The pilot new to the breed should seek out qualified instruction, maintain a high level of proficiency, and be well aware of the airplane's maintenance requirements. Back on the approach the Twin Comanche behaves itself, just so long as you remember to adhere to the correct speeds. Please fill in the form below to get in contact with the seller. PA-30, B Twin Comanche Manufacturer Aeronca Aerostar American Champion American General Beechcraft Bellanca Cessna Commander EADS Socata Lake Luscombe Aircraft Maule Mooney Piper PZL 1966 Piper Twin Comanche PA-30 airplane for sale located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Bob Davy is s commercial pilot and aviation journalist from London, England. You can tell a B model by its six seats and third side windows. The options list was expanded to include wingtip fuel tanks, a heated windshield, propeller anti-ice, and an oxygen system. Look hard at the Twin Comanche, though, and you can see the Piper family resemblance. Throttles closed at the same time as, but not before (laminar wing, remember) a small flare and we land on the main wheels in a flat attitude, quickly followed by the nosewheel. I release the brakes with the chrome locking T-handle in the panel under the control column and allow the Twin Com to roll forward under idle power before checking the toe brakes. All laminar wing aircraft that I have flown are the same as this. Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association Find it free on the store. And despite losing some effective wingspan due to its twin-engine installation, the Twin Com has only 9½ inches more span than the single. I fly finals at 105 mph, remembering the old blue line safety speed from my training many years ago; then back to 90, then 80 as I cross the fence. For cabin air, a … As we break out of the circuit and head for the Essex coast I start to get a feel for the aircraft again after my 30-plus year gap. The aircraft is powered by two Lycoming IO-320-Bs and are rated at 160 horsepower each. By now, many have been heavily modified and improved with the latest avionics, but an original-condition airplane will have a non-standard instrument configuration. The auxiliary fuel system consists of two 15 gallon cells installed in the wings just outboard of the main fuel cells. The airspeed indicator is pegged at 1,500 fpm before I bring the throttles and props back to 25/25 then sync the props by pulling one prop lever back and forth to locate which way slows down the “wah wah wah” noise; then keep going until the noise stops completely. 7131Y is IFR certified and has a Garmin 750 GPS, Full glass cockpit that is certified for approaches and en-route use, dual NAVs with glideslope, dual coms, and fuel flow indicators. PA-39 C/Rs (for counter-rotating), as they were called, had the advantage of vastly reducing the adverse effects of asymmetric thrust in engine-out situations where the critical engine failed. In the normal category all aerobatic maneuvers including spins are prohibited. At 70 knots (80.5 mph) I raise the nose and the aircraft unsticks abruptly. It’s a serious machine in every way. Arapaho Dorsal Fin. That’s pretty wide, but it reflects the cost of replacing two engines and two propellers in addition to the usual variations in condition and equipment. I remembered finding the performance a big leap from the Piper singles that I had flown in. Not at all; just don’t get slow. Send questions or comments to emailProtector.addCloakedMailto("ep_127b0050", 0);. A little care has to be taken about the geometry of the toe brakes—they are too upright for my taste; because of a running injury, my right foot can’t go less than about 70 degrees to my lower leg, and you can easily taxi with the brakes deployed inadvertently. The engine runup and pre-takeoff are quite involved and I opt to use my old commercial pilot checklist from the 1980s, which has been typed out and photocopied to death. The options list was expanded to include wingtip fuel tanks, a heated windshield, propeller anti-ice, and an oxygen system. I am having no problems going down, slowing down, and fitting into slower circuit traffic at North Weald. These high-lift wings convert airspeed to lift much more readily than with laminar designs. I got away with no damage, but the incident left me shaken. Why aileron trim? Owner Mark Hadley showed me around his immaculate 1967 Twin Com Turbo B at North Weald Airfield (EGSX), complete with its beautiful and original blue-and-white paint scheme. For example, all the electrical switches were identical toggle switches, making them easy to misidentify, and circuit breakers were kept beneath a trap door below the power quadrant. In order to keep up, along came the PA-24 in 1958. Prospective buyers should read all the pages on this site as many of them contain details that will help you make a decision choosing and buying a PA-30, even if it isn't this one. I looked at the U.S. market for used aircraft and PA-30s were all in the $45,000 to $120,000 price bracket. Age belies the instrument panels of the straight PA-30s and the -B models. Very straightforward it may be, but there is always a