might not know about Savannah, Georgia: First, it is America’s first planned city. The beautiful downtown area, designed by founder James Edward Oglethorpe, comprises one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States. Second, Savannah…
Fit to Fly – Blood Pressure in the Clouds? Sit Back and Relax!
Is your blood pressure in the clouds? Elevated blood pressure (hypertension/pre-hypertension) is one of the most common reasons for visiting a health care provider. Furthermore, blood pressure increases with age; in fact, individuals who have normal blood pressure at age…
ADVENTURE TRAVEL: Marsh Harbour, Abaco, the Bahamas
Over the past few issues I’ve been describing experiences to faraway destinations. Why not for once do something abroad but closer to home. When I just returned from my Around the World journey, many people asked what was the most…
Summer Special On Replacement Windshield
See and be seen is the fundamental technique for avoiding collisions, and the ability to see and steer clear of conflicting traffic depends primarily on having a clear and clean windshield free of crazing, scratches, and delamination bubbling. How does…
Eggeling Pilot Resumé Ranges From Mach 2 to Boeing 757 Testbed
One of the highlights of the biennial Twin Commander owner/operator conference known as the Twin Commander University is sitting in on “Flying the Engine,” a four-hour-long seminar on best practices for operating the Honeywell TPE331 engines that power all turboprop-model…
2015 Twin Commander University to Be Held in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia, has been selected as the site of the 2015 Twin Commander University. The University is a biennial gathering of Twin Commander owners and operators and the authorized service centers and other companies that support the fleet. The heart…
OPERATOR PROFILE – Where in the World is Brad Howard?
The answer is, somewhere on a 76-day; 25,670-nmi; four-continent; 27-country; 35-stop around-the-word trek in his 690B Twin Commander. On May 13 Brad and son Scott rendezvoused with four other aircraft in Quebec City, Canada, to begin a two-and-a-half-month globe-circling sojourn…