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Author Topic: 500A?  (Read 9079 times)

appleseed

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  • 500S
Re: 500A?
« Reply #15 on: September 03, 2022, 09:50:18 am »
Well the cowling was designed to be able too efficiently updraught cool an igso 540. With the burden of the supercharger and the reduction gears, those cylinders must be generating about 430hp worth of waste heat.

I wonder if there are any drag or cooling compromises on the A’s with their updraught, downdraught, updraught modified cowlings? I guess the Colemill 520s would be the more critical installation.

I suppose the 500 b etc cowling leaves a little performance on the table compared to say the io540 install on an Aerostar. But it sure does a great job of cooling. My baffles and seals could use a couple days of work and a couple of hundred dollars worth of tightning up. But, the engines run so cool all the time ground, hot weather climb etc that the baffling has not gotten very far up the list of repairs needed.

More to a specific A vs B point. My fuel system recently sucked up a good chunk of the year’s maintenance budget.  Although the Bendix RSA fuel injection system is slightly more pilot friendly and definitely easier for mechanics to setup in the field, the Continental continuous flow system is simpler and longer lasting and less expensive. While either system should be overhauled with the engine and should take little to no maintenance until the next overhaul, the bendix has about twice as many hoses and diaphragms that are aging whether the plane flies or not. The fuel servo is also quite expensive to overhaul.

To overhaul the servo, pump, and spider and replace all the hoses firewall forward on a B is 8-12K (per side). Probably half that for an A.

Bruce Byerly

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #16 on: September 04, 2022, 11:54:45 am »
500B or 500S with a 1600 hour engine. Even the early ones are better than a continental on a commander though cylinders are now getting scarce. How many 500A’s are left actively flying with Continentals, 25?

JimC

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2022, 07:29:43 pm »
While searching for something else, I just stumbled on the Facebook thread with Bruce and "Gary L. Kirkpatrick" exchanging opinions on the Colemill 500As from six weeks ago.

This guy was calling Bruce all sorts of names and telling him he didn't know anything about Commanders. HOLY COW.

All I can say after reading that is:
* My curiosity on Colemills has been satisfied
* Bruce has more patience than I do
* I'm glad I'm not on Facebook
500B, B200

kent4142

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2022, 08:12:50 pm »
I don't know if this is thread "creep", or I am a thread "creep".  Either way - I believe as of tonight my boys and I are the proud new owners of a brand new "to us" Commander 500B.  N121SP.

We've been bitten by the piston twin Commander bug.  We are waiting for some avionics and new windshields and we are on our way.

Any advice on flying tips or ownership tips we are all ears.

Kent, Brent, & Isaac.

Thanks Bruce for seeing us through the transition.

donv

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #19 on: September 13, 2022, 08:31:07 pm »
Awesome! Congratulations!

Bruce Byerly

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #20 on: September 14, 2022, 01:03:08 am »
My baby! Happy to have it close to home.  Thank you Kent and family. Now we just need to find a front door. Gary told me he’s sold two lately. There’s another one around the corner …

Adam Frisch

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    • Adam Frisch FSF
Re: 500A?
« Reply #21 on: September 14, 2022, 05:08:35 am »
Congrats! But you still got the Turbo Commander as well, right?
Slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to.

Bruce Byerly

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #22 on: September 14, 2022, 10:46:17 am »
I don't know if this is thread "creep", or I am a thread "creep".  Either way - I believe as of tonight my boys and I are the proud new owners of a brand new "to us" Commander 500B.  N121SP.

We've been bitten by the piston twin Commander bug.  We are waiting for some avionics and new windshields and we are on our way.

Any advice on flying tips or ownership tips we are all ears.

Kent, Brent, & Isaac.

Thanks Bruce for seeing us through the transition.

Kent - I’ll send you my cheat sheet when I get caught up a bit.

JimC

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #23 on: September 14, 2022, 06:38:49 pm »
Congrats! I was wondering where it was going to end up. I missed that very nice airframe by a day.

I used to think I wanted a front door and found one, but passed. Let me see if I can dig up the contact info.
500B, B200

Badger

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #24 on: September 15, 2022, 09:57:20 am »
Awesome!  Congratulations.  I love my 500B!
Ed

kent4142

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #25 on: September 15, 2022, 09:02:37 pm »
I am so embarrassed to admit, that yes, we have both a Commander 840 and a 500B.  How lucky are we?  We do have 3 pilots and more on the way.  My grandson is 10 and coming on fast!

K

Adam Frisch

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #26 on: September 16, 2022, 07:20:13 am »
Nothing to be embarrassed by - that's great!! :D
Slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to.

Popeye

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Re: 500A?
« Reply #27 on: September 19, 2022, 10:11:29 pm »
I am so embarrassed to admit, that yes, we have both a Commander 840 and a 500B.  How lucky are we?  We do have 3 pilots and more on the way.  My grandson is 10 and coming on fast!

K

You Kidding?? At one point up until recently, we had 500, 680F, 690A, 690B, 980-10. I still keep mother ship 680F, one owner.