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gmosh(at)charter.net
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 Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:50 pm Post subject: Passion politics & Commander |
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I bought my 1954 Aero Commander 560 in 1988 for just less than $10,000.00. No props*, the logs showed 300 smoh on the left and 700 smoh on the right - the interior had been gutted; pink fiberglass insulation was falling off the ceiling and sidewalls - absolutely nothing for radios. The mechanic I befriended years earlier that let me rebuild my first airplane in his hangar a 150 I bought from him originally had plans to buy it but unfortunately after an accident while testing a Cassutt Racer for one of his customers ended up a paraplegic. Prior to the Commander purchase, I had since traded the 150 for a Cessna Cardinal out of Wisconsin; flew it for a few years and sold the Cardinal to purchase the Commander. *The Commander props ended up on one of the defunct partners Widgeon - after too many beers, he tried to taxi his Widgeon into the hangar...arrg!
My Commander was located in Tecumseh, Michigan which was two plus hours from my home in Holland, Michigan. I used to spend weekends camping out in the fuselage in order to have the bulk of the weekend to work on it. I had a small kerosene heater for the Michigan winter in the back corner of the cabin; kept a coffee pot on it and went to the local McDonalds for whatever meals I didn't pack. I worked on the Commander for more weekends than I can count and during the week repaired parts or fabricated new - like a new panel to accept a used King stack I saved from the Cardinal. After crawling all through the Commanders bowels, lugging flaps home to clean out the birds nests; I questioned what I had gotten myself into. Compared to the Cessna's I refurbished previously, it felt like I had taken on repairing an airliner. Eventually I got over its size, for the most part it was a simple straight forward airplane.
I persisted though and in the following summer she was finally ready to at least ferry to Pontiac where I intended to base the plane as I was now working in the Detroit area and commuting back home to Holland on the weekends. There was still plenty to do but enough work had been accomplished to make her ferryable. By then I fabricated a new panel with a modern 6 pack instrument arrangement that put the engine gages over the throttle quadrant. I had placed the King stack to the right of the throttle/prop/mixture pod and a Telex intercom made communication between pilot and copilot sweet on the ears.
When the airplane was safe to fly luckily I had found and befriended a great guy in Pontiac, Charlie Williamson who owned a 520. We became fast Commander friends and Charlie agreed to help me get my 560 to Pontiac for an annual. The day finally arrived - Charlie and I got dropped off in Tecumseh for the ferry ride. We fired up my prize and after quickly realizing during the taxi process that we forgot to release the parking brakes - we headed to the end of the grass strip humorously referred to as Merrilat International. When the gear was tucked away and as Charlie put it, "she climbs out like a "Homesick Angel -we made a short uneventful trip to my tie down spot in Pontiac.
Over these many years I have worked on this bird tirelessly; I don't think there is one thing that one could put his hand on that I haven't touched on my Commander. If I had to pay for the labor out of my pocket I'd bet dollars to doughnuts it'd have come to a million bucks. But that's not the point. To borrow a phrase it's been my 'magnificent obsession'; a labor of love which I almost never considered work except when I had to remake the MLG/motor mount trusses over twice (if you don't anodize 7075-T6, it corrodes like you'd watch paint dry). Recently I've been through both engines - new cams, new bearings, 1/2" valves etc, etc!. What I thought were low time engines were the product of an overhaul consisting of scraping every barely serviceable part off the bench and cobbling the engines together. Twenty some years later I'm still at it keeping 560 # 173 in one flyable piece as best I can. Haven't lost the faith yet.
What I've tried to relate in the paragraphs above is about passion. I think anyone who gets bit in the a$$ by aviation, then attached to specific airplane along the way (think Bonanza snob - I wave my genitals at those bums) or for that matter us "Commander" guys (I think there's a Sheila out there too) is a passionate soul. The recent political banter found here I think testifies to that fact and every truly died in the wool American at the least wants the very best for this country.
