Pilots who dont understand the undercarriage and its various procedures, particularly the emergency extension procedure, also are a source of problems. Its a worthy suggestion, in our view. 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. My engine is carbureted. ON AND UNDERSTAND 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. Piper Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 Engine Upgrade STC The Piper Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 engine upgrade STC removes and replaces the OEM installed Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D that was certified on the Piper Lance, Lance II, and Saratoga SP model aircraft. Connecting the G5 directional instrument to third-party autopilots and earlier GPS navigators requires the $699 GAD29B nav interface module. Last edited: Oct 6, 2013. Model 415 O200A Engine Upgrade STC SA2628WE . Comanche PA-24 Models. Installing a 180hp in a warrior? | Pilots of America Read a Piper door lock review with photos of a Medeco door lock installation. Also, the inspector must have experience using this equipment.. Either way, a realistic budget should be around $100,000. Twelve pilots simply forgot to extend the Firestones before ground contact. Cabin and cowling door repairs are often neglected, so be sure to inspect them for shoddy repairs and improper cabin door seals. These webinars total hours of advice from the Piper Owner Society Editorial Board, led by Aviation Director Scott Sherer. SAVE Last Update: 04/10/2023 . The Comanches have a speed wing so its not a comfortable ride in moderate or greater turbulence, so slowing it down softens the bumps. Thats just what Aspen offers with the Evolution MAX displays. The airframe is essentially identical to the 250, except the 400 uses the Piper Aztec stabilizer. 6" Wheel (Set of Two) LSM-200-701-1, Windshield Cowler Kit. New aircraft models approved for the GFC 600 autopilot include: Cessna 421. Important links and documents needed are provided within the posts themselves. 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. 795 Fentress Blvd There is no doubt that your kit was responsible for our taking second place in the race. He's very difficult to contact but one CPA member reports successfully purchasing the STC in 2006. Accept that youll be a test pilot for a few hours. Displays TIS-B, FIS-B ATAS (ADS-B Traffic Alerting System), includes Active Traffic (Interrogates Non-ADS-B Aircraft). There were a few companies involved in this stage. 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. "COMANCHE". Most of my flight time is in single-engine Cessnas. 24RS $399.40 Add to Cart sku: 24WR Wing Root Fairing Kit. We had requirements, in our MIL specs, that our avionics must communicate with the established protocols. 24WR, Wing Fillet Kit. Piper Comanche PA-24-400, PA-30, PA-39 Models. 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. Piper Comanche - AOPA - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Daytona Beach, FL 32114. Dont make that mistake with your plane. WE LIKE, OWN, Call FAA Approved IO-540-K1G5 Engine Upgrade - Aeronautix It doesn't take much carb heat to even out distribution. I used the company Approach Fast Stack to build the wiring harness for the entire panel, he said. Youll need them for support, including software and hardware upgrades as the systems mature. That engine has an 1800-hour TBO and the current Aircraft Bluebook says the overhaul is around $65,000. 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. YOU NEED!!!! In 1961, Piper offered an optional 90-gallon system, which gave the Comanche 180 seriously long legs: nine hours, provided it was only loaded with the pilot, one passenger and a little baggage. 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. This website contains many older reviews. The 550 is a follow-on product to the IFD540 (and smaller IFD440) and these are drop-in replacements for Garmin GNS530W navigators. Clockwise from the top: The digital Genesys S-TEC 3100 has a growing STC list and is a good value because it work with existing S-TEC autopilot servos, saving a sizable amount of installation time. This adds big to the installation effort and bottom line. And you cant do it with the mechanic whos already maintaining the airplane. Suite A & B Intercooler Products From Turboplus Aircraft Systems Inc. Youll need a reliable unit for the long term. We dont sell anything unless it is GUARANTEED to give you increased cruise, climb & fuel economy performance. Ive found that landing gear bungees generally need replacement at every annual inspection. This is part five of seven parts. If not, the selling price should be adjusted to reflect a cost of $1500 per bladder. Standalone ADS-B Out and In, wireless Bluetooth connectivity with Flight Stream 110/210. Also note that this engine has some really cool colors. How to Save Money When You Get Your Piper Repainted (Comanche If so, does the products STC include removing the vacuum system? Most Comanche owners can vouch for them. This is a great airspeed for 160 hp and roughly 10 gph of 100LL. What about temperatures in the 15-30 degree range? Upgrade & Refurbish. The overarching theme for his avionics plan was to make the system interact with other elements and to make everything simple. 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. Bold Warrior 180-hp Engine STC | Piper Owner Society Same as FDL-978-XVR but with internal WAAS GPS. { Has built-in WAAS GPS receiver, diversity (requires top and bottom antenna installation), tablet interface requires Flight Stream wireless Bluetooth module, ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot app. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. 