Piper PA-24 Comanche

The Piper PA-24 Comanche is an American single-engine, low-wing, all-metal monoplane of semimonocoque construction with tricycle retractable landing gear and four or six seats. The Comanche was designed and built by Piper Aircraft and first flew on May 24, 1956. Together with the PA-30 and PA-39 Twin Comanches, it made up the core of Piper's lineup until 1972, when the production lines for both aircraft were destroyed in the 1972 Lock Haven flood.

Design and development
Two prototypes were built in 1956, with the first being completed by June 20, 1956. The first production aircraft, powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A1A engine, first flew on October 21, 1957. In 1958, it was joined by a higher-powered PA-24-250 with a 250 hp Lycoming O-540-A1A5 engine; this model was originally to be known as the PA-26, but Piper decided to keep the PA-24 designation.

In 1964, the 400 hp PA-24-400 was introduced. The following year, the PA-24-250 was superseded by the PA-24-260, featuring the Lycoming IO-540D or E engine of 260 hp. A turbocharged version using a Rajay turbocharger was introduced in 1970.

Production of the Comanche ended in 1972, when torrential rains from Hurricane Agnes caused the great Susquehanna River flood of 1972, flooding the manufacturing plant and destroying airframes, parts, and much of the tooling necessary for production. Rather than rebuild the tooling, Piper chose to abandon production of the Comanche and Twin Comanche and continue with two newer designs already in production at Piper's other plant in Vero Beach, Florida - the PA-28R-200 Arrow and the twin-engined PA-34 Seneca.

Comanche 180


The original version of the Comanche was the PA-24, which featured a carbureted 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A1A engine, swept tail, laminar flow airfoil, and all-flying stabilator.

The standard fuel capacity of the PA-24-180 was 60 USgal. The flaps were manually actuated, controlled by the same Johnson bar actuator as the Piper Cherokee. The aircraft specifications were for cruise speeds of 116 to 139 kn and fuel burns between 7.5 and 10.5 USgal/h at 55 and 75% power settings, respectively. Full-fuel payload with standard fuel was 715 lb, with a gross weight of 2550 lb and range with 45-minute reserve of 700 nmi.

When new, standard, typically equipped Comanche 180s sold between $17,850 (1958) and $21,580 (1964). A total of 1,143 were built.

Comanche 250
In 1958, Piper introduced a 250 hp version using a Lycoming O-540 engine, giving the PA-24-250 Comanche a top cruise speed of 160 kn. Most 250s had carbureted Lycoming O-540-AIA5 engines, but a small number were fitted out with fuel-injected versions of the same engine. Early Comanche 250s had manually operated flaps and carried 60 USgal of fuel. Auxiliary fuel tanks (90 USgal total) became available in 1961. Electrically actuated flaps were made standard with the 1962 model year.

Comanche 260


Four 260-horsepower (194 kW) versions of the Comanche were introduced beginning in 1965. They were:
 * PA-24-260 (1965)
 * PA-24-260B (1966 to 1968)
 * PA-24-260C (1969 to 1972)
 * PA-24-260TC (Turbocharged 260C) (1970 to 1972)

A total of 1,029 airplanes were sold from the Comanche 260 line, including the 260TC.

The 260 had an empty weight around 1700 lb and a maximum gross weight of 2900 lb. It had four seats, and a 90 USgal-capacity auxiliary fuel system was available as an option. Cruise speed was advertised as 142 - 161 kn with fuel burn of 10 to 14 USgal/h.

The 260B had an overall length 6 in more than the previous models due to a longer propeller spinner, not a longer fuselage. The 260B had a third side window and a provision for six seats. The fifth and sixth seats take up the entire baggage area and seat smaller adults, placarded to a total weight of 250 lb. Typical empty weight was 1728 lb and gross weight was 3100 lb. Fuel burn was 11 to 14 USgal/h and advertised speed was 140 - 160 kn.

The 260C introduced a new "Tiger Shark" cowling, maximum gross weight of 3200 lb, cowl flaps, and an aileron-rudder interconnect. Cruise speed was advertised as 150 - 161 kn with fuel flow of 12.5 to 14.1 USgal/h. To prevent possible aft center-of-gravity problems due to the increased gross weight and its fifth and sixth seats, the propeller shaft was extended. This moved the center of gravity slightly forward. With a useful load of 1427 lb, it has the largest payload of all of the Comanches except the 400. Often mistaken on the ramp for the 400 model, the slightly longer cowling includes a distinctively longer nose gear door, as compared to the B models and older versions.

