The 560A: Longer, Roomier, More Comfortable
A 1955 ad for the 560A boasts of “Great Flexibility…in the New, Bigger, Aero Commander 560-A.” The ad goes on to say that “There’s room for greater flexibility in the longer, larger cabin of the new 5-7-place Aero Commander 560-A. The 10 ¾-foot cabin length provides ample space for such optional accessories as the multiple-use hassock seat and tuck-away conference tables.”
Along with the longer fuselage, the 560A also featured a new landing gear, structural changes to the wing, and a new engine—the dry-sump Lycoming GO-480-D1A, rated at 275 hp at 3,400 rpm. Buyers also could opt for 295-hp GO-480-G1B6 powerplants. Both engines turned three-blade props (84-inch diameter for the D1A and 86-inch diameter for the G1B6), but the D1A engine burned 80/87 octane avgas while the G1B6 engine required 100/130 octane.
The new engines also came with newly designed nacelles.
In 1956 Aero Design introduced the 560A(HC), which was identical to the 560A except that the 295-hp engines were standard. The extra horsepower boosted the HC’s service ceiling to 22,000 feet compared with 20,000 for the 560A, and single-engine service ceiling to 9,750 feet compared with 8,000 feet for the 560A.
Empty weight of the 560A was listed at 4,150 pounds, with a 6,000-pound gross weight. The heavier engines and props on the HC version increased empty weight by 100 pounds. Both 560A models carry 156 gallons of fuel. According to published performance specifications at the time, the 560A cruises at 197 mph at 10,000 feet and 70 percent power, while the HC does 212 mph at 75 percent power and 10,000 feet.
Maximum range for the 560A was listed as 1,050 miles, and 950 miles for the HC version.
Aero Design built 85 560As over a two-year production run, and 14 HCs, all in 1956. The 560A debuted with a price of $74,500; the HC was just $2,000 more.
The 560A pictured here is serial number 254, manufactured in 1955. The rear fuselage bears the logo of the Long-Bell Lumber Company of Kansas City, Missouri. Long-Bell was a major lumber company that had large holdings and mills in Louisiana and later, Washington State. In fact, the company built a town, Longview, in Washington, for its mill workers.
A year after acquiring the airplane Long-Bell Lumber was sold to International Paper. According to FAA records, Long-Bell’s old airplane resides in Florida and still has its original N-number to this day.
Our thanks to Bill Thompson, who worked at the Commander production plant in Bethany, Oklahoma, from 1964 to 1991, for providing us with this and other historical photos.
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