Aero Commander 500A

Overview

The Aero Commander 500A is the first major refinement of the base Aero Commander 500, introduced in 1960 under FAA TCDS 6A1 and built by Aero Commander at the Bethany, Oklahoma factory. The headline change is the powerplant: the 250 hp carbureted Lycoming O-540-A2B installation of the base 500 is replaced with two 260 hp Continental IO-470-M fuel-injected engines, paired with wing-structure modifications in the nacelle area, hydraulic system updates, and a maximum-takeoff-weight increase from 6,000 lb to 6,250 lb. About 99 airframes were produced from 1960 to 1964.

The 500A sits between the original 500 (1958-1960, Lycoming O-540, 250 hp) and the later 500B (1966, Lycoming IO-540, 290 hp) and 500S Shrike in the high-wing cabin-class twin lineage that the Aero Design and Engineering team established. All variants share the same 49-foot wing carry-through structure passing above the cabin, the flat unobstructed cabin floor, and the over-cabin sightlines that define the Commander family. The 500A is the rarer middle variant in this cluster, certificated April 7, 1960.

Type certificate 6A1 remains in force under Twin Commander Aircraft LLC, the current TC holder, which keeps parts, manuals, and approved-supplier paths reachable for a 1960s-era cabin-class twin.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• Fuel injection where the base 500 was carbureted. The Continental IO-470-M improves hot-and-high starting, altitude performance, and fuel metering consistency compared with the Lycoming O-540-A2B in the original 500.
• Cabin-class twin layout. Stand-up cabin volume, club seating for up to seven, and a flat floor uncommon in light twins of the era, courtesy of the over-cabin wing carry-through that is the Commander signature.
• Real cabin-class fuel system. 156 gallons usable feeds genuinely long-range missions on either engine variant; the IO-470-M’s specific fuel consumption gives the 500A a book range advantage over the base 500.
• Type-certificate continuity. Twin Commander Aircraft LLC continues to support TC 6A1; parts, recurrent training, and ADs are actively managed for the family.
• Stable, forgiving handling. High-wing geometry and conservative wing loading give predictable slow-flight manners; the type is widely considered docile for a cabin-class twin.

Trade-offs

• Useful load actually decreased versus the base 500. Per Twin Commander, the 500A’s empty weight (4,255 lb) rose more than the 250 lb gross-weight increase, yielding roughly 1,950 lb useful load against the base 500’s ~2,150 lb. The IO-470-M installation is heavier than the O-540-A2B it replaces.
• Manufacturer cruise vs owner-reported cruise. Twin Commander publishes 217 mph (188.5 KTAS) at 70% power and 10,000 ft; owner-reported real-world cruise for the small-engine 500-series is typically 150 to 165 kt per Aviation Consumer and AVweb, the same gap pattern that affects the base 500.
• Unpressurized, modest ceiling for a six-seat twin. A 22,500 ft service ceiling looks generous on paper, but useful cruise altitudes with passengers are far lower; expect to operate in the lower flight levels with oxygen for any sustained altitude work.
• Age-related ownership cost. The youngest 500As are 1964 airframes, so corrosion inspection, wiring, hoses, and avionics modernization should all be assumed costs at acquisition.
• Variant confusion in market data. Listings and broker spec sheets routinely conflate 500, 500A, 500B, and 500S figures; verify the specific model and engine fitment on any candidate airframe before relying on published performance numbers.
• Production-run rarity. With only about 99 built across four years, the 500A population is smaller than the base 500 or the later 500B/S; expect a thinner used market and longer search times for a clean airframe.

See Also

• Aero Commander 500 – Base model and direct predecessor; same airframe with carbureted 250 hp Lycoming O-540-A2B engines instead of the fuel-injected IO-470-M. Compare
• Piper Aztec – Direct period competitor; same-era light cabin-class twin with lower acquisition cost. Compare
• Cessna 310 – Direct period competitor; sleeker low-wing twin with comparable seating and range. Compare
• Beechcraft 50 Twin Bonanza – Same-class 1950s-60s cabin-class twin; common cross-shop for buyers weighing a high-wing alternative. Compare
• Piper PA-23-150/160 Apache – Lighter step-down twin; lower performance and lower operating cost than the 500A. Compare