Air Command Commander
{{Short description|American homebuilt autogyro}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Commander | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Autogyro | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Air Command International | designer= | first flight=1984 | introduced= | retired= | status=Production completed | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=over 2,000 | developed from= | variants with their own articles=Air Command Commander Elite }} |
The Air Command Commander is an American autogyro that was designed and produced by Air Command International, with its first flight in 1984. Production was completed by 2003. The aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page F-2. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, pages 202-203. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster UK, 2003. ISSN 1368-485X
Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of {{convert|254|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. The aircraft has a standard empty weight of {{convert|252|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}. It features a single main rotor, a single-seat open cockpit without a windshield, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.
The aircraft fuselage is made from bolted-together 6061-T6 aluminum tubing that is supplied anodized and pre-drilled. Its {{convert|23|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} diameter rotor comes completely assembled.
The aircraft takes 40 hours to assemble from the factory kit. Original factory options included a cockpit fairing, wheels brakes, wheel pants, rotor brake and a main rotor pre-rotator, although the installation of any of these options will raise the empty weight above US FAR 103 limits for ultralight vehicles.
The aircraft can be readily loaded on a simple trailer for ground transportation.
Reviewer Andre Cliche said of the aircraft:
{{cquote|The Commander 447 is a highly maneuverable stick—and-rudder machine that can give lots of excitement to those pilots who like to explore their flying skills. Like all gyros, it can be trailered easily and the preflight setup time is said to be 15 minutes. }}
Variants
;Commander 447
:Main version equipped with a single {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke single-ignition Rotax 447 engine
Specifications (Commander 447)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=
|length m=
|length ft=10
|length in=8
|length note=
|width m=
|width ft=6
|width in=0
|width note=
|height m=
|height ft=7
|height in=0
|height note=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=252
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=552
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|5|u.s.gal}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Rotax 447
|eng1 type=twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke single-ignition aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=40
|eng1 shp=
|prop blade number=3
|prop name=composite, ground adjustable
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=5
|prop dia in=0
|prop dia note=
|rot number=1
|rot dia m=
|rot dia ft=23
|rot dia in=1
|rot area sqm=
|rot area sqft=
|rot area note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=63
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=50
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=200
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=10000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=800
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading lb/sqft=
|disk loading note=
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|fuel consumption lb/mi=
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|avionics=
}}