Rockwell Commander 114

Overview

The Rockwell Commander 114 is the 260-horsepower development of the Commander 112, the airplane that answered the 112’s one persistent criticism: not enough power for its heavy, comfortable airframe. Type-certificated in 1976 under the same FAA TCDS A12SO as the 112, it keeps the wide 47-inch cabin, the dual doors, and the trailing-link landing gear, but swaps the 112’s 200 hp Lycoming IO-360 for a 260 hp IO-540, lifting cruise from around 140 knots to roughly 150 and giving the airframe the performance it always deserved.

The 114 had two lives. Rockwell built the original from 1976 to 1979; then, after the line lay dormant through the 1980s, Commander Aircraft Company revived it at the same Bethany, Oklahoma factory and delivered the improved 114B from 1992, followed by the turbocharged 114TC in 1995. The 114B added cowl and aerodynamic refinements that pushed cruise to about 160 knots and lifted gross weight, and it is the version most buyers cross-shop today; the company built them until it closed in the early 2000s.

Today the 114 is the Commander single done right: the wide cabin and easy comfort of the 112 without its underpowered reputation. The trailing-link gear and dual doors remain the draws, the 260 hp IO-540 turns the airframe into a genuine 150-to-160-knot traveler, and the trade-offs are the familiar ones for an orphaned type: verify parts support, the wing-spar airworthiness-directive history, and the condition of the retractable gear before buying.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• The power the 112 lacked. The 260 hp IO-540 lifts cruise to roughly 150 knots on the original 114 and about 160 on the later 114B, turning the roomy Commander airframe into a real cross-country traveler.
• Class-leading cabin, unchanged. The 47-inch cabin width, dual doors, and finished interior carry over from the 112; the 114 gives up nothing in comfort to gain its speed.
• Trailing-link landing gear. The same trailing-link main gear that made the 112 easy to land smoothly carries over to the heavier, faster 114.
• A revived, improved 114B. The 1992-on 114B added cowl and aerodynamic refinements and a higher gross weight; it is the strongest-performing and most sought member of the family.

Trade-offs

• Higher fuel burn than the 112. The IO-540 burns around 14 gallons an hour in cruise against the 112’s 10 to 11; the 114 buys its speed with fuel.
• Tight useful load with full fuel. Like the 112, the stout airframe limits payload; a full 68 gallons leaves modest cabin load, so four adults and bags usually means partial fuel.
• Orphaned manufacturer. Both Rockwell and Commander Aircraft Company are gone; some airframe-specific parts and the trailing-link gear components require a shop and parts network that know the type.
• Wing-spar and gear inspection items. The type carries wing-spar airworthiness-directive history and retractable-gear attention items; a type-experienced annual is the sensible approach.

See Also

• Rockwell Commander 112 – The 200 hp original: same cabin and airframe, the 114’s own starting point and the airplane it was built to out-perform. Compare
• Piper Cherokee Arrow – The direct retractable-single rival, though the 114’s 260 hp gives it a power and cabin edge over the 200 hp Arrow. Compare
• Mooney M20J 201 – The efficiency benchmark of the class: faster on less power, the counterpoint to the Commander’s comfort-first character. Compare
• Beechcraft Sierra 24 – The cabin-comfort peer from Beechcraft; a roomy retractable single in the same mission, if less powerful. Compare