Slow it down in the last few hundred feet to land short and turn off at the first taxiway. Engine Upgrades, What is possible. The 180, which obviously came second to its bigger brother in load carrying and was not selling as well as the 250, was dropped altogether while the 250 was upgraded to the 260. 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. 24RS $399.40 Add to Cart sku: 24WR Wing Root Fairing Kit. It put the Comanches on the map. Piper / Comanche - Barnstormers Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Electronic Aircraft Ignition Electroair Review, How to Replace Your Piper Door Lock: Medeco Lock Review, Piper PA-24-250 Comanche Review: Restored Plane Flies for the First Time in 34 Years (Series Part 7, Finale), Reassembling a Restored Piper (Comanche Restoration Series Part 6), Rebuilding a Piper Engine in a Comanche (Comanche Restoration Series Part 5), Upgrading a Comanche Panel (Comanche Restoration Series Part 4), Restoring a Piper Interior (Comanche Restoration Series Part 3), How to Save Money When You Get Your Piper Repainted (Comanche Restoration Series Part 2), https://www.facebook.com/PiperOwnerSociety?fref=ts. Posted by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 13, 2022 | Comanche Restoration Series, Upgrade & Refurbish 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. Read about the 1959 Piper Comanche that was restored to pristine condition, and what you can learn from the process. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. We have 24 PIPER COMANCHE SERIES Aircraft For Sale. It mounts just aft of the nosewheel well and helps the existing cooling air turn parallel to the belly of the airplane in a more efficient pattern, yielding a 3-MPH speed gain. If the aircraft has traditional round gauges, do you want to get rid of the vacuum system in favor of an all-electric suite? the North American representative
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You need to go to somebody whos trained in that model of aircraft but has not seen it before. -Scott Sherer, Fuel is going to be biggest expense. Cessna's owners manual has for decades had pilots run lop. Diversity Mode S transponder with ADS-B Out when connected with an appropriate WAAS GPS. Garmins GFC500 started life as an autopilot for experimental aircraft, but now has a sizable STC list for certified aircraft. Cowlings are also offered by Aviation Performance. Continentals are easy to hot start, full throttle, mixture rich, hi pump till you get flow, 1,2,3,4, off. Subsequent Comanche models both single- and twin-engine were built until 1972. The International Comanche Society has been an invaluable resource for me. With the plane on jacks, swing the gear and look for loose fits and bushings. I know that I could save fuel instead of the extra speed, but I really enjoy the speed. Now is a good time to invest, but dont let lower prices fool you into thinking even a basic upgrade will be inexpensive. 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. There could be major panel work involved, and it might not work fully with your autopilot. FAA approved by STC and for all PA28-140 aircraft with Lycoming O-320 engines. There would have been a happy ending, but he stalled the airplane on short final, over the runway, and stuck a wingtip into the ground. ((navigator.appName == "Microsoft Internet Explorer") &&
Its sturdy, which it makes it a good instrument airplane, plus its easy to fly in busy traffic patterns since its comfortably flown slow or fast. 180-250-260-400- TWIN COMANCHES
Single-box solution that works with Garmin GNS430W/530W navigators, works with a Wi-Fi module for connecting to tablets. 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. The 260's Lycoming IO-540 engine could cruise at 142 to 161 knots, burning 13 to 19 gallons per hour. This was once a flagship monitor with a good display. Aircraft Panel Gallery. Garmin GMA 35c Remote-mount Bluetooth Audio Panel. If not, the selling price should be adjusted to reflect a cost of $1500 per bladder. Ive found that landing gear bungees generally need replacement at every annual inspection. [parts], [*parts
A major problem with older aircraft is the condition of the interior plastic trim. Power Flow Systems offers its exhaust mod for the Aviat Husky, Cessna 170, 172, 175, 177 and 177RG, Diamond Star, Beech 19 and 23 series, Grumman Americans and four-cylinder Maules, among others. I've yet to see one do that "happily." Rocky Landsverk is the Editor and Publisher of the Piper Owner Society and PIPERS magazine. General Tiger with fixed gear goes just as fast and another contemporary retractable, the Mooney M20C or M20E, will outrun the 180. Remote version of the AXP340. Budget Buys: The 'Baby' Comanche - AOPA 1958 PIPER COMANCHE 180 $75,000 FOR SALE 1958 PA 24-180, Airframe 1220 TT, Engine 747 TT, Prop 75 SOHT, Annual completed in April 2022, Two NARCO MK-12D Navcoms one with GS one without, Always Hangered, New Carpet, Leather Seats, original paint. This is part five of seven parts. If so, does the products STC include removing the vacuum system? for the AUSTRALIAN STABILATOR HORN