I'm not offended and I for one don't mind reading about your thoughts in this forum. An honest debate free of acrimony is what we need more of, not less. If anything at least consider what is being presented in the light of what should not be so difficult to recognize as right and true.
As for my two cents, I'm of the opinion that the current cast of political characters in Washington is an abomination to anyone with a mustard seed worth of honest moral values. In one way or another, save a few, they're all responsible for the mess this nation is in, morally, spiritually, financially and none have the guts to do the right thing - what we as Americans hunger for is simply the truth coupled with honest action. Isn't it amazing no politician can figure that he/she could stand out without pandering.
It's laughable that they who have the audacity (what book was that again) to call the US car maker CEO's on the carpet for mismanagement need look no further than the mirror for the real culprits in this sad opera. Those pathetic deluded liars all deserve to be stripped of their pensions, lifetime perks and thrown out of work just like they've done to the citizens in this country. Who among us isn't fed up with the political diarrhea that continually accomplishes nothing! We aren't getting what we're paying so dearly for - only excuses instead of results.
With the same passion I've let my knuckles be bruised on my Commander over these years with, I sincerely desire this nation to survive and prosper as our founding fathers so brilliantly designed it to.
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nico(at)cybersuperstore.c
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| Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:06 pm Post subject: Passion politics & Commander |
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Hi Gary,
The first thing that came to mind when I read your work about the Commander was "now that's passion". I bet it will be hard to part with her if that day should be in your future, which I hope it is not.
I'm going to keep this in my collection of pilot stories. (Website, one day).
If you have pictures as you progressed, it'd be very nice to attach them to the story.
Thanks
Nico
From: owner-commander-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-commander-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of Gary Moshluk
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 5:50 PM
To: Commander Chat
Subject: Passion politics & Commander
I bought my 1954 Aero Commander 560 in 1988 for just less than $10,000.00. No props*, the logs showed 300 smoh on the left and 700 smoh on the right - the interior had been gutted; pink fiberglass insulation was falling off the ceiling and sidewalls - absolutely nothing for radios. The mechanic I befriended years earlier that let me rebuild my first airplane in his hangar a 150 I bought from him originally had plans to buy it but unfortunately after an accident while testing a Cassutt Racer for one of his customers ended up a paraplegic. Prior to the Commander purchase, I had since traded the 150 for a Cessna Cardinal out of Wisconsin; flew it for a few years and sold the Cardinal to purchase the Commander. *The Commander props ended up on one of the defunct partners Widgeon - after too many beers, he tried to taxi his Widgeon into the hangar...arrg!
My Commander was located in Tecumseh, Michigan which was two plus hours from my home in Holland, Michigan. I used to spend weekends camping out in the fuselage in order to have the bulk of the weekend to work on it. I had a small kerosene heater for the Michigan winter in the back corner of the cabin; kept a coffee pot on it and went to the local McDonalds for whatever meals I didn't pack. I worked on the Commander for more weekends than I can count and during the week repaired parts or fabricated new - like a new panel to accept a used King stack I saved from the Cardinal. After crawling all through the Commanders bowels, lugging flaps home to clean out the birds nests; I questioned what I had gotten myself into. Compared to the Cessna's I refurbished previously, it felt like I had taken on repairing an airliner. Eventually I got over its size, for the most part it was a simple straight forward airplane.
I persisted though and in the following summer she was finally ready to at least ferry to Pontiac where I intended to base the plane as I was now working in the Detroit area and commuting back home to Holland on the weekends. There was still plenty to do but enough work had been accomplished to make her ferryable. By then I fabricated a new panel with a modern 6 pack instrument arrangement that put the engine gages over the throttle quadrant. I had placed the King stack to the right of the throttle/prop/mixture pod and a Telex intercom made communication between pilot and copilot sweet on the ears.
