Twin Commander Has Deal to Install Engine Control Systems from Meggitt

Twin Commander Aircraft Corporation (TCAC) has signed an exclusive marketing agreement with Meggitt Avionics to develop installations for the British firm's EFIS and engine instrument display system (EIDS) equipment aboard aircraft powered by Honeywell TPE331 turboprops.

A sort of 'poor man's EICAS,' Meggitt's EIDS is a powerplant and systems monitor featuring dual-screen digital displays intended to replace most of the aircraft's electromechanical gauges.

The TPE331 'hook' for the arrangement derives from TCAC's expertise with the engine, the company having previously earned an FAA STC allowing it to upgrade the TPE331s of Commander 690 and 695 to Dash 10 configuration. The engine upgrade is the centerpiece of TCAC's Grand Renaissance program, an extensive modernization of the Ted Smith-designed high-wing executive aircraft tantamount to complete remanufacturing.

Additionally, the Arlington, WA-based firm markets Dash 10 upgrade kits and complete engines to Commander operators. It has sold 130 of the packages, including 27 that were part of Grand Renaissance conversions.

Not surprisingly, TCAC will begin the electronic instrumentation program by pursuing Meggitt STCs first for Commander 690A/B/C/D and 695A/B models, before proceeding to certifications for other TPE331-powered types. Additionally, according to TCAC VP sales Bill Mermelstein, the company will set up a network of service centers to conduct Meggitt EFIS and EIDS installations. Hardware for the newer EIDS product is expected to be available in August 2001.

Mermelstein said price of the stand-alone EIDS will run between $70,000 and $90,000 installed, including new engine transducers. Employing two flat screens for redundancy (if one fails, its data can be transferred to the other), Meggitt's EIDS replaces the aircraft's electromechanical engine instruments, as well as 'steam gauges' for fuel quantity and totalization, oil temperature and pressure, hydraulic pressure, flap settings, and other functions.

"We'll try to 'consume' all the gauges we can to free up a lot of panel space," Mermelstein said. The system can also record performance parameters for later downloading by maintenance technicians. Mermelstein claimed that cost of the EIDS unit should be less than overhauls of the existing gauges and transducers.

In the seven-year history of the Grand Renaissance program, TCAC has completed 29 Commander renovations. Two of these were piston-engined Model 500S Shrikes, the remainder Model 690s and 695s. Brought "close to new condition," the conversions are sold with a two-year/400-hour warranty. "The 695A, which terminated production in 1985 when Gulfstream owned the Commander line, went out the door for $1.2 million to $2.4 million. The last Grand Renaissance was delivered for $2.895 million, including the original airframe," Mermelstein said. "If you brought your own airplane to the program, you could expect to pay about $1.4 million for the complete conversion, including the TPE331-10 engine upgrade."

TCAC claims that mating the TPE331-10 engine to the Commander airframe can ultimately save operators as much as $200,000 in scheduled maintenance costs. The engine is flat rated to 717.5 shp (from its thermodynamic rating of more than 1,000 eshp) to 16,000 feet ISA in the Commander installation. "You're pulling only 72% of the Dash 10's thermal power at full throttle, so the engine loafs with lots of reserve power and the hot section runs very cool," Mermelstein pointed out. The TPE331-10 requires a hot section inspection at 2,500 hours and has a 5,000-hour TBO.

At the NBAA Convention, TCAC is showcasing two new propeller options for turbine-powered Commanders. Hartzell's Super Q prop, with its distinctive noise-attenuating bent tips and three wide-chord blades, was specifically designed for TPE331-10-powered Commanders and is claimed to "substantially improve" climb and cruise performance, while reducing both interior and exterior noise levels. It was STC'd for the Commander by Aero Air of Hillsboro, OR. Not be outdone, McCauley has introduced a four-blade prop for the 690A/B/C which is said to hike takeoff, climb, and cruise performance and increase deceleration on approach.

At least nine Renaissance Commanders are scheduled to be displayed on the NBAA static line at Lakefront Airport.

By David Esler