Warbird Information Exchange

I saw this in Trade-A-Plane..
A tech school is selling a very, very early Aero Commander. It's non-airworthy but I can't imagine there is much value in the parts.

It would be nice to see it saved...is there an Oklahoma aero museum? Aero Commander was a big player in the state's air history.
http://www.trade-a-plane.com/detail/1664172.html

That's not the one that used to be displayed on the pole at the Oklahoma City fairgrounds is it? I think it was a pretty early model as well but it might have been blue. I know it was taken off the pole a few years ago but I have no idea what ever happened to it.

bombadier29 wrote:That's not the one that used to be displayed on the pole at the Oklahoma City fairgrounds is it? I think it was a pretty early model as well but it might have been blue. I know it was taken off the pole a few years ago but I have no idea what ever happened to it.

I think that one may have been a prototype. Not sure.
Aero Commander would make an interesting book, coming as it did from Ted Smith, formerly of Douglas A-26 fame, and later Aerostar.

At any rate, it sounds like an interesting aircraft. As a fan of old business aircraft, I've always like the Aero Commander with its mini-airliner looks. I even had the Aurora plastic kit of and early 520 with the rounded nacelles. I saw a beautiful old one (pre-Shrike which had a pointed nose and flat nacelles) at a fly-in a couple of years back, so some restored ones are out here.

JohnB wrote:Aero Commander would make an interesting book, coming as it did from Ted Smith, formerly of Douglas A-26 fame

I've always meant to ask the WIX brain trust about that, the family resemblance is there for sure.

-Tim

Smith and or the media frequently mentioned it when promoting his later aircraft, but he's not mentioned in Thompson's A-26 book, or Francillon's Douglas Aircraft Since 1920. So he must have been a junior designer on the project.

Wasn't Smith involved in the design of the A-20 Havoc? If you squint a little when you look at one, the Aero Commander sort of resembles the A-20.

Any guesses as to the ID of this plane? I cross-referenced the 1953-built examples and came up with around seven or eight based in Oklahoma but no info on the owners.

I volunteer at the Tulsa museum. I will make sure the curator knows.

tulsaboy wrote:I volunteer at the Tulsa museum. I will make sure the curator knows.

That would be great. I'd sure like to see it saved.

I used to fly a Shrike Commander. Lots of Commander twins in the weeds all over the U. S. It costs way more to overhaul their run-out engines than the airplanes are worth.

Listing is gone. Tulsaboy, did your museum get it?

I know the curator talked with them about it. Past that I don't know. I will find out!

kevin

Kevin...what did you find out?

That is not the prototype "Blue Goose" that was on the pole at the OKC Fairgrounds....It is under restoration here at the Vo-tec. Not sure where it will be going when they finish it. I have pix somewhere.....

There is one sitting on the ramp at OUN that seems to be looking for a new owner. It is a complete airplane in need of some TLC. ~J~