MEXICAN NAVY TAKES DELIVERY OF GRAND RENNAISSANCE TWIN COMMANDER
It is the 39th Grand Renaissance Twin Commander to be completed since the program debuted in 1993, and the first JetProp 980 (model 695). Eagle Creek Aviation Services in Indianapolis did the project. It was Eagle Creek's sixth Grand Renaissance.
�We are extremely pleased that the Mexican Navy looked to us to tranform one of their working Commanders into an even-harder-working Grand Renaissance,� commented Eagle Creek owner Matt Hagans. �It was a long and extensive project, yet the post-production test flights resulted in a very brief punch list. The navy pilots absolutely love the airplane.�
The Grand Renaissance is a Twin Commander that has been completely refurbished and upgraded to rigid factory specifications and oversight. The airframe is stripped to bare metal and thoroughly inspected. All outstanding service bulletins are performed, systems are inspected and overhauled, and all new airframe components are installed including windshields, passenger windows, and deice boots.
On TPE331-5-powered Grand Renaissance candidates, the engines can be upgraded to Dash 10T configuration for more power in climb and cruise. (The Armada de Mexico's 695 has TPE331-10-511K powerplants.) Finally, the interior, avionics, and exterior paint are finished to customer specifications.
Twin Commander Aircraft provides the specifications, work scope, parts kits, and quality assurance for the Grand Renaissance airframe and Dash 10T engine upgrades. Authorized Twin Commander service centers, including Eagle Creek, perform the upgrade.
The Grand Renaissance process, which takes several months to complete, produces an airplane that looks and flies like new, but does so with better-than-new 300 knots true airspeed performance. It is delivered with a one-year, 200-hour parts and labor warranty or optional two-year 400-hour warranty.
The Mexican Navy operates four Twin Commanders. Some 79 government agencies around the world employ Twin Commanders in a variety of missions ranging from executive and prisoner transport to aerial photography and wildfire command and control.
�The fact is, there is no new aircraft that can replace a Twin Commander for the kinds of missions the Mexican Navy and many other government agencies perform,� noted Twin Commander Aircraft President Matt Isley. �The performance, ruggedness, utility, and fantastic visibility out the cockpit and passenger cabin make the Twin Commander ideally suited for a working role.�
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