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. Can you rewire and move the circuit breakers on a Piper. Money back guarantee on all modifications. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. wheaton] [CP
Its a generous interface. 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. Were putting the finishing touches on an engine monitor roundup for a future issue of Aviation Consumer, but well give you a brief primer here. Insurance runs about $1600 per year. 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. Find your Customer Number (its on your mailing label) and register here. My performance improvements are way beyond anything I expected. 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. Tuned through the IFD-series navigators. Of all the avionics upgrades, planning a primary flight display retrofit is perhaps the most difficult. 24WR, Wing Fillet Kit. While Comanche engines are generally dependable, beware of top-end overhauls that were accomplished without replacing the cylinders with new ones. Dont make that mistake with your plane. But as budget-based as these solutions are, shops still report that the most popular ADS-B upgrade is Garmins GTX345 ADS-B In and Out transponder. I could not believe the difference. The landing gear on the Comanche gets our attention. Upgrading a Comanche Panel (Comanche Restoration Series Part 4) | Piper Speaking of logs, before buying, examine the logbooks for entries that indicate the airframe has a history of good landing gear system maintenance and repair. Expect overruns and long downtimes. Ask someone about the Piper Comanche series and youre likely to get a comment along the lines of with that laminar-flow wing and low ground clearance, its a mutha to land-you float and float in ground effect, then it pays off and wham! There were eight runway loss of control incidents, low, we think-and one of them involved a student pilot. 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. PA24-180 Comanche. Other than the obvious boost in confidence and reliability, getting rid of all that hardware sheds sizable weight and clutter behind the instrument panel. Piper's most significant upgrade to the Warrior came in 1977 when a slightly different O-320 engine-the -D3G-was bolted on, offering a .
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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. It expensive enough buying a 40 or 50 year old airplane. All rights reserved. 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. 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. We kept that in mind as we reviewed the 100 most recent Comanche accidents. The added seats are in the baggage compartment. Moreover, the aircraft are relatively complex-certainly when compared to, for example, a Cessna 182-so dont assume it will be as cheap to maintain. Piper Comanche PA-24-400, PA-30, PA-39 Models. 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. If youre shopping the used four-place retrac market no doubt youll consider a Comanche. O.E.M. At this point the ADS-B buy-in decision should be easy. Read a Piper door lock review with photos of a Medeco door lock installation. Models: 310P, 350P. specials*]
This website contains many older reviews. The ICS also offers a technical support service when you and your mechanic need someone to talk to. Insurance will vary with a pilots experience. When deciding on either system, ask your shop what makes the most sense from a compatibility standpoint. Cabin and cowling door repairs are often neglected, so be sure to inspect them for shoddy repairs and improper cabin door seals. CONTINENTAL,
For instance, its possible to retrofit (via STC) the Lycoming O-540 engine into a Comanche 180 of 1960 or later vintage; theres at least one published report of this being done on an FAA Form 337, although we dont know of any shops offering the mod without doing the full-up STC. Diversity model (requires top and bottom antenna installation), requires WAAS GPS input, tablet interface requires Flight Stream wireless Bluetooth module, ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot app. The trick-as it is with any older aircraft-is finding a shop or technician experienced in the type. Garmin GTX 345 ADS-B Transponder. Its a true traveling airplane and I flight plan for 157 knots when at full throttle. How to Save Money When You Get Your Piper Repainted (Comanche LYCOMING, BENDIX IGNITION,
Production of both the 180 and 250 ended after the 1964 model year. WE LIKE, OWN,
Piper Cherokee Modifications & SpeedImprovements, :uninterrupted flow in which the direction of flow. The TruTrak Vizion has a straightforward installation. 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. 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. Connecting the G5 directional instrument to third-party autopilots and earlier GPS navigators requires the $699 GAD29B nav interface module. It has excellent technical advisors and sponsors a Comanche pilot proficiency school covering major systems and is complete with an optional checkride, which will be a flight review.