Hey everyone,
well, I sold my Piper Arrow and finally switched to a Swiss reg 1961 Comanche 250. I have been a window shopping for one since 3 years now and finally got one I liked.
Now I am looking into connecting with other Comanche owners. One big problem is finding mechanics who are experienced in these birds. I am 200 hours away from the dreaded landing gear AD and I am already doing my research. Are there any other Comanche owners here? I could definitely user your advice in finding good Comanche mechanics in continental Europe.
Baris
Congrats! I had the opportunity to come along in ond and I liked it very much. Everything seemed sturdy and built tough.
Welcome to Comanche ownership!
I have a PA30 based in Cannes and although I have only been an owner for 3 years, I haven’t yet found any reliable Comanche support. If you find someone, please post here.
With regards to the gear AD, I would be tempted to take the aircraft to the US for the work. I do 50hr checks myself on the ramp and take the aircraft to the UK for the annual but keep a very close eye on proceedings.
Where are you based?
Congratulations! If it is the airplane I am thinking of, it’s a real beauty.
As for Comanche mechanics, it might be an idea to check with the company who had it under their maintenance in Switzerland, they should know the plane inside out as they had it for many years. Otherwise, there are some Twin Comanche owners active at the Pilot und Flugzeug forum (German), who might be able to point you in the right direction.
I owned a Twin Comanche many years ago and found the International Comanche Society an invaluable source of information for operating and maintaining both single and Twin Comanches.
Congratulations, it seems a great all-around airplane.
How much are good-condition comanches worth today ?
I think our friend @LFHNflightstudent has a Comanche too.
Hi, late to the party as usual. The international Comanche society is indeed the organization to join. Great community and invaluable knowledge base of all things Comanche. Dukeries Aviation in The UK is where I maintain our 260C, Mark and his son are Comanche owners and enthusiasts. When I had my engine failure in St Johns last year Mark personally flew to Newfoundland with us to fit the new engine and to make sure everything was OK before the trip back. Don’t know of any other mechanic who would be that dedicated…
I think Comanches are one of the best deals in GA. Lots of room, Lycoming engines, well built, corrosion protected, not too complex to maintain. A good friend had a ‘59 Comanche 180 for years, a very original time warp kind of plane. We took a number of trips in it and while its originality didn’t make it a modern IFR plane it had really quite good performance for 180 HP.
A Comanche 250 is by anybody’s account a good choice, maybe the best of the bunch for current market value. For combining Comanche function with some exotic appeal this one would be another choice, anyway I thought I’d provide the link for entertainment value. Why have an O-360 when you can have an O-720? It’s effectively two four cylinder engines lined up on the same crankshaft 
Imagine the climb rate.
Baris
No need to be afraid of the 1000h AD, indeed, it can turn expansive but it is not the end of the world.
I can’t help you with shops in Germany or Switzerland but in the UK there are several that know the bird.
1. The two brothers in Farley Farm near Southampton are considered to be very knowledgeable –
2. Shipping and Airline in Biggin Hill work on more PA24/30 than I have hair on my head (not much left 
) – https://shippingandairlines.co.uk/
3. Modern Air at Fowlmere airfield – Were very recommended, don’t know what is the current situation but maybe Alan S. (on this forum) will be able to help.
4. London Elstree Aviation – Based at Elstree airfield, used to maintain several Comanches, they had troubled past under previous ownership but have turned the page some years ago with new bunch top to bottom, Riad is very knowledgeable anything aircraft and also was the Continental Rep. for Europe and the M.E. until Continental decide to shut down.
5. North Weald Airfield – The maintenance shop on the right hand side of the squadron (Facing the Squadron) used to look after Comanches, I hear good things about them but don’t know what is the current Comanche situation.
Join the ICS and go to their fly-in meetings, you will find there 1/2 decent bunch of people that will be happy to share with you their knowledge but don’t expect much on the technical side, ICS is rather poor in that respect. For lots of technical advice, very deep knowledge and help join the Delphi Forums https://forums.delphiforums.com/Comanches The forum is a US based and all the recommended suppliers are US based, however, you will find out very quickly that anything Comanche is USA anyway and you will start to import your own parts.
Good luck and enjoy the aircraft.
Ben
