A side benefit of the standard turbo installation is that its quieter than the normally aspirated Comanche C. The -N1A5 engine, beefed up to handle the boost pressure and higher temperatures at altitude, is just as robust as the normally aspirated engine; both have a 2000-hour TBO. And an airplane thats been all over the hangar floor for a month or longer-now with unfamiliar avionics-is a poor match for the nonproficient pilot. After flying the new MAX system in a Cirrus (splashed with bright Florida sun), we think the new display technology is impressive-perhaps one of the most sunlight-readable PFDs on the market. (Aircraft Sales/General Info), parts@johnstonaircraft.com Click here or above for a free download: Cherokee guide OR free digital issue. Everything Laminar Flow Systems makes has integrity, a design philosophy which puts the pilot 1st! Posted by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 13, 2022 | Comanche Restoration Series, Upgrade & Refurbish. At long last, this 1959 Comanche that was disassembled and trailered . Garmin GNC 255A Nav/Comm. We like that it keeps grime and dirt away from wheel assembly. Do you need a field approval to start or finish a panel upgrade? Piper Comanche PA-24-400, PA-30, PA-39 Models. We are certified to install Continental TSIO-360KB engines in your Seneca II. Just mows through turbulence, unlike my t-wagging Bonanza. of our High Performance Propellers, Knots Yes, you can usually run fine with one or two a shade LOP, and the rest at or rich of peak, but not all of them. Comanche Panel Upgrades; Comanche Engine and Mounts: What Happens During an Upgrade; Comanche Reassembly: What a Legacy Piper Looks Like When It's Taken Apart; 1959 Comanche Fully Restored; . There are mixed reviews from owners on maintaining a Comanche. A major problem with older aircraft is the condition of the interior plastic trim. The plane has not been a drain maintenance wise. 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. For belt-and-suspender backup thats self-contained in the radio stack, we think Avidynes IFD550 navigator is a worth a look, especially if youre looking to step up and out of an aging Garmin GNS530. The number of available aftermarket mods for the plane is extensive; some are overpriced and pointless in my view, while othersare fairly cheap and offer great results. My performance improvements are way beyond anything I expected. Most of my flight time is in single-engine Cessnas. The airplane also gained cowl flaps and an aileron-rudder interconnect. Bold Warrior 180-hp Engine STC | Piper Owner Society Youve heard it all before but well tell it to you again: If you fly above 18,000 feet, youll need an ADS-B transponder. Most 250s had carbureted Lycoming O-540-AIA5 engines, but a small number were fitted out with fuel-injected versions of the same engine. We had requirements, in our MIL specs, that our avionics must communicate with the established protocols. What is the easiest way to swap out the wiring if youre upgrading a Piper panel? Piper Comanche - Johnston Aircraft for the AUSTRALIAN STABILATOR HORN If not, the selling price should be adjusted to reflect a cost of $1500 per bladder. For comparison, an American. Youll need a reliable unit for the long term. ). I get approximately 200 feet per minute in climb increase and 15 knots in cruise. Well start by saying that primary monitors (ones that are approved to replace all of the OEM gauges-including fuel quantity) require a sizable installation. And it's fun to recall some Piper engineers, back when it was introduced, boasting that the fat, new, stubby wing was actually every bit as good as the sexier-looking tapered Comanche wing, aerodynamically. "Piper manufactured the Comanche line as their first all-metal airplane. We ran about 83% of our expense being fuel, and that was through two engine cycles. -Jim Griffin, Be prepared to spend 25% of the cost of purchasing your plane on maintenance. That is because of a simple fact that anybody who has painted their house or restained their deck knows: Strip and prep are the most time-consuming part of the paint job, by Piper Owner Society | Jun 8, 2022 | Maintenance, Upgrade & Refurbish | 0. [general aviation] The good news for owners left in the cold is that many of the probes and sensors for this system can work with a JP Instruments engine monitor, including the EDM930. But I can send you a color chip to match., So I matched it, and when looking at it, I thought, Darn, thats pretty much the color that I used on the airplane, lets just use the same paint! So I didnt have to invest in any engine paint., What Piehl means is that he used the same paint as the exterior in places on the engine that dont get overly hot. The performance change has been incredibleI cant begin to explain how different the plane feels. Piper PA24/30/39 Comanche - Alpha Aviation (((navigator.appName == "Netscape") && I didnt really want to paint the engine all Lycoming gray, Piehl said. Displays TIS-B, FIS-B ATAS (ADS-B Traffic Alerting System), includes Active Traffic (Interrogates Non-ADS-B Aircraft). Turns out the claim was close enough to crown the skyBeacon a winner for a budget-based solution, the deal sweetened with a two-for LED lighting upgrade. There could be major panel work involved, and it might not work fully with your autopilot. 