TKutchera
New member
Tucson, AZ
- Aircraft Year
- 1978
- Aircraft Type
- 114
- Reg Number
- N114SM
- Serial Number
- 14442
Hi everyone,
Im proud to say Im a new owner of a fantastic 1978 Commander 114 as of three days ago. I joined the COG two months ago or so and have been a lurker until now. I am 47 years old and joined AOPA in 1978 when I was an aspiring pilot in junior high and one of the first magazines I ever read had an article about the Commander. It was the first airplane I ever wanted and fell in love with, even not knowing much about airplanes. As I learned to fly and had various jobs, I was never able to afford one. in 2003 I finally had the financial ability to buy an airplane and the first ones I looked for was a Commander. The first person I ran into of course calling about them was Judi who was more than patient and educated me about the various models. Unfortunately, the market was too high for my tastes and I was unable to afford one but bought a fantastic 182 instead. My wife and then 4 year old son made numerous trips in it on local trips to 800 mile cross countries and then a huge pay cut in 2005 forced me to sell a great airplane. I was not able to be in a position to buy anything again until this summer. i started looking again and of course the first aircraft i looked at were the Commanders and ended up talking to Judi. She actually remembered me from 9 years earlier. With the exception of being Bears fan (Go Packers), she was a tremendous help again.
I ended up looking at a couple Commanders before I ran across 114SM. This is an airplane that was more than I wanted to spend but once I saw her and met her owners, i knew I had found the airplane for me. 114SM's owners are some of the most meticulous, kind people Ive ever met and I knew the airplane would be in perfect shape which it is. We closed the purchase last week and I flew to North Carolina Saturday and began the trip home to the Vancouver, WA area Sunday morning. i got her to her new home on Tuesday at noon.
I'd never flown a Commander until I went to NC for my check out with a very knowledgeable instructor and I was hooked. It is the most comfortable nice flying single engine airplane Ive ever flown. I have been having back problems lately and I just flew 17 hours in 3 days and never once did my back bother me.
My wife, now 14 year old son, and 7 year old daughter will be enjoying this airplane for years. After lurking on here and meeting a few Commander owners, I can tell Im now with a great group of people and look forward to meeting many of you.
The prior owners of 114SM are COG members and I want to thank them for their amazing kindness, hospitality, and tremendous help in making a lifelong dream for me come true. The day I flew 114SM away while they watched was a difficult day because for me it was truly a dream come true for me but I knew they had heavy hearts watching their airplane being flown away.
I also want to thank Judi for her tremendous help and incredible knowledge about the Commander. I think I ended up speaking with or emailing her everyday for several weeks during my search. She is ok in spite of her warped sense of what a great football team is. Go Packers
114SM is now based at 1W1 (Camas, Washington) and Id love to meet any local owners and get advice on local mechanics who are familiar with the Commander.
Tim
Im proud to say Im a new owner of a fantastic 1978 Commander 114 as of three days ago. I joined the COG two months ago or so and have been a lurker until now. I am 47 years old and joined AOPA in 1978 when I was an aspiring pilot in junior high and one of the first magazines I ever read had an article about the Commander. It was the first airplane I ever wanted and fell in love with, even not knowing much about airplanes. As I learned to fly and had various jobs, I was never able to afford one. in 2003 I finally had the financial ability to buy an airplane and the first ones I looked for was a Commander. The first person I ran into of course calling about them was Judi who was more than patient and educated me about the various models. Unfortunately, the market was too high for my tastes and I was unable to afford one but bought a fantastic 182 instead. My wife and then 4 year old son made numerous trips in it on local trips to 800 mile cross countries and then a huge pay cut in 2005 forced me to sell a great airplane. I was not able to be in a position to buy anything again until this summer. i started looking again and of course the first aircraft i looked at were the Commanders and ended up talking to Judi. She actually remembered me from 9 years earlier. With the exception of being Bears fan (Go Packers), she was a tremendous help again.
I ended up looking at a couple Commanders before I ran across 114SM. This is an airplane that was more than I wanted to spend but once I saw her and met her owners, i knew I had found the airplane for me. 114SM's owners are some of the most meticulous, kind people Ive ever met and I knew the airplane would be in perfect shape which it is. We closed the purchase last week and I flew to North Carolina Saturday and began the trip home to the Vancouver, WA area Sunday morning. i got her to her new home on Tuesday at noon.
I'd never flown a Commander until I went to NC for my check out with a very knowledgeable instructor and I was hooked. It is the most comfortable nice flying single engine airplane Ive ever flown. I have been having back problems lately and I just flew 17 hours in 3 days and never once did my back bother me.
My wife, now 14 year old son, and 7 year old daughter will be enjoying this airplane for years. After lurking on here and meeting a few Commander owners, I can tell Im now with a great group of people and look forward to meeting many of you.
The prior owners of 114SM are COG members and I want to thank them for their amazing kindness, hospitality, and tremendous help in making a lifelong dream for me come true. The day I flew 114SM away while they watched was a difficult day because for me it was truly a dream come true for me but I knew they had heavy hearts watching their airplane being flown away.
I also want to thank Judi for her tremendous help and incredible knowledge about the Commander. I think I ended up speaking with or emailing her everyday for several weeks during my search. She is ok in spite of her warped sense of what a great football team is. Go Packers
114SM is now based at 1W1 (Camas, Washington) and Id love to meet any local owners and get advice on local mechanics who are familiar with the Commander.
Tim
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