Comanche parts availability

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KYPilot

Filing Flight Plan
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KYPilot
In the market for a 4 seater with decent useful load and speed, moving up from 172, as I hope to finish instrument this year. One of the obvious choices to look at is the Comanche 250/260 series. Had a local AP give a hard no on this option because "you can't get parts for them". I can imagine that any 60 year old plane will have it's challenges for finding parts, but is the Comanche considerably worse than most older planes? I do understand the factory flood history etc puts it in a unique position.
 
I'm curious what part he couldn't get? There is a decent aftermarket for the Comanche line. I know supply chains are a little long at the moment, as they are for everything these days, but wouldn't prevent me from getting one.
 
This is very timely for me. I'm looking at the same type of aircraft and would love to know if parts or knowledgeable shops will be an issue.
 
You should show that with the seat in the normal position. I can't even reach the rudder pedals from that front seat position, and I'm 6-3 with a 36" inseam.
 
Dave Theisen said:
A short body Mooney guy cracking on someone else’s lack of legroom. Priceless! :)
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M20F aint no short body homie. but even the short body mooneys have more backseat legroom than a comanche! everyone knows that.....
 
eman1200 said:
M20F aint no short body homie. but even the short body mooneys have more backseat legroom than a comanche! everyone knows that.....
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I don't know that and I have flown both. The Mooney appears smaller but are you saying the Comanche is the same or smaller again?
 
eman1200 said:
M20F aint no short body homie. but even the short body mooneys have more backseat legroom than a comanche! everyone knows that.....
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I should have remembered it was an F model, but with that paint job, I just can’t look at it too long. :)
 
red4golf said:
I don't know that and I have flown both. The Mooney appears smaller but are you saying the Comanche is the same or smaller again?
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I'm just saying that you might be able to fit 2 small dogs in a comanche, IF you stagger the seats......:rollercoaster:
 
Hey… I’ve met eman. Don’t let the avatar fool you. He could easily fit in the back seat of that Comanche. o_O
 
Would he give a hard no on a Piper Lance? I've been down two months waiting on Piper to make something. Sometimes lack of parts just happens. Most times it doesn't. Buy the Comanche.
 
I thought I read that the Webco jefe passed recently. Is his business still running in his absence? They were a fantastic resource for the Comanches.

"Hard no" from a mechanic about Comanches would see me pull out the U-shaped tube and hard-no him right back. Good of him to display his ignorance before you were caught in his clutches. :D
 
Rgbeard said:
You say you're looking for a four-seater. How many people are you actually wanting to transport (regularly/irregularly)?
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To follow up on this.... In my opinion most 4 seaters are really 2 seaters plus baggage. 6 seaters are 4 seaters with baggage. At least when it comes to adults on a cross country with any duration. Leg room is one thing. But shoulder room is underappreciated
 
Racerx said:
To follow up on this.... In my opinion most 4 seaters are really 2 seaters plus baggage. 6 seaters are 4 seaters with baggage. At least when it comes to adults on a cross country with any duration. Leg room is one thing. But shoulder room is underappreciated
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Agree, hence my comment about decent useful load…i know not all Comanches have but some are in the 1100s..I’m a small dude so me+lady (who’s small)+another couple of average size+light luggage+legs no longer than her bladder can handle (which isn’t much!)..pretty limited choices in the 4 seaters of course to get much speed (Comanche, 182rg etc)….I’m not against a 6 seater by any means, other than what the market seems to be demanding for them…honestly, most trips will just be the two of us…and always up for other POA opinions, which i know there are plenty of! Lol
 
The back seat is tight, but that pic makes it look worse than it is. I've had 4 adults in mine, two women in back and another 200 pound man up front, and it was fine.
Admittedly, the 260B is a lot roomier.
 
schmookeeg said:
I thought I read that the Webco jefe passed recently. Is his business still running in his absence? They were a fantastic resource for the Comanches.

"Hard no" from a mechanic about Comanches would see me pull out the U-shaped tube and hard-no him right back. Good of him to display his ignorance before you were caught in his clutches. :D
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What is a "jefe"?

Bob Weber passed a number of years ago. His partner, John, and Bob's son still run the place.
 
Comanche parts availability is often better than newer planes as Piper back then borrowed so heavily from the automotive industry. That a few dedicated suppliers and a very active grassroots organization, keeps the aircraft flying along well. The owner base has been able to advocate vendors to provide upgrades. For example, much lobbying got Garmin to certify the GFC500 for the Comanche and Twin Comanche. They were apparently dubious that they would get more than a dozen orders, but reports are that they have sold over 100 so far, so our street cred must be good with Garmin.

Truly competent Comanche mechanics are a bit more of a challenge. They are out there, but a new owner really needs to be plugged into the group to learn who you can go to for some of the things you are likely to need. Also, likely any complex, vintage airplane, a prospective buyer would benefit from knowledgeable, pre-purchase guidance. Two of the better online communities are the Airworthy Comanche forum - http://forums.delphiforums.com/comanches/start - and the Piper Comanche Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/68675657216/

If you are at OSH this week, mosey down to Comanchetown, which is down by the ultralights, about row 98-99. You can find folks who will answer your questions. You can PM me if you want to know more.
 
Kristin said:
What is a "jefe"?

Bob Weber passed a number of years ago. His partner, John, and Bob's son still run the place.
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8e6de47b04c7ce1424dc17885bffb26d.jpg

This is a jefe, senor. The gringo’s word for it is “chief”. If a business is big enough, they could even have a plethora of jefes.
 
Kristin said:
Comanche parts availability is often better than newer planes as Piper back then borrowed so heavily from the automotive industry. That a few dedicated suppliers and a very active grassroots organization, keeps the aircraft flying along well. The owner base has been able to advocate vendors to provide upgrades. For example, much lobbying got Garmin to certify the GFC500 for the Comanche and Twin Comanche. They were apparently dubious that they would get more than a dozen orders, but reports are that they have sold over 100 so far, so our street cred must be good with Garmin.

Truly competent Comanche mechanics are a bit more of a challenge. They are out there, but a new owner really needs to be plugged into the group to learn who you can go to for some of the things you are likely to need. Also, likely any complex, vintage airplane, a prospective buyer would benefit from knowledgeable, pre-purchase guidance. Two of the better online communities are the Airworthy Comanche forum - http://forums.delphiforums.com/comanches/start - and the Piper Comanche Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/68675657216/

If you are at OSH this week, mosey down to Comanchetown, which is down by the ultralights, about row 98-99. You can find folks who will answer your questions. You can PM me if you want to know more.
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Can you give me an example of auto sourced parts? My buddy has a Comanche and can’t think of one

tia
 
I had a Comanche for years. Never once had a parts problem, YMMV, but my experience was that was not a problem at all.
 
Randomskylane said:
Can you give me an example of auto sourced parts? My buddy has a Comanche and can’t think of one

tia
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The landing gear transmission, door handle, trim handle, various solenoid, though likely some of those might have been from tractors. That is what I can think of off the top of my head.
 
Never had issues with Comanche parts. Surprisingly easy to find stuff for them.
 
Kristin said:
The landing gear transmission, door handle, trim handle, various solenoid, though likely some of those might have been from tractors. That is what I can think of off the top of my head.
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I can't speak for Comanches but I think the poster said "Piper" in general. I know that the Cherokee has a door handle sourced from a VW bug, trim handle from a Studebaker truck window crank and plastic grips on the parking brake and the flap handle from Schwinn. Oh and an exact match of the rubber rudder pads can bought from Harley Davidson.
 
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