A Quick Look Back Keeps Us
Focused on the Future
Every so often I am asked the question, “What makes the Commander fleet so strong?” I’m pretty certain that if you ask an owner or operator that question the answer will have something to do with the potent combination of performance and value that the airplane delivers. I also think there’s another very important reason for the continued strength and success of the fleet, and it can be stated in one word: support.
For many years now owners and operators have been able to count on the steady and experienced attention of our network of world-class factory authorized service centers, the highest-quality standards in parts from the factory, and unsurpassed technical support. Those three things constitute the foundation for the solid and consistent support structure that owners and operators around the globe enjoy.
But there’s more to a structure than the foundation, as I was pleasantly reminded at the 2011 Twin Commander University.
I was fortunate to spend time with members of the Commander community who attended the University and listen to their great stories. I never get tired of hearing about the exploits of Commander pilots, but what I also find captivating are the stories of how a handful of talented, hard-working people had the vision to conceive and the gumption to get behind one bird and stake their futures on it.
The vision that became the first Aero Commander came from designer Ted Smith. His genius at translating innovative ideas about aerodynamics and utility into a unique aircraft is unquestioned. Smith’s name deserves to be on the short list of the most talented airframe designers in aviation history. His legacy will outlive us all.
Designing and building a prototype is difficult enough; building a company to produce and sell a brand new airplane is another. The Amis brothers of Oklahoma City had the vision to put the financial backing to Ted Smith’s design. Countless stories are passed around about Aero Commander engineers and test pilots who had the vision to make changes and improvements to the design along the way. Still more stories are told about midnight flights to service grounded customers, about takeoffs and landings from fields that most planes probably weren't meant to see, about big deals that were closed as well as a few that got away.
More recently, another business executive recounted to me that early in his career he was convinced that “If you were a businessman who pulled up to the ramp in anything but a Commander, you could hardly be taken seriously.” This is likely a direct result of another visionary’s exploits—in a Commander cockpit. Last week, Robert A. “Bob” Hoover was honored at EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh with a special “Tribute to Bob Hoover” Day.
Congratulations, Bob! You had the vision to imagine what the Commander could do, and then you made it happen as millions of fans looked on in amazement. The hopes and dreams of many a future aviator were born while watching you handle that Shrike.
There have been others who have contributed to the success of the Twin Commander community. My predecessor, along with those in our service center community, had the vision to see what could become of the Commander if it were reborn, and the Grand Renaissance program began.
It’s hard to imagine where we’d all be—owners, operators, service centers and the factory—if the visionaries hadn’t been so passionate about a one-of-a-kind high-wing twin with a big cabin and a pointy nose. One thing is for sure, and that is that the fleet is still strong because of the passion, and the vision, of everyone in the past and present Twin Commander community.
Please stop by and visit us (booth C9623) at the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention in Las Vegas October 10 through 12. If you have trouble finding us, just look for the guys wearing the shirts with the airplane logo on them!!
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