Aircraft model
AERO COMMANDER 112
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Commander 112 is a four-seat retractable with a notably wide cabin, a door on each side and a reputation as the most comfortable aeroplane in its class. Aero Commander built it to compete with the Bonanza and the Arrow, and it beats both on cabin room by a clear margin.
It does not beat them on speed. At 130 knots on 200 hp it is slower than an Arrow on the same power, because the airframe is roomy rather than slippery, and that combination of weight and modest speed is the type's main criticism — the 112 in particular was widely considered underpowered, which is why the 260 hp 114 followed. Production was short and the type has passed through several corporate owners, so parts support depends on specialists and the owners' association. At exactly 200 hp no high-performance endorsement applies.
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Put AERO COMMANDER 112 side by side with up to two other models.
- AERO COMMANDER 112
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-360-C1D6 |
| Horsepower | 200 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1972 |
| Production end | 1976 |
| Endorsements required | complex |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 130 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 600 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,500 ft |
| Climb rate | 800 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 52 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,800 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,400 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 950 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 662 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,550 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,600 lb |
| Usable fuel | 48 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 11.2 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $85,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $130,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $34,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $48,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 199 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 97 |
| Median year built | 1973.5 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 6 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 61.86 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 20.62 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 21 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.65 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 97 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 97 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 97 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 7.3 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)1 |
| Severity | 3.8 of 10 · scored on 21 years of events (fewer than 10 in the last 10)2 |
| Access | 9.1 of 103 |
| Support | 4.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 30.6 out of 506 |
These record scores treat AERO COMMANDER 112 as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 9 aircraft registered under ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.