G'Day All,

Just coming back to reality after our Fly Inn at Temora, N.S.W.

Eight Commanders attended as well as one Cirrus 22, Twin Commanche and SportStar.

The highlight for me was the ride in Dave & Jenny's Super Commander.!!

Dave will by now be able to quote all sorts of performance numbers, so I will try to relay some general observations.MIND BLOWING.!!

I have owned a 112, 114B and now a 112B, and one can appreciate the expected incremental steps from 200 HP to 260HP. However the total change that has transformed Dave's airframe to what it is now with 320HP, is to me quite amazing.After removing half inch thick frost from the aircraft, we were on for the ride. I was offered the left seat, however I really just wanted to sit back and observe.The aircraft had only one hour of fuel out of the tanks, we had 3 POB and a bit of residual bits and pieces in the luggage area. Craig McNabb took the rear seat.Off we went on RNW 18, Dave rotated at 71 KTS, kept pulling back on the stick to something like 16 degrees, who cares, I couldn't see anything out the front except blue sky, so looked back out through the side back window to get an appreciation of departure angle.Craig's first words were " Gotta have one !!" Smoothness of the engine was also most apparrent. We had 2000 ft /min climb and before we knew where we were we were at 6000ft. Dave levelled off , throttled back and showed 140 TAS and 38 ltrs fuel burn. Opened up the tap again and I physically felt the aircraft surge forward and to observe the ASI go back to the top of the yellow arc, REAL QUICK. We decended back to above the circuit, throttled back, flap at 150 kts, slowed to 130, gear down and off we went again, power in the circuit as required.All pretty standard management for a high speed aircraft.

We did much more in the air, however I have tried to convey how very flexible and if needs be how aggressive this aircraft has now become.Dave reported 172 KTS TAS at 12,500 ft on the return to QLD, yesterday.

NOW I know what Jim Richards has done for the Commander Cause, and CPAC needs to take notice, for if they do not they are destined to fail ! This STC is a signal to Cirrus and others - LOOK OUT.Grasp it by the throat CPAC and use it !

Thankyou all, Hope I did not bore, and thankyou Dave and Jenny.

Rob Hendy. AUS.