You might hear some say the Comanche is tough to land smoothly, and that it floats when in the flare, and then drops on. And if your existing transponder is an aging non-digital (has a cavity oscillator tube) model, our advice is to ditch it and put in an ADS-B transponder. to eliminate the repetitive inspections of the factory unit. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/lasarignsys.php, From out of the clear blue of the Western sky, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Garmin GMA 35c Remote-mount Bluetooth Audio Panel. The familiar Wholey Cowl (which is no longer available for Comanche singles) eliminates the Slipper mod and boosts the top speed by a whopping 15 MPH. Other than accepting a heading input from Aspens Evolution PFD, in addition to Garmins G500/600 PFD, the Avidyne ARS is self-contained. And you should. If you pull carb heat and lean the mixture from that condition, you have less power and go slower. Sun n Fun 2023: Superior Custom Instrument Panels. The Ultimate Twin Comanche - AOPA But if you want to connect the new displays audio output feature, your shop will need to wire it in to the audio panel. Display name: Doug. Theres also the $289 Hubba Hubba wheel cap, with an access door for the tires air valve. If you already invested in Aspens Evolution retrofit EFIS, you probably recognize that the system can use a jumpstart in processing speed and graphics display. Log in and start reading now. Our journey has reached the engine of Greg Piehls Comanche. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. SA 97 SO Installation A, B, or C of . Its available with and without WAAS GPS and has built-in Bluetooth for sending flight data, ADS-B traffic and weather data to a tablet or smartphone running the Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight tablet apps. With the plane on jacks, swing the gear and look for loose fits and bushings. The Comanche line debuted in 1958, with the Comanche 180 and 250 models. Garmin G5 Electronic Flight Instrument. Many carb engines will happily run LOP too. In other words, our equipment had to talk with anything else installed in theairframe. FEATURING QUALITY, RELIABILITY, and PERFORMANCE. WE LIKE ALL OF THEM, ENGINE OVERHAUL The cabin itself is roomy and comfortable with good width, if a bit drafty and noisy, say some owners. Upgrading a Comanche Panel: Photo Gallery. If the G5 attitude instrument fails, the directional instrument reverts to an attitude display. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. Youll need them for support, including software and hardware upgrades as the systems mature. General Tiger with fixed gear goes just as fast and another contemporary retractable, the Mooney M20C or M20E, will outrun the 180. Keep it on the centerline! 180-250-260-400- TWIN COMANCHES Its a buyers market with lots of choices. Twelve pilots simply forgot to extend the Firestones before ground contact. That's why some 2,155 Twin Comanches were sold during the airplane's 10-year (1963 to 1972) production run. As weve reported, the once-popular Xerion Auracle big-screen monitor has been orphaned. This website contains many older reviews. PA24-260( ) Comanche. More Piper Comanche questions! | Pilots of America Accept that youll be a test pilot for a few hours. On takeoff there might be a tendency for the Comanche to wheelbarrow in crosswinds when holding the nose down to prevent the airplane from coming off the ground. SE 51 WE Installation of two Rotor-Master (Rajay) P/N 600573-00 or 600576-00 (or any combination thereof) Turbocharger on Avco Lycoming Model IO-720-A1A and IO-720-A1B engines. The Comanches have a speed wing so its not a comfortable ride in moderate or greater turbulence, so slowing it down softens the bumps. The trim is generally in very poor condition, with various cracks in the trim and deformation around the screw holes. The installation included dual Garmin G5 digital flight instruments, a PMA450 audio system, Garmin GTN 650 WAAS/GPS navigator and a GNC 255A VHF radio. History of the Piper Comanche. TEXAS SKYWAYS HAS THIS STC. It offers a magazine as well as other resources and can be reached at 888-300-0082 or via the website at www.comancheflyers.com. Installing a 180hp in a warrior? | Pilots of America Top Efis Upgrades Of all the avionics upgrades, planning a primary flight display retrofit is perhaps the most difficult. Upgrade & Refurbish | Piper Owner Society Theres also an extensive wireless (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) interface for connecting