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On 6-Sep-2003, "Tom S." wrote:

I'm considering a (Rockwell) Commander 114B. Their marketing hype makes
it
seem that the Commanders have a much better safety record than their
competition. Anyone have any input on that?

How about maintenance history or operating costs?

I figure to allow $125 an hour for direct costs; is that reasonable for
this
breed?


I logged a couple of hours in a 114 owned by a colleague some years ago.
(This was the original 114, not the new 114B.) Very nice airplane to fly,
and very comfortable, but surprisingly noisy.

I've flown in 112's and 114's and the 114's are noticably quieter. Compared
to a 182, a 182 is like my daughter stereo. :~)

Of course, the newer ones are
probably more refined and thus quieter. A few knots slower than others in
its class (e.g. Cessna 182RG, Beech 33),

148kts for the 182RG, 160 for teh 114B at 75% (IIUC)

but the 114, unlike the old 112, is
certainly not underpowered.

My colleague had several problems obtaining parts, particularly for the
landing gear. Before I bought any Commander I would do extensive research
on the parts availability/cost situation.

They seem to be working on their parts distribution, but since so many
people have mentioned it, they'd have to REALLY prove to me that the probelm
is solved. Fortunately, there is a distributor/dealer at my field (SDL).


The parts issue probably makes it tough to predict direct operating costs,
if you assume that includes replacing things that break or wear out.

I don't know anything about their safety record relative to others in its
class.

They brag up that their aircraft received their certification under FAR 23
standards, which is much higher than the standards that the 182 and others
on the market were built under. They quote stats on their website claiming
that their accident record is from 40% (182) to 226% better (Saratoga and
Beech) than others.

Tom