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. The trim is generally in very poor condition, with various cracks in the trim and deformation around the screw holes. Sure, the Piper PA-24 series is old-one of Pipers first metal, non-tailwheel cruisers-and ultimately a competitor to the Beech Bonanza and Cessna 210. Piper PA-24 Comanche Speed Mods by Knots 2U. Pricing on the base GTX345 (without GPS) is $4995. New aircraft models approved for the GFC 600 autopilot include: Cessna 421. Itll burn 8 to 10 GPH and cruise at 140 knots. ADS-B In only, for use with 1090ES transponder. // -->. The Comanches have a speed wing so its not a comfortable ride in moderate or greater turbulence, so slowing it down softens the bumps. Upgrade & Refurbish | Piper Owner Society As one result, many have opted to replace their old Hartzells for new two- or three-blade Hartzell or McCauley propellers, which terminates the AD. After years of distance-traveling in my airplane (to places I never would have visited if it werent for my Comanche), I believe a full-featured autopilot is perhaps the most useful avionics system you can buy. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. Youll need them for support, including software and hardware upgrades as the systems mature. -Scott Sherer. 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. TSO certified, STC for installation pending. Greg Piehl, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his wife Debbie, spent three years by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 13, 2022 | Comanche Restoration Series, Upgrade & Refurbish | 0. Step one is to evaluate the existing flight instruments and look toward the future. The Comanche 180 can climb at 700 to 900 FPM after using more than 2200 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle. 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. We dont sell anything unless it is GUARANTEED to give you increased cruise, climb & fuel economy performance. It's a pricey and time-consuming effort that many Belvoir Media Group, LLC. I have over 30 years experience owning, flying, maintaining and modifying aircraft, including Piper Comanches. If youve already invested in a modern transponder upgrade and dont fly above 18,000 feet, one top pick is the uAvionix skyBeacon wingtip unit with LED position and strobe lamps. Engine Upgrades, What is possible | Pilots of America Supports diversity (top and bottom antenna). Grass Lake, MI USA Compare. Ive found that many aircraft are compliant. 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. Subscribe today to read the entire series, which chronicles: What You Will Learn in This Article: Rebuilding a Piper Engine in a Comanche. I could not believe the difference. The extra 10 GPH the big-engined Comanche 400 burns yields only about 10 to 15 extra knots. LJ Warren, owner of Zephyr Aircraft Engines, is a friend of Piehls. Its big on features, small on size and works with the Garmin flight displays. This assumes that you have wheelpants on the airplane; if you don't, subtract 2 knots. After 34 years, the first flight of N6494P took place at Zephyrhills Airport, three days before leaving on a trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, just in time for AirVenture in July and August 2021. It was introduced in 1964 and discontinued only a year and 146 airplanes later. Speed Mods: Bucks for Knots - Aviation Consumer or Write for our Comanche Catalog Location: SF Bay area. (Parts Department). Ya need to explore the "experimental" side of aviation Greetings fellow fliers and the A&P's that keep us flying. The Comanche panel has limited space, vertically, Piehl said. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Upgrading a Comanche Panel (Comanche Restoration Series Part 4), Reassembling a Restored Piper (Comanche Restoration Series Part 6), Dream Come True: Ray Cooks Super Cub on floats, Arrow Door Restoration Project: Re-aligning the door improves cockpit environment, How to Replace or Repaint Your Piper Hub Caps, uAvionix Receives TSO Authorization from FAA for skyBeacon ADS-B Out, https://www.facebook.com/PiperOwnerSociety?fref=ts. Piper designed and built the aircraft from 1956 until 1972, when the manufacturing plant was wiped out by a massive flood and production ceased. A turbonormalized version of the Comanche C was offered alongside the normally aspirated model in 1970. Number 3 was ease of use. This issue (April 2022), the Comanche restoration moves to the interior, where Greg replaced almost everything inside the hull. Lets equip and move on because the real news in the avionics market is the serious surge in competition, combined with a shift from expensive TSO approvals to STCs. Why would I want to reduce engine power output by effectively increasing the engine's density altitude? Avidyne was the first with a hybrid user interface, which means you use a combination of touch and button