the IFD to external devices, including an iPad running Avidynes IFD100 app, in addition to ForeFlight. Those owners will eventually spend big money at the avionics shop for new metal panels and modern avionics, including autopilots and engine displays. . Diversity Mode S transponder with ADS-B Out when connected with an appropriate WAAS GPS. Photos of this 1959 Piper PA-24 Comanche Review by Jack Fleetwood ( www.JackFleetwood.com ). Apart from the aforementioned ADs, Comanches are unremarkable; most other ADs are minor and/or shotgun directives that apply to many airplanes. Its so tolerant of any heat that its not going to hurt it, so I used the same paint., Piehl also wanted to stress that this article is very abbreviated. You don't have to go wide open with it, typically in my Travelair I would lose 2-3kts and save 3gph while still running smooth. Shop labor effort and rates are at an all-time high and good shops are busy. A few words on avionics projects. Any thoughts or ideas? Phone: (386) 253-8833 Garmins GFC500 started life as an autopilot for experimental aircraft, but now has a sizable STC list for certified aircraft. The Comanche hit the market running in 1958 and in its first production year, Piper offered the 180-HP PA-24-180 (Lycoming O-360) and the 250-HP PA-24-250 (Lycoming O-540). And I purchased six new Superior Millennium cylinders and pistons for the overhaul; I didnt want to use the originals, in fact I sold those off to an airboat shop in central Florida. Two-piece system, requires WAAS GPS input, compact. Single-box solution that works with Garmin GNS430W/530W navigators, works with a Wi-Fi module for connecting to tablets. [parts], [*parts Cessna's owners manual has for decades had pilots run lop. Has internal WAAS GPS, interfaces with select Stratus portable ADS-B receivers. Seven approached so low that they hit an obstruction or impacted the ground short of the runway. Grass Lake, MI USA Compare. I wanted to do something like I saw in the EAA Museum, where they have a display of every aircraft engine ever built, on stands. A worn-out fuel cap assembly has a compromised seal around the fuel inlet and could leak fuel in flight or allow water intrusion from a hefty rainstorm into the fuel tank. These and later Comanches can be spotted by the extra cabin window and rear baggage door on the left side, which doubles as an emergency exit. Recurring ADs on any aircraft can run up the cost of operation, and Comanches are no different. The basic airframe proved successful and wasnt changed much during its production run. Now is a good time to invest, but dont let lower prices fool you into thinking even a basic upgrade will be inexpensive. All rights reserved. That number is high, and we dont have a hypothesis to explain it, although we saw that three were at night and one of those hit power lines more than two miles short of the runway. WITH HARTZELL This is part five of seven parts. Unless otherwise noted, these reviews carry product pricing from the time of the original review. We invite you to look around and come see why we have the best made, lowest priced and best warranty of any modifications available for your Piper. These mods are available for all Comanches except the 400. What kind of paint do you use to repaint a Piper engine? Since its important that the flight controls are properly rigged (while ensuring the landing gear and landing gear doors are retracted fully and fit flush) this should be the first step before any aftermarket mods are installed. How to paint interior plastic trim, step by step instructions with photos. Engine Upgrades. Used Aircraft Guide: Twin Comanche - Aviation Consumer We kept that in mind as we reviewed the 100 most recent Comanche accidents. Piper Comanche Guide and Specs - Aviator Insider The basic, bare-bones G3X Touch with a 7-inch screen is $7995. Parts 1 and 2 of this Piper Comanche restoration series are free to read. But unless you buy one thats been particularly well-restored and cared for, getting an old Comanche up to snuff can be a pricey proposition. Either way, a realistic budget should be around $100,000. We did not find evidence that the Comanche has peculiar landing characteristics-there were only six hard landing events, well below what we would expect for an airplane that is truly difficult to land. To many pilots, Piper's Twin Comanche represents an apex of light twin design. Some years ago, there was some thought given to resurrecting the design at the hands of the legendary and brilliant Roy LoPresti, but like the