This 1974 Aero Commander 500S Is a Pioneer Light Twin and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Today’s Top Pick is a 1974 Aero Commander 500S.

Like many aviation enthusiasts who regularly attended airshows during the 1970s and ’80s, I tend to associate the Aero Commander 500 series twins with Bob Hoover, the aviation legend known for performing stunning aerobatic routines with the unassuming-looking aircraft. Hoover’s maneuvers, such as dead-stick point rolls at low altitude, landed squarely in the “don’t-try-this-at-home” file. Still, pilots interested in energy management could learn a lot from him.

The airplane for sale here traces its origins to Aero Design and Engineering Corp., formed in the mid-1940s by Theodore “Ted” Smith, the same person who later brought us the Aerostar. Smith developed a light twin called the Aero Commander 3805, which first flew in 1948—long before many of the twins it would compete with during the following decades.

This Aero Commander has 8,000 hours on the airframe and 1,000  hours on each of its engines. Its panel features a Garmin G600 PFD/MFD and a traditional stack of gyro- and pressure-driven avionics.

Pilots looking for a classic light twin that is known for ruggedness, reliability, and load-carrying capacity should consider this 1974 Aero Commander 500S, which is available for $295,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.