Shrike Commander 500S

The aircraft used for the geophysical airborne survey is a specially equipped Shrike Commander 500S manufactured by Aero Commander, part of Rockwell International, USA. It is a high winged twin-engine piston airplane with stable flight characteristics and good visibility. It has proved to be very well suited for the task.

The standard version of this Commander has room for five passengers and a pilot, but in this specially equipped version, a large portion of the cabin are used for different types of measuring equipment. This means that there is only room for a pilot and a navigator, but with limitation it is possible to allow an additional passenger.

The plane is equipped with hydraulic retractable landing gear and hydraulic flaps. The engines are 290 hp each and have a three-bladed constant speed propeller.

Specifications:

Cruising Speed ​​........... 290 km/h (157 knots)

Range .................... 1500 km (2700 NM)

Maximum altitude ......... 3,048 m (10,000 ft)

Maximum take-off weight .. 3061 kg

Height ................... 11.22 m (trailing bar not included)

Wing Span ................ 14,95 m

Wing Area ................ 23.7 m²

Engines .................. Lycoming IO-540

Engine ................... 2x290 hp