Starting in 1970, Piper offered a turbo-normalized variant of the PA-24-260 known as the 260TC with a Lycoming IO-540-R1A5 engine and dual Rajay turbochargers. Twenty-six were produced between 1970 and 1972. Advertised by Piper as a "second throttle", the turbochargers are controlled using a manual wastegate assembly that places an additional handle labeled "boost" next to the throttle handle in the cockpit, effectively creating a secondary throttle. The TC model is certified for flight to 25000 ft, with an advertised turbo critical altitude of 20000 ft, giving a maximum true airspeed of 223 mph.

PA-24-300
In 1967, one aircraft was modified with a 300 hp Lycoming engine for trials. It did not enter production.

PA-24-380
Two prototype aircraft were built in 1961. They were standard Comanche airframes, but had 380 hp Lycoming IO-720-A1A engines with a three-bladed propeller. The design was modified with an even larger 400 hp engine and produced as the PA-24-400.

Comanche 400
The PA-24-400 Comanche 400 was produced from 1964 to 1966. Only 148 PA-24-400s were built.

The Comanche 400 is powered by the 400 hp, horizontally opposed, eight-cylinder Lycoming IO-720 engine, developed specifically for the model. Cooling problems have happened with the rear cylinders.

The Comanche 400 has a three-bladed propeller and carries 100 USgal of fuel, or 130 USgal with optional extended tanks. Fuel burn was advertised as 16 to 23 USgal/h, at 55-75% power. The high fuel burn means that it is expensive to operate. The 400 had a typical empty weight of 2110 lb and a maximum gross weight of 3600 lb.

Book speeds for the PA-24-400 included a cruising speed of 185 kn and a top speed of 194 kn.

While identical in planform to other PA-24 models, the 400 is structurally strengthened, primarily in the tail, with an extra nose rib in the stabilator and the vertical fin. The stabilator, vertical fin, and rudder of the 400 share virtually no common parts with the 180, 250, or 260 hp Comanches.

PA-33


In 1967, a single Comanche was modified by Swearingen with a pressurized cabin. The prototype, powered by a 260 hp Lycoming O-540 engine and equipped with Twin Comanche landing gear, was designated the PA-33. First flown on March 11, 1967, the prototype later crashed on takeoff in May 1967 and the project was cancelled.

Max Conrad
In June 1959, Max Conrad flew a Comanche 250 on a record-breaking distance flight in Fédération Aéronautique Internationale C1-D Class, for aircraft from 3858 lb to less than 6614 lb. Having removed the interior seats and replaced them with fuel tanks, Conrad flew nonstop from Casablanca, Morocco, to Los Angeles, a distance of 7668 mi. When the aircraft took off from Casablanca, it was heavily overloaded and just cleared the airport fence. The Comanche 250 Max Conrad flew for this flight is now located in the museum at the Liberal, Kansas, airport.

On November 24–26, 1959, Conrad flew a Comanche 180 on a distance record flight in FAI C1-C Class for aircraft taking off at weights from 2204 lb to less than 3858 lb that still stands: Casablanca to El Paso, Texas, 6966 mi nonstop, a distance of 6967 mi, in 56 hours 26 minutes. He set a closed-circuit distance record in the same aircraft on July 4–6 November 1960, flying 6921 mi.

Kenneth Walker
On 14 May 1962, Kenneth Walker arrived in Brisbane, Australia, in a PA-24-250 on a delivery flight from San Francisco. Walker's flight was the first ever solo single-engine crossing of the Pacific, and the third solo crossing from the US to Australia. From Brisbane, Walker continued south to deliver the Comanche to the Royal Newcastle Aero Club at Maitland, New South Wales, Australia.

Toku-Hana
In July 1964, Henry Ohye, flying a 1961 PA-24-250, made the first successful trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Japan in a single-engined aircraft. He flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo with stops in Honolulu, Midway, Wake, Guam, and Okinawa.

Myth Too
A 1966 Comanche 260B, named Myth Too and registered as G-ATOY, was owned by English aviator Sheila Scott. The aircraft, flown by Scott, holds 90 world-class light aviation records. It is on public display at the National Museum of Flight, Scotland.

Oldest circumnavigator
The circumnavigation by the oldest pilot on record in 1994 was made by Fred Lasby at age 82 in a Comanche 260B.

Accidents

 * The 1963 Camden PA-24 crash – On March 5, 1963, country music singers Patsy Cline, Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were on board a Comanche owned and piloted by Cline's manager, Randy Hughes, when it crashed in deteriorating weather near Camden, Tennessee, killing all on board.