Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

Big Bear Comanche

The other day I had the fantastic opportunity to fly with a friend in his 1965 Piper PA-24-260B Comanche.

Piper built little over 1000 of these tough birds at its Loch Haven, Pennsylvania, factory, from 1958 through 1972 until a flood wiped out the assembly line and the model was discontinued. A few hundred are still around flying.

The airplane has a unique feel to it. Everything about seems bigger, sturdier and bolder. Take for example the large prop spinner or the thick yoke attachment. Getting in and out is no exercise due the massive space available compared to other low wingers.


AOPA says the

Comanches come in a variety of flavors, ranging from the 180-horsepower “baby” Comanche to the 400-horsepower 400. The Comanche 250 was the biggest seller of the line and was considered a strong competitor to the Beech Bonanza—performing almost as well but selling for thousands less.

Why focus on the 260, then? It offered a few improvements on the 250, including a new propeller and a fuel-injected engine on the B model that boosted performance 10 knots, and the installation of dual exhausts that removed the muffler from the rear of the engine, according to an analysis of the model published by The Piper Flyer.

There were four versions of the 260, including the 260B that could be configured as a six-seater, and the turbocharged 260C. B and C models feature three windows per side. The 260’s Lycoming IO-540 engine could cruise at 142 to 161 knots, burning 13 to 19 gallons per hour. The airplane carried 60 gallons, and could be modified to hold 90 gallons.

While offering good looks and good performance for the money, the Comanche 260 may be a handful for the first-time owner. Parts are not as readily available as, say, for Cherokees. Experienced owners say a repair shop experienced in Comanche maintenance is a must.

The Lyco 540 performs well and runs smooth. A quick 30 minute hop from the LA Basin up to Big Bear (L35, ca. 7000‘ elevation) saw groundspeeds up to 180kts, in spite most of the flight being a climb.


It seats 4 comfortably and even when adding two seat cushions in the last row there is leg space underneath the second row seats. Clever.

I’m not an engineer but this looks like a sturdy spar:


Flying wise the Comanche behaves very nicely. Low speeds when needed down low (57 stall speed with flaps), fast speeds in cruise while being very stable and overall nicely balanced flight controls through the entire regime. The trim handle on the overhead takes a bit to get used to but is not a problem.

While older US muscle cars with big bore engines weren’t exactly as benign as they were powerful the same doesn’t hold true for the Comanche.

Compared to e.g. a later Arrow it feels like a lot more plane, and at that without being in anyway unrefined about it.

Great trip and great plane, a bit retro perhaps, but that just adds to the charm.

Last Edited by Snoopy at 16 Jan 19:20
always learning
LO__, Austria

Snoopy wrote:

Piper built little over 1000 of these tough birds at its Loch Haven, Pennsylvania, factory, from 1958 through 1972 until a flood wiped out the assembly line and the model was discontinued. A few hundred are still around flying.

They built 4857 Comanches in Lock Haven and a good fraction of those are still flying. I think they are the bargain of comparable aircraft, and for no particular reason – the air frame design, the engine and the performance as well as the quality of construction are all good… Some people don’t like the all flying tail and the stiff, short gear, both leading to minor landing issues.

Thanks for the post!

Last Edited by Silvaire at 16 Jan 20:04

Thanks, didn’t cross check aopa’s source. Even better that more were built.

always learning
LO__, Austria

I have been admiring them for a long time. They look very good as well. Thanks for posting!

ESSZ, Sweden
4 Posts
Sign in to add your message

Back to Top