Looking for some flying time in Comanche

[femski]

[Scott Ducey]

[N3322G]

[Kristin Winter]

[Jay]

[T210DRVR]

I've flown a lot of planes. C-150 through Turbo 210, Different varieties of Cherokees, and several twins. Of all the singles I've flown the Comanche 180 is my favorite.

It has delightful handling compared to the Cessnas and Cherokees. It has simple systems, and it's very economical to fly. The Lycoming O-360 is ultra reliable. I can run all day long at 135 to 140 knots while burning 9-10 GPH.

You should have no trouble with the transition other than remembering to put the gear down and a little finess on the landings.

[femski]

Thanks everyone. I flew a 250 yesterday - it was quite a pleasant experience. Things new to me: yoke style, no toe brake, non-standard instrument cluster (though it had center stack), hand-cranking trim, throttle/prop/mixture controls. None of this seemed to be an issue. Only trim direction required some thinking - I was in the right seat.

I noticed two things and they may have been specific to this plane or me:

Heat in the cabin. Even when cabin heat was shutoff there was hot air swirling in the cabin. Made things slightly uncomfortable. I assume this is not normal.

Also, i am not sure if it was my headset or what, engine noise (at 22" MP) seems noticeably higher. This is a 6-cylinder engine (vs 4 that I am used to flying), but I don't recall being bothered by engine noise sitting in the backseat of a 285 HP Bonanza for 3+ hour flight. I will have to check this part out since I am sensitive to noise. Next time I will take my decibel meter to get an accurate measure. In the mean time I am sending my headset for an ANR upgrade.

Does single piece 1/4" windshield help ? This one had original windshield - I assume 1/8" inch. Someone once mentioned a soundproofing mod around the firewall area.

thanks.

-Sanjay

[Zach Grant L1011jock]

Sanjay,
First, the heat issue. On the 250 with the original muffler setup there is significant firewall heat, however it should not be swirling around. The dual exhaust mod solves this, and all 260's have the duals from the factory. The firewall on this particular plane probably has some issues, and needs to be sealed well, as well as looking at the stearing boots as well as the heat boxes to make sure they are sealing in the off position.

Noise...this is so dependedent on what airplane, interior, windows, door seals, motor mount condition, prop ballance, headset quality, and any sound deadning efforts undertaken over the years. I have been in Comanches that you could comfortably talk without intercoms, and then I have been in some that really vibrated and resonated and sounded like you were in the middle of a heavy construction site.

-Zach

[David Pyle]

I agree with Zach and would add that in general the older the Comanche the louder the interior. My 260B had an all cloth interior and one could converse without a headset. My 260C with the original vinyl interior was louder, but the positioning of the exhaust system in a "C" IMO is a noise improvement over preceding models. Fit and door seal reduce cabin noise. Some redone interiors have extra insulation.

The interior of later model Bonanzas will will be quieter than a Comanche...but you pay for that.

[femski]

[David Pyle]

[Jay]

[Kristin Winter]

[Zach Grant L1011jock]