24WR $445.06 Add to Cart sku: 24WF So I sent the crankcase off to DivCo in Oklahoma City (www.divcoinc.com), the crankshaft to Rick Romans Inc. (Tulsa, Oklahoma), and Im fortunate enough that at my home airport, we have one of the finest engine facilities in the country Zephyr Aircraft Engines (Zephyrhills, Florida, www.zephyrengines.com).. The same goes for the interior, obviously, although weve seen some Comanches decked out with some pretty nice and modern custom leather seating and trim. That didnt mean he went cheap. To gain a disproportionately greater benefit in economy. Everything Laminar Flow Systems makes has integrity, a design philosophy which puts the pilot 1st! Weve see trade values as high as $8000. PIPER COMANCHE SERIES For Sale - Used & New 1 - 24 - Trade-A-Plane 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. My performance improvements are way beyond anything I expected. Piper PA-24 Comanche Review | Piper Owner Society I seem to remember reading something about carb heat being dangerous at cold temperatures, because it can warm intake air enough to get it into the icing temperature range. 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. AVCON Conversions in Udall KS has an STC to upgrade a Cherokee with an O-320 to an O-360 180 HP. Check a copy of the Comanche Flyer magazine or the ICS website www.comancheflyers.com for examples. MSFPhover = Flap / Aileron Gap Seal Kit. Speed Mods: Bucks for Knots - Aviation Consumer For more than five decades, active and dedicated aircraft owners and pilots have turned to AVIATION CONSUMER to answer their most important buying questions. If you wanted to start out with a cheaper airframe, buy a 180-HP model and do a 260-HP conversion with fuel injection. 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. 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. Insurance runs about $1600 per year. Those first few years are even more challenging. -Scott Sherer, In the last three years of aircraft ownership, a lot of people stop maintaining their aircraft. Internal WAAS $5795, GTX345-R LRU priced the same and works on G1000 NXi, G2000, G3000, G5000. Piehl said, he gave me a lot of advice like where to find parts, and I subbed a lot of work to him, such as magnafluxing connecting rods and checking all the gears, and that inspection is required for a complete overhaul. horn/torque tube/balance weight tube Quotes in the photo captions are from Piehl. Piper Comanche PA-24 Models. (620) 782-3317, Robert Williams. Its worth mentioning Garmins G500/600TXi PFD/MFD, which came out before the G3X Touch was certified. Installation of the Budget Buys: The 'Baby' Comanche - AOPA youre down.. Requires WAAS GPS input, tablet interface requires Flight Stream wireless Bluetooth module, Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight app. In 1972, there were two single-engine Comanche models still in production-the 260 and turbo 260. The Rajay system essentially had a second throttle wastegate control the pilot used to manually set boost at altitude. Wingtip mount with WAAS GPS, LED nav light, LED strobe light. For more than five decades, active and dedicated aircraft owners and pilots have turned to AVIATION CONSUMER to answer their most important buying questions. there is a definite 15-knot increaseThe numbers show that it has paid for itself in one year. All rights reserved. The panel is what one would expect from a circa-1960s airplane, with good space for instruments but early, unrestored models will look dated by modern standards. Cept it works, especially on planes like mine with garbage induction systems. Laminar Flow Systems, Inc. has been manufacturing and selling these modifications since 1984 and we have thousands of satisfied customers worldwide. of our High Performance Propellers, Knots by Rocky Landsverk | Sep 9, 2022 | Comanche Restoration Series, Maintenance, Upgrade & Refurbish | 0. The Piper PA-24 Comanche 180 first flew on May 24, 1956, the first of what would become one of Piper Aircraft's most successful single-engine series. The airplane carried 60 gallons, and could be modified to hold 90 gallons. 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. I've yet to see one do that "happily." If a stock Twin Comanche catches your eye, then get a . There were a number of different models built during that . $795 software unlock required to interface traffic/weather with Aspen display. Top Avionics Upgrades: Choices For All Budgets, Shopping For A Seaplane: Pick A Price Point, Sun n Fun 2023: Superior Custom Instrument Panels. If you pull carb heat and lean the mixture from that condition, you have less power and go slower. install a One-Piece Windshield, our High Performance good looking Wingtips, one This issue (April 2022), the Comanche restoration moves to the interior, where Greg replaced almost everything inside the hull. Approach Fast StackModular Wiring Systemwww.approachfaststack.com, Aspen AvionicsPrimary Flight Displayaspenavionics.com, PS EngineeringAudio Panelwww.ps-engineering.com, Adventure Pilot iFly GPSBackup GPS (uncertified)www.iflygps.com. Not bothering with a preflight briefing, he took off and flew to his Plan B airport, where he learned, on Unicom, that it was closed. The extra 10 GPH the big-engined Comanche 400 burns yields only about 10 to 15 extra knots. Requires Garmin Pilot, ForeFlight tablet app. Recurring ADs on any aircraft can run up the cost of operation, and Comanches are no different. 30RS $399.40 Add to Cart sku: 24RS Rudder Gap Seal Kit. Garmin will upgrade it to the GTX330ES, which has ADS-B Out, but requires a WAAS GPS input. 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. The full-featured GFC 500 and GFC 600 autopilots provide thousands of existing general aviation aircraft with a simple, light-weight, cost-effective autopilot upgrade path. The navigator also sends GPS nav and course data into the displays over an ARINC 429 data stream. 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. In 1972, there were two single-engine Comanche models still in production-the 260 and turbo 260. Partial plug-and-play with KT76A/C, KT78A transponders, requires WAAS GPS input.