presses. Better yet, the Max gives existing Aspen owners an upgrade path, plus it runs upgrade promotions (currently $4995) and can upgrade your existing display or send your shop an exchange. They all seem to run somewhat rough when you get all cylinders LOP. 180-250-260-400- TWIN COMANCHES There were a few companies involved in this stage. by Scott Sherer | Jan 20, 2023 | Upgrade & Refurbish | 0. Speaking of ICS, owners tell us the group is an exceptionally good resource for Comanche owners. Legroom is good for both pilots and passengers, and the cabin is definitely more spacious than the Arrow that followed. He headed back to home plate and ran the airplane dry on downwind. Fortunately, there are a number of cost effective aerodynamic improvements that we developed that can easily add 3 to up to 15 MPH, while also improving rate of climb, slow speed handling (reduced stall speed, improved aileron control) and save you fuel. The International Comanche Society has been an invaluable resource for me. As with a car stereo or home theater setup, you can get help with the wiring harnesses, and Piehl, who didnt farm out very much in this restoration, did use one of those services. Call or Write for our Comanche Catalog 180-250-260-400- TWIN COMANCHES WE LIKE ALL OF THEM COMPLETE AIRCRAFT SERVICE FACILITIES Budget Buy: Comanche 260 - AOPA We know of one flight school that had a Comanche on its flight line and it required renters to perform gear extensions and retractions with the airplane on jack stands. The installation requires mounting the GPS antenna on the cabin and wiring the unit. The paint I use is Imron, with an epoxy primer. and they ran well doing the pull to rough, push to smooth method. The Piper Comanche: The First Modern Piper - Disciples of Flight This gave Piper a reason to pull the plug on the Comanche, choosing to concentrate on the more-popular, less-expensive and higher-profit PA-28 line, including the PA-28R Arrow being produced at the Vero Beach site. Comanche is my favorite Piper single. Aside from the engine and prop, it involves the engine mounts, some baffling, controls and the exhaust system. Thats the Trio Pro Pilot autopilot, which also has a growing STC list and some smart features as standard. Range remains one of the Comanches strong points and many have been fitted with even more fuel capacity in tip tanks and fuselage tanks to give it impressive endurance. The straight roofline giving theComanche its distinctive crewcut looks also reduces visibility upward, although its not as bad as some airplanes and does provide welcome shade in hot climates. While many Comanches sport three-blade propellers, some could have old clamp-style propellers. I subbed out a lot of the work the crankcase, the crankshaft, the rods, all the internal components to a specialist. 24DF, Vortex Generator Kit, Piper PA-24 Models, Challenger Air Filter, High Performance (CP-3110). The landing gear on the Comanche gets our attention. These days, major avionics upgrades include sourcing a new instrument panel to accommodate large flight displays. They gave me a guy to call at Lycoming, and he said, I cant tell you the color of it, its proprietary. Piper then skipped directly to the 400 HP PA-24-400 in . Last edited: Oct 6, 2013. by Piper Owner Society | Feb 13, 2023 | Upgrade & Refurbish | 0. The fifth and sixth seats, when available, are suitable only for children or the smallest of adults. These days, major avionics upgrades include sourcing a new instrument panel to accommodate large flight displays. Dont make that mistake with your plane. If theres any doubt about its health, have your shop evaluate it. "COMANCHE". Depending on the model and mods, it seems like a Comanche can have a never-ending supply of fuel tanks. Cowlings are also offered by Aviation Performance. Greg Piehl, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his wife Debbie, spent three years restoring and upgrading their 1959 Piper Comanche 250. The engine case is running oil temperature, which is right around 180 degrees. What makes this system our top pick for a high-end EFIS is the number of display options and the 500-plus approved model STC. Got an existing GTX330 Mode S unit? This is a great airspeed for 160 hp and roughly 10 gph of 100LL. Models: 310P, 350P. Even heeding all of my advice, expect to spend money to acquire and keep an aging Comanche. 24GS, Rudder Gap Seal Kit. Tuned through the IFD-series navigators. Some go as far as installing a smaller nosewheel tire and others simply pump up the main gear oleos to reduce the static angle of attack on takeoff. Well hammer out the difference in the upcoming market scan. These two models remained in production until 1964. 