When the airplane was safe to fly luckily I had found and befriended a great guy in Pontiac, Charlie Williamson who owned a 520. We became fast Commander friends and Charlie agreed to help me get my 560 to Pontiac for an annual. The day finally arrived - Charlie and I got dropped off in Tecumseh for the ferry ride. We fired up my prize and after quickly realizing during the taxi process that we forgot to release the parking brakes - we headed to the end of the grass strip humorously referred to as Merrilat International. When the gear was tucked away and as Charlie put it, "she climbs out like a "Homesick Angel -we made a short uneventful trip to my tie down spot in Pontiac.
Over these many years I have worked on this bird tirelessly; I don't think there is one thing that one could put his hand on that I haven't touched on my Commander. If I had to pay for the labor out of my pocket I'd bet dollars to doughnuts it'd have come to a million bucks. But that's not the point. To borrow a phrase it's been my 'magnificent obsession'; a labor of love which I almost never considered work except when I had to remake the MLG/motor mount trusses over twice (if you don't anodize 7075-T6, it corrodes like you'd watch paint dry). Recently I've been through both engines - new cams, new bearings, 1/2" valves etc, etc!. What I thought were low time engines were the product of an overhaul consisting of scraping every barely serviceable part off the bench and cobbling the engines together. Twenty some years later I'm still at it keeping 560 # 173 in one flyable piece as best I can. Haven't lost the faith yet.
What I've tried to relate in the paragraphs above is about passion. I think anyone who gets bit in the a$$ by aviation, then attached to specific airplane along the way (think Bonanza snob - I wave my genitals at those bums) or for that matter us "Commander" guys (I think there's a Sheila out there too) is a passionate soul. The recent political banter found here I think testifies to that fact and every truly died in the wool American at the least wants the very best for this country.
I'm not offended and I for one don't mind reading about your thoughts in this forum. An honest debate free of acrimony is what we need more of, not less. If anything at least consider what is being presented in the light of what should not be so difficult to recognize as right and true.
As for my two cents, I'm of the opinion that the current cast of political characters in Washington is an abomination to anyone with a mustard seed worth of honest moral values. In one way or another, save a few, they're all responsible for the mess this nation is in, morally, spiritually, financially and none have the guts to do the right thing - what we as Americans hunger for is simply the truth coupled with honest action. Isn't it amazing no politician can figure that he/she could stand out without pandering.
It's laughable that they who have the audacity (what book was that again) to call the US car maker CEO's on the carpet for mismanagement need look no further than the mirror for the real culprits in this sad opera. Those pathetic deluded liars all deserve to be stripped of their pensions, lifetime perks and thrown out of work just like they've done to the citizens in this country. Who among us isn't fed up with the political diarrhea that continually accomplishes nothing! We aren't getting what we're paying so dearly for - only excuses instead of results.
With the same passion I've let my knuckles be bruised on my Commander over these years with, I sincerely desire this nation to survive and prosper as our founding fathers so brilliantly designed it to.
[quote]
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WINGFLYER1(at)aol.com
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| Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:39 pm Post subject: Passion politics & Commander |
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Could not have said it better! You are right on target with the politics and I`m in the process of getting my 680 up to speed but don`t have to do as much work as you have done. I to share the passion and my bird is going to be one fine machine. Just had a new interior completed and the paint shop is next. Good luck with your commander. Gil
Sta24">latest news - from fashion trends to celebrity break-ups and everything in between.
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N560WM(at)aol.com
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:54 am Post subject: Passion politics & Commander |
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Anybody knows of a decent paint shop in Florida? for a 560f
Thanks:
Andy
New year...new news. Be the first to know what is making headlines.
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WINGFLYER1(at)aol.com
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| Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:55 am Post subject: Passion politics & Commander |
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I heard that their is a shop in DeLand and they use bakeing soda to strip and clean the aircraft. Sorry , Don`t have a name but they are located on the airport. Gil
Stay up-to-date on the
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