Today my new Comanche has finally arrived home. Took longer than expected. If you want to know the story, read on. If you just want to see pics of the plane, scroll down. The broker and I were planning on bring the plane home last Saturday. I took the airline to Calgary where the broker picked me up. The plan was to get all the paperwork done and then fly the 2-3 hours to my home field in the afternoon while touch and go on every airport on the way to instruct me. Well, wildfire smoke made other plans. We went up for a pattern and it was bad. So, flight home was cancelled, hence back to Calgary and airline back home. New plan was that he'll fly it to me whenever there is a break in smoke and weather. Sunday, no break. Monday, no break. Today, there was literally a three hour window without smoke, thunderstorms or crazy winds so he brought it over. We went up for another pattern but had no time for more due to weather and his airline flight back home. I'm just glad it's now in my hangar so I can start working on the interior and get instructions in it from local CFIs until I'm comfortable enough to fly it myself. I'm okay landing it. What I have to get used to is the fact that everything is happening much faster than in the Cherokee, especially during takeoff and in the pattern in general. Here are the pics!
Congratulations on the new plane! Curious, which model did you get (180, 250, ...)? Also curious how many knots you picked up in this plane over your last that made the upgrade compelling? I hope your previous plane found a nice home.
This is the Comanche 250. I haven't done a cross country in it myself yet but the broker had a TAS of around 160 - 170 mph on his ferry flight today. Compared to the Cherokee, that's an increase of 40 - 50 mph TAS. Besides the increase in speed, the most compelling reason for the upgrade was the added space and load. The previous plane found a great home. Student pilot whose cousin is a Westjet pilot and flight instructor training his cousin in the Cherokee now.
Very nice. It handles stalls and such just like a big Cherokee, plenty of buffet before a clean break. The most noticeable thing is how steep the climb angle is before a power on stall. You do need to manage the fuel a bit more. I like the simple method...big hand points right, use a right tank, big hand points left, use a left tank. The biggest difference is in landing. You can't land it like a Cherokee with a deliberate flare. Nailing airspeed and letting her settle rules the day. 90kts downwind gear down midfield, 80 mph on final, 70 over the fence. Really doesn't happen that much faster than the Cherokee if you don't come screaming into the pattern at 140kts. I usually slow to 120 at ten miles. Midlife flyer said it.
Awesome! Congratulations, she looks great. How's the panel? Yeah, each step up seems that way. I'm sure you even saw it going from the ercoupe to the cherokee. It's second nature now, but boy did things seem scary fast for my first couple patterns in the lance. You also have to be careful on cross countries because the airports are way closer together now lol.
I don't hear of a lot of people doing it but even IFR, I have an intermediate "step down" speed from cruise before getting to my final approach speed in faster aircraft.
Very standard. All steam gauges. I’ll upgrade it little by little over the years. Since I’m keeping this one long term, I’m in no rush. It knows that it’s being flown more often and get upgrades now, something the past owner didn’t do lol.
Holy cow! Just for future reference, that is about as "Shotgun" as a panel I've ever seen! Don't let that worry ya though...once you learn to fly on it, it doesn't matter. Nice plane, congrats!
6 pack is your standard (ASI, AI, Alt / TC, HSI, VSI) configuration seem on late model planes. Shotgun, means the instruments are all over the place non standardized. Like my 170B.
The panel arrangement looks like you took a shotgun and shot the panel with it. Wherever the buckshot punched through is where you stick an instrument. Was common before the 6-pack arrangement was more of the standard, and often done when the panel was oddly-shaped in front of the pilot prohibiting a 2x3 grid of steam gauges to fit.
Oh I dunno. At least there's room to rearrange things to be at least 6pack-ish. Plus, there's no worry about a pilot-rated-passenger messing with the radios without foreknowledge/permission. BTW, nice plane! The classic paint job is a nice touch.
Was too damned intrigued. Had to look. Glad you got it. Looks sharp! There was a Comanche derelict that has lived on the ramp a few rows down from my hangar for a long time. The port sent out notices to vacate last month. And last Friday, some guy showed up to claim the Comanche. It was in horrible looking condition. I was surprised when he got it started. Heard a rumor he flew it off the other day, planning on a long cross country with the gear down all the way. The title of your post was just too much! ;-)
Haha! I was looking at that Comanche a while back, on either Barnstormers or Trade a Plane. Don’t recall where you are located, but did you need to import from Canada?
Only born Canadians are permitted to use those. Naturalized Canadians could lose their citizenship for doing so. Was part of the contract we signed upon becoming Canadian.
