Aero Commander
Aero Commander 500A Commander taking off at airport in Czech Republic.
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| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1944 |
| Founder | Ted Smith |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Products | Aircraft manufacturer |
Aero Commander was an aircraft manufacturer formed in 1944. In subsequent years it became a subsidiary of Rockwell International and Gulfstream Aerospace. The company ceased aircraft production in 1986.
Aero was formed in Culver City, California in 1944 to design and manufacture a light twin-engined transport aircraft. Ted Smith, a former project engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company, assembled a team of 14 engineers to design what would be the Aero Commander. Preliminary design was completed in 1946. The first prototype took flight on April 23, 1948, and was certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in June, 1950. Three men funded the company's early efforts: Philadelphia attorney George Pew and Oklahoma City brothers William and Rufus Travis Amis.
In September 1950 it became the "Aero Design and Engineering Company" of Oklahoma. Its facilities consisted of an aircraft hangar and 26,000 sq ft (2,400 m2) manufacturing facility located at what is now Wiley Post Airport near Oklahoma City. In August 1951, the first production Aero Commander, the piston-engined model 520, rolled off the assembly line. In 1954, the 520 was replaced by the 560 and 560A featuring a larger cabin and more powerful Lycoming piston engines. In 1955, the U.S. Air Force selected the Aero Commander as the personal transport for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, ordering 15 aircraft, two of which were used by The White House. In 1958, the Company introduced the first pressurized business aircraft in the form of the model 720 Alti-Cruiser.
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