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They are I’m sure the biggest part by a large margin. Huge margin, All the BizJet manufacturers I believe are sold out for years or used to be anyway, they are the only very profitable part of aviation and Gulfstream is up near the top. Maule exists only because they have no debt so if they can sell an airplane every now and again or build a few parts they can get by, because they don’t have a big debt. Long ago they became the only GA manufacturer that was still owned by the family that started the business. A couple of them are a pain but the majority are nice country types, good people. Thrush comes and goes largely based on commodity pricing, at our best we built one a week and at times there were months that we built none, but as we had very little debt we could handle the down times, the President / Owner passed away, his silent partner moved in took over and started accruing debt believing he was going to get rich, just needed to automate everything, Thrush went bankrupt of course but rose again as there is an Ag market, and it is a good solid well respected airframe. I retired because I saw what was coming and didn’t want to be around when the inevitable became obvious for all the finger pointing and drama etc., so the day my youngest graduated High School was pretty close to my last day. I wore several hats, VP, Test Pilot, Product Support, I ran manufacturing and Engineering, Accountable Manager for the Repair Station etc. Thrush has been there since 1965 and the majority of the people in the town of Albany have never heard of it, it’s not that big of a Company, maybe when properly staffed less than 200 people. When I ran the line we could produce 1 a week working hard with some overtime with 85 actual people on the plant floor, when I left there were over 200 and they couldn’t produce one a week. A Group tried to restart production of the little Grumman aircraft, they were going to build in Valdosta, probably a smart place because of the AirForce base, you could hire kids getting out of the AF. I was going to help them as I could build parts under my PC but they never got their financing together, I think they were like most attempted aviation start ups, they had a plan, only didn’t have any money. Skilled Labor was my biggest problem, the little there is doesn’t want to live in Albany Ga and I don’t blame them, I was having to hire anyone that was willing to learn, which wasn’t common. Thrush and Maule are to my knowledge the only what we think of as GA manufacturers, Maule is on life support, has been for years and Thrush is a shadow of what it was back in the heyday. At one time Rockwell was turning out one a day, quickly stopped buying engines etc, parked them everywhere they could and after a couple of months there was a big lay off, they maybe could build one a day, but they couldn’t sell one a day even in the heyday. Rockwell never got the production rate they wanted, the built several aircraft in Albany, the Meyers 200, the Lark, Darter and Quail, and of course the Thrush. Word is every couple of months the Jet Commander would come in from Corporate and drop off the new plant manager. North American Rockwell was big and rich, they built the P-51, the F-82 and several other aircraft, the Apollo capsule etc. They divested themselves of GA manufacturing believing the real future money was in Space manufacturing I was told. While it appears the real money is building private Jets, who knew? Scaling is a big problem I believe in GA manufacturing, always has been, the numbers you can sell will never get to the economy of scale needed to truly automate and drive down costs. Even back in 1946 Cessna was I think building a C-140 every fifteen minutes and quickly stacked them everywhere, everyone that wanted one got two etc, great little airplane as was economical too, just the demand didn’t materlize. So I think the future if there is one is in staying small and going with small batches, CNC, possibly 3D printing maybe etc, think Super car manufacturing numbers?

I will be doing an owner assisted annual on my Darter. Thru bad planning. crappy weather, vacations and birthday, I am now 1.5 months out of annual. Do I need a ferry permit to get my plane to the AP?

The Darter I fly came with a telescopic bar. I've not measured but it pulls out from 2ft to about 4ft I guess. It is simple in design, steel with a spring loaded hook style clamp Wish it was six inches longer. Yes, telescopic is nice.

Flying the Darter around and found this O'2 in Uvalde. Darter in the background.

On the last couple of flights, Flight Aware registered my flight and speed, but not elevation. What is that symptom an indication of? Disclosure: No, I don't know exactly what equipment the Darter has. One problem at a time. I know it is the same as others I have seen in the white Nav light in the tail. I will look for the book and any addendum when I get back to the airport later today. thanks David

Cool looking Executive in Dugosh today. The sad looking Darter in the back that I fly.

Whoops. Missed this for some reason. Upset to say, slow. Life always gets in the way it seems. The Darter is down, maybe permanently. My CFII got a real Jet job so he's gone all the time. The steak house is busy enough to take my extra time away. You know, life.

I learned this exact thing on The Darter I am flying. Two cylinders showed low compression, but I can say I did not feel anything wrong. Power seemed good, no excessive oil consumption that I could tell, no oil down the belly, etc etc.

Couple of questions on fouled plugs. I have been flying a Cherokee 180 since the Darter went down. This plane is flown regularly. Each time I get in and do the run up, the second click runs rough. I then do a lean rpm run to clear the plugs. Repeat the run up procedure to confirm the carbon burned off. I lean to taxi, lean after takeoff and cruise, etc, etc.... When I get back from my XC, I do a run up to see if the fouling returned. The answer is yes. This has happened the last three trips of 1.4 hours each. I don't know how the others fly the plane, but I doubt they lean as consistently as I do. I "feel" as if I lean enough, but what do I know? What is the best practice for burning off carbon? What is best practice for leaning? Is there something mechanical going on? Thanks, David.