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. Models: 421C. The early panel layout doesnt conform to the later standard T configuration, so it may be unfamiliar to recently trained pilots or those coming from more modern rides. While offering good looks and good performance for the money, the Comanche 260 may be a handful for the first-time owner. Diversity and the version made for helicopters. Theres good reason to consider going vac-less. Still, these speeds trail contemporary designs of similar vintage and power, such as the P35 Bonanza. Two-piece system, requires WAAS GPS input, compact. Prices vary with engine size, but start at around $5000 plus installation. This rebuilding a Piper engine article is from Greg Piehl, who lives in St. by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 9, 2022 | Avionics, Comanche Restoration Series, Upgrade & Refurbish | 0, by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 9, 2022 | Comanche Restoration Series, Upgrade & Refurbish | 0. 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. I was authorized to do anything I wanted to this airplane, under the inspection and authorization of my A&P/IA, Neil Humphreys, Piehl said. 3-blade Scimitar (260, 260B) 3-blade Scimitar . Flap / Aileron Gap Seal Kit. Piper Comanche PA-24, PA-30, PA-39 Models. By the time these models were introduced, the Comanches production run was about to end without warning, so this variant is comparatively rare. Theres also Knots2U (www.knots2u.net, 262-763-5100) that has, in addition to the wing fillet mod, a dorsal fin kit, speedbrakes and a variety of other mods for Comanches. And you cant do it with the mechanic whos already maintaining the airplane. Thats more than twice the rate we expect to see on retracts-and is cause for concern for a potential buyer. AVCON Conversions in Udall KS has an STC to upgrade a Cherokee with an O-320 to an O-360 180 HP. With that as mindset, that eliminated some of the equipment on the market. LoPresti did create some interesting and worthwhile aerodynamic mods for the airplane, however. Those familiar with the Comanche maintain major causes of gear-system problems are poor maintenance or rigging by mechanics unfamiliar with it. The airframe is essentially identical to the 250, except the 400 uses the Piper Aztec stabilizer. Market Scan With more than 2000 built, there are usually plenty of Twin Comanches to pick from in various stages of repair, restoration and upgrade. The Comanche C was rolled out in 1969, with further refinements, including another gross weight increase and a distinctive shark nose cowl starting with serial number 24-4804. PA24-260( ) Comanche. Still, there were some notable improvements over early models. Read about the 1959 Piper Comanche that was restored to pristine condition, and what you can learn from the process. Cabin and cowling door repairs are often neglected, so be sure to inspect them for shoddy repairs and improper cabin door seals. [ag 24RS $399.40 Add to Cart sku: 24WR Wing Root Fairing Kit. It offers an excellent blend of speed, fuel economy, control feel, and range. There are no downloads available of this content. Most of us have heard horror stories about the person who built a dock or deck next to the lake without calling the Department of Natural Resources. But it's a nice theory. Wingtip mount with WAAS GPS, LED nav light, LED strobe light. There were 17 accidents involving pilots either running completely out of fuel or running a tank dry and not then selecting a tank containing fuel and getting a restart in the time remaining in flight. Garmin GMA 35c Remote-mount Bluetooth Audio Panel. It doesn't take much carb heat to even out distribution. If the aircraft has traditional round gauges, do you want to get rid of the vacuum system in favor of an all-electric suite? With the primitive indicating systems associated with many of the airplanes in the field, too often a pilot is faced with the dilemma, Now where did I put that fuel?. 1963 PIPER COMANCHE 250 . We have 24 PIPER COMANCHE SERIES Aircraft For Sale. As weve reported, the once-popular Xerion Auracle big-screen monitor has been orphaned. [ag aircraft] Buying (an airplane) is not as hard as dealing with it in the first few years. When temps drop to -40 or lower many carbs must use heat to raise temps up to where the fuel air ratio is rich enough, but that is still way to low for induction icing. This beast had a normally aspirated, fuel-injected, eight-cylinder Lycoming IO-720-A1A fitted with a three-blade prop. Finally, we felt the pain of the pilot who flew to a neighboring airport for fuel, only to find the tanks locked. The Comanche 180 was introduced in 1957, and the PA-24-250, the 250 HP version, followed soon after in 1958. Piper Comanche Guide and Specs - Aviator Insider The trick-as it is with any older aircraft-is finding a shop or technician experienced in the type. Theres also the $289 Hubba Hubba wheel cap, with an access door for the tires air valve. Garmin G5 Electronic Flight Instrument. The plane is owned by Greg Piehl and his wife Deb. Its also intended as an easy replacement for the S-TEC 55-series autopilot with minimal rewiring. At first glance the Avidyne IFD navigator product line may seem confusing, but it doesnt have to be. It tends to be nose-heavy on landing so I use a lot of nose-up trim for an easier flare. This adds big to the installation effort and bottom line. There were eight LOC events in IMC or dark night conditions.
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