Pre-Purchase Inspection

[Bruce Cynamon]

I am a former aircraft owner who has been away from flying for the past five years. Of the four aircraft I have owned two have been Pipers but no Comanches...yet. I have my eye on a Twin Comanche for sale in central florida and was looking for a recommendation for someone to do a pre-purchase inspection.

Alternatively I have friend who is an A&P with IA whose opinion I respect but is not a Comanche "expert". Any suggestions as to specific areas of concern in PA30's?

Bruce Cynamon

[ics-12766]

Matt may be able to help:

http://www.comanchegear.com/

[Zach Grant L1011jock]

Bruce,
I would suggest getting in contact with Matt Kurke also. While there are many trustworthy mechanics out there, you really need a savvy Comanche specific guy to look over the airplane, especially for a prebuy. Another resource would be Turley in Bartow, FL. He is well versd int eh Comanches and would be a good catch as far as doing a prebuy. The things that are very Comanche specific are the fuel system, the gear system, and the tails. Other than that it is pretty much just an airplane. If you are looking at a turbo TC, then the turbo system really needs an experts eye as well. Fill the tanks before you do anything else, jack it up, wiggle the gear to look for play, retract the gear and listen for abnormal noises from the gear transmission (it should be smooth and quiet) check the dates and times on the Bungees and the 1000 hr gear inspection. Props engines and airframe are pretty standard other than the Janitrol heater, and that should be familiar to any one who maintains light twins. Paperwork is an issue with most of these planes, and missing paperwork for STCs installed can be a real hassle to recover as many are no longer in business.
-Zach