Product Review

Introduction

Throughout the history of aviation there have been aircraft which have truly captured the imagination of flight. Some because of their design and innovation, others for exploits in wars, and yet others for their performance. Then there are those aircraft which have been made famous simply by the pilots who flew them. The Aero Commander 500 is one such aircraft. A twin engined, light business aircraft, the Aero Commander 500 had a staid reputation due to its bulky shape, at least until the famed Bob Hoover got behind the controls. What Bob Hoover did in the Aero Commander 500 is not only a testament to his personal flying skills but also to the strength of this great aircraft.

In years past, the flight simming community has enjoyed the marvellous Milton Shupe freeware models of the Aero Commander 500 family for FS9 and FS2002. I, for one, have enjoyed countless hundreds of hours flying cargo runs in and out of some tight little airstrips in these aircraft.

Finally though, the community has been provided with an Aero Commander 500 for FSX and P3D and Carenado's release of the Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' has been much anticipated. For those who loved flying the earlier freeware versions of this aircraft you can now relive those experiences and for those looking for something new, well this is an aircraft worth serious consideration.

Availability and Installation

The Carenado Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' is currently available direct from Carenado and Carenado resellers as a download only product (some resellers also offer a master back-up CD / DVD service for a minor additional cost). It is priced at US$37.95, or the equivalent on currency cross rates. The download file size is 417MB and it requires 0.98GB of HDD space for installation. An activation key is issued on purchase and is used during installation and the installation process is intuitive and seamless.

Model Features

Visual Appearance

General Overview.  The somewhat unique and squat design of the Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' is evident from first views. Sitting low to the ground, it certainly appears bulky and with probably the most noticeable feature being the unusually oversized appearance of the main undercarriage struts and wheels. Nonetheless, its ungainly appearance also has a solid look and feel and provides an overall level of reassurance that the aircraft will deliver against its intended purpose.

Exterior.  The Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' portrays a solid, functional, and fit for purpose design and there is nothing pretentious in the aircraft's lines. The extended, pointed nose is typical of the later Aero Commander 500 variants and also a typical feature of similar aircraft of this era, while the elongated rear fuselage provides space for baggage storage. The high mounted wings have a rather pronounced dihedral with unique winglets, and the triple bladed, Lycoming engines are housed in very compact and efficient cowlings.

Interior.  Carenado has modelled the interior on a standard passenger configuration for the variant in a club seating arrangement. Textured seating, carpet, and padded side panels are typical of the era and consistent with the quality seen in the Carenado model range. The cabin is luxuriously appointed, although a little grungy, but consistent with the light business role the aircraft was designed for. The model is presented with a degree of wear and tear, particularly in the cockpit and the carpets, giving the true appearance and feel of an aircraft which has given solid service in its life. This is a pleasant change from the sometimes sanitary environments seen in aircraft add-ons.

Flight Instruments and Systems.The cockpit of the Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' represents the typical layout for the Aero Commander 500 series and the production period. The standard analogue flight instruments are typical of the model range and consistent with an aircraft of this category and age, and they are supplemented with the Garmin GNS 530 GPS unit and the Century III / Altimatic IIIc autopilot. This autopilot was typically installed on Piper aircraft and is similar to the autopilot units seen in other Carenado / Alabeo aircraft models.

Models and Liveries. The Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' is provided in a single model with six individual liveries (a selection only shown below). Each aircraft has a unique aircraft registration number and there is an additional blank texture for aircraft painting enthusiasts. The supplied paint schemes are of a retro style, again, consistent with the production era, and one presented in the livery of an Australian Customs Coastwatch aircraft. Displaying high quality, the surface textures, reflections, and shadings, along with additional scuff marks, scrape effects, dirt, oil, and grease stains, give each aircraft a realistic appearance.

Summary, Issues, and Variations

Carenado's rendition of the Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' is highly detailed and accurate, the visual quality is excellent, and it provides a faithful representation of the real world aircraft. All elements of the cockpit are clear and easy to read, with various alternative cockpit camera views available to provide more detailed clarity. Any noted visual variations were minor and are considered to be related to real world production variations or a degree of artistic licence on the part of the developer. Any noted issues and variations with cockpit functions and operation were considered minor and / or in the interests of simplifying the function for practical flight simulator use. Specific attention to the manual for the correct operation of the Century III / Altimatic IIIc autopilot flight system will ease any frustration or confusion in its operation

Animations, Lighting and Sounds

The animations of the primary and secondary control surfaces and other moving elements on the Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' are all modelled faithfully and include:

primary control surfaces - ailerons, elevator, and rudder;
secondary control surfaces - flaps;
others - elevator and rudder trim tabs, cockpit and cabin doors, baggage compartment door, cockpit windows; and
various static elements.

The lighting and lighting effects on the 500S 'Shrike Commander' are very good and are a realistic representation of the real world aircraft. The engine sounds are a very good representation, delivering a deep throaty and reverberating sound from idle and through the range, and with good stereo separation with view movement in the Virtual Cockpit view and external views.

General Characteristics and Performance Specifications

The general characteristics and performance specifications for the Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' are provided in the table. This is based on data from the official Aero Commander 500S 'Shrike Commander' Pilot Operating Handbook, data provided by Carenado, and general research sources. Some of this data varies between sources and also may be an approximation due to variances in data and the specific aircraft modelled by Carenado.