sense of occasion starting up a twin—I remember thinking as a twentysomething that I had finally arrived when I soloed one of these aircraft, and that same rush is still with me more than 30 years later. We welcome your input. The sequel is underway. As I flared to land, I encountered negative wind shear and the aircraft felt as if it literally fell out of the sky. The Twin Comanche … After startup, check oil pressure rising and bring the generators online. The PA-30 Twin Comanche seats up to 3 passengers plus 1 pilot. (His other two favorites are the Hawk and Spitfire). With speed mods to the wings, fillets (i.e., fairings) and engine nacelles, this figure climbs—speeds of 200 knots-plus on Twin Comanches are easily doable. That, in turn, evolved into the PA-23-250 Aztec. The elevator is firm but correct for this type of airplane, roll control is lively and with high hysteresis in roll—or roll inertia—due to the wing-mounted engines. I get owner Mark to feather our left engine as I keep control of the aircraft and allow the camera ship to fly alongside. I advance the throttles fully forward and the aircraft accelerates well. Trust in Ice Shield to secure your flights with durable de-icing systems. The result was an aircraft which could fly faster than the much later Piper Seminole on less horsepower and yet lift more. The airplane is approved for day and night VFR/IFR operations when equipped in accordance with F.A.R. With the above experience still in my data bank after all these years, I was intrigued to reacquaint myself with the Twin Com. Davy knows he is lucky because he regularly flies three of his five favorite aircraft: the P-51, the Nanchang CJ-6 and the Pitts Special. Fuel Burn at 75% power in standard conditions per hour. The cruise speed is 168 kts, the stall speed is 60 kts, and the range is 724 miles. Beech had taken the GA world by storm with the Beech Bonanza, and Piper had to up its game—literally. The Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche is an American twin-engined cabin monoplane designed and built by Piper Aircraft. Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche, N7602Y: Accident occurred September 12, 2020 near Billings Logan International Airport (KBIL), Yellowstone County, Montana This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The heading indicator is where the attitude indicator ought to be, and the altimeter is over at the lower left, where we've come to expect to see the turn coordinator. JetPhotos.com is the biggest database of aviation photographs with over 4 million screened photos online! The counter-rotating PA-39 was just getting started, with not even 200 leaving the production line. Nowadays PA-30s and particularly the small handful of PA-39s are cherished aircraft with a keen following and strong owners groups who make a point of using the types’ long legs to arrange fly-ins all over the world. A variant with counter-rotating propellers was designated the Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche C/R. Incorporated in the system are a 12 volt 50 ampere generator and a 35 ampere-hour battery. Turbo Twin Comanches are particularly fast at altitude, typically cruising at 195 knots or 225 mph at 20,000 feet. (That airplane eventually evolved into the PA-23-250 Aztec, a strong airplane for Piper in its own right.) Interested in this 1964 Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche Aircraft? This listing was posted on Aug 01, 2019. Controls, levers and dials are in abundance, sprouting from the deep instrument panel. As far as I can see, the fuel pump unit has remained for the most part unchanged over the years. He thought the PA-30 too small—but I think he might well change his mind when I arrange for a flight in one in the next few weeks. A large (6-foot, 4-inch and 252-pound) friend of mine has been looking for a twin for some time to commute 600 nm at a go, and was looking at Barons and Cessna 310s, which have twice the burning/running costs of a Twin Com. Is there a good-looking, four- to six-place light twin that goes 170 knots on 17gph? Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche Accident After Unapproved Parts Failed (ZS-ICB) On 29 March 2019, during a training flight to practise asymmetric circuits Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche ZS-ICB of Johannesburg School of Flying was destroyed at Hiltonia-Syferfontein Airport (FASY). It was and is a fantastic little aircraft able to fly at 160 knots below 10,000 feet, burning just 9 U.S. gallons a side on a combined total of 320 hp. A bare-bones, single-vacuum-pump, day-VFR-equipped, four-seat PA-30 (brochures called it the "Sportsman" version) would have cost just $33,900 or so in those days. Magneto and starter switches were moved to a side panel, electrical switches were converted to internally-lighted rocker switches, and the circuit breakers were moved to the lower right subpanel. I’d imagine a World War II de Havilland Mosquito must feel a tiny bit like this. ©2021 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Avg. That's because both propellers rotate to the right, and the right propeller develops more