Swift Fury, it came to nothing. That extra payload has to go for fuel to feed the IO-720, meaning that for flights of more than 300 miles, the 400 actually has less payload available than the 260. Email: darren@powerflowsystems.com, Address: Piper didnt distinguish between the 180 and 250 in its serial number records, but total production for 1958 was 336, comparing favorably to the 396 J35 Bonanzas Beech cranked out that same year. The installation was straight-forward with no surprises. Requires Garmin Pilot, ForeFlight tablet app. Thats more than twice the rate we expect to see on retracts-and is cause for concern for a potential buyer. The Comanche 180 can climb at 700 to 900 FPM after using more than 2200 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle. Get it approved in advance.. Rocky Landsverk is the Editor and Publisher of the Piper Owner Society and PIPERS magazine. This rebuilding a Piper engine article is from Greg Piehl, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his wife Debbie, spent three years restoring and upgrading their 1959 Piper Comanche 250. I guess that explains why I have had the same plane for 30 years! Slow it down in the last few hundred feet to land short and turn off at the first taxiway. CHOOSE YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD: CHEROKEE GUIDE OR DIGITAL ISSUE, How to Disassemble and Transport a Legacy Piper, How and Why to Strip Your Plane Yourself Before it Gets Repainted, Restoring the Interior of a Legacy Piper: How You Can Save Money, Comanche Engine and Mounts: What Happens During an Upgrade, Comanche Reassembly: What a Legacy Piper Looks Like When Its Taken Apart. This beast had a normally aspirated, fuel-injected, eight-cylinder Lycoming IO-720-A1A fitted with a three-blade prop. Kudos to them-we think every retrac pilot should witness a gear swing on the appropriate model. This requires the use of micrometers, calipers, thickness gauges, and other measuring equipment to ensure that all parts meet the tolerances required by the engine manufacturer. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. Based on our time in Comanches, we say fly it like its meant to be flown, really, and youll wonder what the barroom chatter was all about. The 400 will, however, climb like a bat out of hell-every bit of 1600 FPM. (Set of Two) 2430WT, Gear Lobe Fairing Kit. Posted by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 9, 2022 | Avionics, Comanche Restoration Series, Upgrade & Refurbish. install a One-Piece Windshield, our High Performance good looking Wingtips, one After watching countless fuel injected flyers grind their starters into dust on the 100 degree tarmac down here in TX, I'm glad I have a carb and the mogas option. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. LoPresti did create some interesting and worthwhile aerodynamic mods for the airplane, however. 795 Fentress Blvd They gave me a guy to call at Lycoming, and he said, I cant tell you the color of it, its proprietary. If you want to coax Comanche 260 speeds from a 250 model, try using the 260s power settings. I can put 260 hp on a Cherokee Arrow and never fly as fast as a Comanche. It went up in January when the panel upgrade was completed. In this installment, from the May 2022 issue, we move to the panel, and again we see how Comanche plane owner Greg Piehl utilized his skills and his professional workshop to upgrade his plane in a way that teaches us how ingenuity can play a role and allow you to do some of this work yourself. The Comanche panel has limited space, vertically, Piehl said. Their excellent build quality with total corrosion proofing before assembly and compound curve panels meant that the underlying cost structure was greater than emerging designs from either Piper or its competitors. Unlike the G3X Touch, the TXi displays have full TSO approval, plus the system is deeply compatible with analog third-party systems, including legacy autopilots. Call Thats the Trio Pro Pilot autopilot, which also has a growing STC list and some smart features as standard. The good news is that lots of shops can work on them (although as the accident reports show, pick one that knows the model well), parts are available and market prices are steady, yet reasonable. Displays TIS-B, FIS-B ATAS (ADS-B Traffic Alerting System), includes Active Traffic (Interrogates Non-ADS-B Aircraft). Comanche PA-24 Models. Products (www.aviationperformanceproducts.com), which claims that its Eagle XP cowling increases speed, economy and improves maintenance access.
