North American Rockwell 685 Commander 685
The Rockwell Commander 685 was the last piston-engined member of the Aero Commander family, built from 1971 to 1976 as essentially a piston-powered sibling of the turboprop Commander 690, sharing its wing and pressurized fuselage. Two 435-horsepower Continental engines drove three-blade propellers, and the cabin, arrangeable in up to twelve configurations for up to nine occupants, could hold sea-level pressure up to 9,000 feet, unusual for a piston twin of its era. It cruised at over 250 mph at 24,000 feet, figures that put it closer to a light turboprop than to the unpressurized Commander piston twins that preceded it.
Did you know?
The last piston Aero Commander, the 685 borrowed the turboprop 690's wing and pressurized cabin, rare in a piston twin.
Specifications
| Length | 12.5 m (41 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 15.1 m (50 ft) |
| Height | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Persons on board | 9 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 4.1 t |
| Range | 1,100 NM (2,037 km) |
| Service ceiling | 28,000 ft (8,534 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 25,000 ft (7,620 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,250 ft/min (6.4 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 816 m (2,677 ft) |
| Landing distance | 627 m (2,057 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 820 l |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
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