piper comanche 400 review

1189 provides more information, but fortunately, the AD is not as strict as Piper’s Service Bulletin.

If are looking for a airplane that can haul a family, a Comanche is worth a look. s required by FAA regulations.1 Though the aircraft was only officially certified in the normal category for 5.7 s, the reserve of strength allowed for bigger engines and increased gross weight as the design was refined over the years.So why is there any interest in an aircraft that has not been produced in almost half a century? The B model was produced from 1966 through 1968. That much fuel gives the Comanches a range of 900 to 1,000 nm. Initially the Comanche was certified and produced as a 180 hp version powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1A.

It’s one of the nicest planes to fly and own—and also one of the hardest to try and find a truly nice one for sale. They are generally equipped with an O-540-A1A5 engine.

(Again, speeds depend a lot on what speed modifications are installed.) Tiptanks are an STC’d option that increases the fuel capacity by 30 gallons and in most models, increases the gross weight.The 180/250 came originally with the instrument cluster toward the center of the panel and the avionics on the left side.

Turbocharging does provide significant altitude capability, but it comes at the expense of low altitude performance. The PA-24-260TC was actually the fastest of the Comanches when it was taken up into the flight levels.

The manual wastegate controlled the manifold pressure once the aircraft could no longer maintain the desired power setting. I developed this guide for those who are not immediately repelled by the idea of an older airplane and are intrigued by the performance.

Lock Haven was Piper’s original factory. Gone were the old toggle switches and the overall look that seemed to come out of an Ernie Gann novel. A stock 180 in good condition will typically outrun an Arrow, carrying the same load on 20 less horsepower—a 75 percent cruise of 140-plus ktas on 10 gph or so. This was only available for the 250 Comanches. This configuration was fairly common in early aircraft, but was going out of fashion even in the 1950s. Early Comanches had manual flaps and an arm that serves as the emergency gear extension lever that sticks up from the floor and lays down when the gear is raised.

The aircraft came out in 1964 powered by an IO-720-A1A engine with 400 hp.

The B models and later are easily identified by the three windows down each side as opposed to the two windows for earlier Comanches. Piper introduced the 400 hp version of the Comanche, and by mid-year, started producing the 1965 model year—the first of the 260 hp Comanches. These removed the muffler from the rear of the engine which had a tendency to overheat the cabin through the firewall. When a pilot starts to look for an honest four-place traveling aircraft with good speed and range, they usually find the performance numbers of a Comanche attractive. Please some pilots think of Piper, they think of the Cherokee line and its derivatives which are still in production today. The gross weight is 3,600 pounds, with a typical useful load of 1,350 to 1,400 pounds.

Two little foot wells were placed under the rear/middle to accommodate these passengers’ feet.

There are a couple of areas where any old mechanic will not do.The landing gear is the chief area where lax maintenance can cause a significant problem—and a significant expense—for a new owner. Replacement is every 500 hours or three years, whichever comes first. In its 14-year production run, Piper made numerous changes to the Comanches. Piper opened the Vero Beach facility to devise and assemble a line of aircraft that were less expensive to produce than the Comanche. The Piper Comanche is a different design and preceded the first Cherokee by three years.While Cherokees were designed and built in Vero Beach, Fla., the Comanche is a Lock Haven, Penn. Comanches have been prominent over the years in racing circles, and numerous Comanches and Twin Comanches have circled the globe. To make sure that the additional fuel did not eat up too much of the cabin capacity, Piper increased the gross weight to 2,900 pounds.For the 1962 year, Piper replaced the manual flaps that mostly just pivoted downward with Fowler-type flaps that moved back and down, thereby increasing the wing area. Plane and Pilot expands upon the vast base of knowledge and experience from aviation’s most reputable influencers to inspire, educate, entertain and inform.

Applying all the possible speed mods has brought the cruise speed of a Comanche 180 to over 150 ktas and close to that of a Cirrus SR20, the latter of which has the benefit of composite construction and computer-aided design.

Of course nobody to this day knows how fast a Bonanza would go with the same engine, but logic would dictate that it would be at least a little bit faster. The fuel capacity is 130 gallons.

Until then, the company had built mostly rag-and-tube taildraggers.

With tiptanks as well, 116 gallons of usable fuel could make a 10-hour flight a reality. The fuselage was altered to make it possible to install a fifth and sixth seat in the baggage compartment. The fuselage deimensions for all Comanches are the same. Piper introduced the 400 hp version of the Comanche, and by mid-year, started producing the 1965 model year—the first of the 260 hp Comanches.The 400 Comanche was the brainchild of Howard “Pug” Piper who wanted a Comanche that would cruise in the high teens and low flight levels without the complication of turbocharging. Most shops don’t see more than a few Comanches every decade, and their design is significantly different from the Cherokees and their derivatives. Piper Service Bulletin No.