thrust than the left, owing to its comparative surplus of thrust at an arm farther from the center of gravity than the left engine's. Add power and the g break is accompanied by a wing drop of as much as 45 degrees. Learn more. The airplane's age should be a warning flag to prospective buyers. But when the Bonanza begat the Twin Beech and subsequently the Baron, the idea of giving the PA-24 to Ed Swearingen to re-engineer as a twin was a truly inspired one. Parker, CO. 0 Piper Twin Comanche PA30-The Piper PA30 Twin Comanche is 100% X-Plane 11 compatible. As I said, a serious machine in every way. Gone was all the roundness employed by the Apaches and in its place was a taut, lean, sleek and, well, sexy new aircraft. The … Electrical power for the Twin Comanche is supplied by a 12 volt, direct current system. Piper PA-24 Comanche; Piper Pawnees; Piper PA-28 Cherokees; Piper PA-32 Series; Piper PA-38 Tomahawk; Piper M Series; Piper Twins. By any measure, the Twin Comanche was sleek and sporty compared to the airplane it followed, the dowdy, bulbous-nosed PA-23 Apache. Both are four cylinder, normally aspirated, direct drive, air cooled, horizontally opposed, fuel injected engines. In 1965, the PA-30B was introduced. VH-GWT. (NB: The Twin Comanche is not certified for flight in known icing conditions.) History Between 1963 and 1972, Piper produced some 2,150 Twin Comanches in Lock Haven, Pa. Already a member? Some owners pump the main wheel oleos to the full extension to avoid this, but then the ride suffers on the ground. Lose the left engine and that extra thrust can make the airplane yaw uncontrollably and, if the airspeed is low enough, cause the airplane to roll inverted. I listened intently to the stories I was told of the infamous laminar wing, how the aircraft could fall from the sky if you flew it too slowly or by the seat of your pants without paying attention to the airspeed indicator. The fuel is carried in four integral fuel cells located in the leading edge sections of the wings. If you come from high-wing singles, this will take some getting used to, and you will find yourself seesawing in roll until you settle down. Probably not a good idea to avail yourself of the cigarette ashtrays in the cabin. It was a twin-engined development of the PA-24 Comanche single-engined aircraft. A variant with counter-rotating propellers was designated the Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche C/R. Find de-icing boots for the Piper Twin Comanche PA-30, PA-39 with STC: SA1337SW. Because a wing without the benefit of prop wash creates less lift—even a laminar one. Less than 3000. Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche. In the descent, the opposite is the best way to proceed—rather than abruptly disengaging the turbos, just leave the throttles fully forward and progressively wind the turbo verniers out until they are all the way back, then slowly retard the throttles. It was installed by Piper for two reasons; to add more directional stability in cruise, and to lower Vmc. That aside, the Twin Comanche will serve you well, and its bang for the buck is exceeded only by its classy looks. 91 or F.A.R 135. The previously heavy elevator comes alive in the prop wash and I hold the column neutral as we gather speed. The Piper Twin Comanche is powered by two Lycoming IO-320-B1A engine. That's right, the same engine used in the Cessna Skyhawk, Piper Super Cub, and Piper Tri-Pacer, among other plodding, mundane airplanes. The next thing I notice are the engines projecting out much farther forward than with many other light twins, so that you sit well behind the props. Yes, it requires a bit of work, but then this is a 50-year-old airplane. Please login below for an enhanced experience. Its name rather gives the game away with this iconic light twin. If you’ve ever wondered why a laminar-winged aircraft cuts through the gusts while the average high-lift-winged Piper will have your head impacting the roof, now you know. From the ground the Twin Com sounds quite noisy because of its unusual exhaust pipes, but in the cockpit there isn’t as much noise as in a comparable single. I was coming into land on the now-disused southwest runway and had reduced my speed to minimum approach of around 80 mph—well below the single-engine safety speed of 105 mph—because I had already committed to land and the runway was short. I slide my feet down a little to stop myself. Despite their success, Piper was out of its comfort zone with the Comanches, and when a flood destroyed the Lock Haven factory in 1972, the company possibly used the excuse to stop production when only just over 2,000 Twin Coms had been built. PIPER PA-30C Turbo Twin Comanche ... 1969 PIPER PA-30. The airplane is a six-place, low wing, twin engine airplane equipped with retractable tricycle landing gear. Out there on the wingtips are the optional 15 U.S. gallon tiptanks, which up the total fuel capacity to 120 U.S. gallons and, because of the cantilever effect of weight distribution, also increase MTOW by 125 pounds to 3,725 pounds. If you don’t, you will overboost the engines. 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