Hey guys (and girls). Questions please. Here is a picture of a crack in the motor mount of the Darter I am flying. It is in the shop for the 100hr. First question is can this crack be welded on site? It doesn't look all that complicated of a procedure to me, the untrained eye. Do we have to remove the mount to weld it? Second question is what are the legalities surrounding this kind of repiar? Next question is should we remove the engine and replace the motor mounts while we are waiting on the cylinders? Makes sense to me. Thanks for all the help, past and present. David

The mechanic pulled the prop on the Aero Commander Darter I am (was) flying and said there is corrosion on the exposed part of the crankshaft. He then espoused almost gleefully of the impending teardown. I'm looking down at the color on the exposed journal with a skeptical grimace. I can barely feel anything with my fingernail. A friend has done some light reading on this subject, and says there is a procedure with dye and black lights to peer into the hole to see if there is any internal corrosion on the crank. Anyone have thoughts on this, or has done this procedure. Lycoming 320. Thanks David

Hey folks. Here is a picture of some spots on the outside of the Darter that I rent. Is it corrosion? The location is about left rudder pedal distance from the spinner, but lower and behind the firewall. I will need to remove the floor and what appears to be some glue-on insulation to get to the exact location from the inside the cabin. David at Dugosh, who's mechanic is performing the 100hr, brought our attention to the area in question. I will attempt to have more pictures and info soon. On a funny/sad note along with the previously posted motor mount crack and two weak cylinders, we've discovered a five year old 100% NAPA aviation battery under the cowl. Sure does work well I am here to attest. Hope its replacement works just as well. thanks in advance. David

Having the mount in place with the engine on it…. Is going to add to the variability of things… Welding stress in place… or getting the crack to close up properly before welding the gap in place… +1 for sending to a proper shop…. Gets all of the wonder ifs out of the way… PP guesses only… Go darter! Best regards, -a-

The shop that built this is still in operation? For the Darter 100? Please advise.

The shop that built this still in operation? For the Darter 100? Please advise.

The Darter I am training in went in for the 100hr inspection. Two cylinders have compression in the 40's. My questions are; how could I not feel something, anything, that would clue me off that 50% of my engine is not pumping right? Shouldn't I have noted increased oil consumption, or something to do with the oil? Grrrrr

Which engine does the Darter have in it? Compression tests are different for each manufacturer… Proper orifice is required for accuracy… So…. If the compression tests are correct, and you have bad compressions…. This is where the dental camera comes into play…. Looking for things like cross hatching on the cylinder walls and valve pizzas…. If the rings are failing…. Be on the look out for signs of blow by… dirty bubbly smelly oil…. PP thoughts as usual… -a-

I have since flown most my current hours in this Darter. I officially like the feel of it better than the 172's though that is me just being a critic. The owner repaired the ILS so we do have precision capabilities. The 430 is non-waas. Getting it IFR certified has been a little quirky. One shop said the Type certificate says its not able to be certified. Another shop said it could, but it needs a heated Pitot tube which the plane doesn't have. And a third tech says it could be certified even without a heated tube. All said, this Aero Commander is fine for me to get my XC hours accumulated for the IFR requirement. Anyone with moderate to low pilot skills could fly this plane.

I was "what the heck is that" Never seen one before. Called a "Darter?"

One of my students owns a Darter, so I have about 20 (mostly hands-off) hours in it now. But whenever I have to demonstrate things, it flies very nicely. Because of the relatively short dashboard and resulting forward visibility, people who come from the C172 seem to think that its level flight attitude is more nose-down than it really is. His airspeed indicator is in serious need of recalibration, so I'm fairly certain that the V speeds we settled on (there are none published) are higher than reality. Yes, it's kind of wild that it shipped like this. He tied a loop of string from the door latch forward to the fixed handle. Pull the lop to open the door -- much easier! Agree 100% about the seat and rails being superior to Cessna's.

On a short XC in the Darter, I watched a small jet cross my path, right to left at a similar altitude, 1000ft or so in front of me. What device is best that Bluetooth to a tablet, so I see this kind of traffic?

Is the Darter ADS-B out? If not you won't see some of the traffic on whatever you use for ads-b in. I like the Garmin GDL-52. You get ADS-B in, AHRS, XM weather and Music (if you subscribe). It connects via bluetooth or directly connects. It's the most stable device I've owned. Stratus lost me forever when they had a known problem with the power connector on the Stratus 2 and didn't do the right thing by taking care of their customers.

A portable ADSB in, with weather and traffic is perfect for IFR training… ATC calls out traffic… Part of your scan is the iPad…. If you don’t see the traffic they called, outside the window… check the iPad to know where it is supposed to be… then back out the window… Works in the darter… will work in your first Mooney… when that time comes…. PP thoughts only, Not a futurist… Best regards, -a-

I am doing some training in an Aero Commander Darter 100. I have taken it upon myself to do some of the preventive maintenance. One of the wheel pants is missing a mounting bolt. The bolts presently in both the wheel pants are a mish-mash of non-aviation parts. I can not find in the plane any schematics and the owner likewise hasn't a copy. The question is two part obviously. How do I find the schematics, to find the bolt? Thanks David

That aircraft was built in Albany Ga in what became the Thrush plant. It’s possible that there may be a parts manual laying around. Thrush does not own the TC though. Ask to speak to Ed Rusk, he used to be the quality control manager and would likely be more willing to help and would know where the old manuals are, if there is one. If you want to hear him cuss, tell him Jody gave you his name He’s an old Retired Marine, I’m Retired Army it’s a shot in the dark, but worth asking Another possibility is to try to find out who does own the TC, they may be a parts manual source. I doubt it, but there may even be a type club, if there is they will be an invaluable source of information. Picture of the plant back in the day, you can see a Lark and a Darter, I think the Lark has a 180 hp motor and conventional tail, but honestly that was before my time, they were AC 100, the AC 200 was the Meyers 200, which is no dog, and the airframe has never had an AD