AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2023 - 31

flight. The type certificate said, " The Models 175A and
175B fuel system does not comply with CAR 3.433 and
3.434 for horsepower greater than 167 at the best angle of
climb which is the most critical attitude. " Um, no thanks.
Today we have the Cardinal and the 172XP to slot
between the 172 and 182, and both are superior choices
in almost every way. That and the age of the Skylark fleet
are two reasons you'll find them for much cheaper than
other 172s. And rightly so.
AERO COMMANDER 100
Nickname: Darter, Lark
Rap sheet: Vanilla is more exciting
Current status: Are there any left?
To beat the competition, you have to be faster, better, or
cheaper. When Volaircraft designed and certified what it
called the 1050 in the early 1960s, the company took direct
aim at the 172. They missed.
It's not that the airplane that would become the Aero
Commander 100 or Lark Commander was a bad airplane.
It sports a popular Lycoming O-360 and a cool reverse
swept tail design, and it looks sorta cute and proud on its
little landing gear. Even though it was cheaper at the time
than a 172, there wasn't a compelling reason to choose
it over the mighty Skyhawk. Even the name-Lark-is
uninspired. In that way the airplane and its nondescript,
common brown bird namesake are kindred spirits.
CESSNA 337
Nickname: Push Me, Pull You
Rap sheet: Twin prices without the cool factor
Current status: Double the trouble
If you're going to go through the expense of maintaining
two engines and buying double the fuel, you no doubt
want something for your money. The Cessna 337 does not
look cool, fly particularly well, or offer good single-engine
capabilities. And the worst slight of all is that if you take
your checkride in one you'll end up with a limitation on
your pilot certificate ( " centerline thrust only " ), and we
will all know you still use training wheels.
Sure, no adverse yaw means it's easy to fly when the engine fails, but that
doesn't mean the Cessna Skymaster easily stays in the air.
If you're so inclined,
Rockwell purchased the type certificate from
Volaircraft and offered the airplane as an entrant to its
bigger, cooler, much more capable twin. That would be
like Ferrari buying the rights to the Ford Taurus to get
people to buy supercars.
That said, owners generally like them, if for no other
reason than they're rare and quirky. Parts are said to be
available, mostly from third-party sources. Probably
because the Lark isn't exactly on brand for type certificate
holder Aviat Aircraft (technically Dynac Aerospace
Corporation). Pull out that factoid at your next airplane
trivia night.
and you have an unlimited
bank account, you can
add turbocharging and
pressurization to the madness.
Then you'll have a
pretty respectable traveling
machine. But with
complexity comes more
maintenance headaches.
As Aviation Consumer pointed out in its review, unlike
a normal twin that has the luxury of sticking systems in
the nose and in the wings, everything for the 337 must
fit in the fuselage, making these aircraft a bit of a nightmare
to maintain.
And while it's true there are no asymmetric thrust
issues when an engine fails, the anemic climb on one
engine is just as problematic. Aviation Consumer said
that a review of the type's 100 most recent accidents
found six where someone lost an engine on takeoff and
still crashed.
In the case of the Skymaster, different isn't necessarily
better. ian.twombly@aopa.org
AOPA PILOT / April 2023
31
Disagree with
our choices?
Of course you do.
Tell us at pilot@aopa.org
RIGHT: MIKE FIZER
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2023
