Air Command Commander Elite

The Air Command Commander Elite is an American autogyro that was designed and produced by Air Command International of Caddo Mills, Texas. When it was available, the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a conversion kit for the earlier Air Command Commander.

As of 2012, the design is no longer advertised for sale by the company.

Design and development
The Commander Elite improves on the original Commander in that it has raised landing gear that positions the engine thrustline vertically at the center of gravity, eliminating changes in pitch with throttle changes. The gyroplane was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built rules. It features a single main rotor, a single-seat open cockpit without a windshield, tricycle landing gear, and a twin cylinder, two-stroke, liquid-cooled, dual-ignition 64 hp Rotax 582 engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft's 23 ft diameter Rotordyne rotor has a chord of 8 in. The rudder and tailplane are made from carbon fiber. The Commander Elite has a typical empty weight of 270 lb and a gross weight of 570 lb, giving a useful load of 300 lb.

Operational history
By December 2012, ten examples had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.