The Official Membership Publication of The International ...
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JULY 2014 VOLUME 41, NO. 7 The Official Membership Publication of The International Comanche Society
Transcript of The Official Membership Publication of The International ...
JULY 2014 VOLUME 41, NO. 7
The Official Membership Publication of
The International Comanche Society
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 1
The Comanche Flyeris the official monthly member
publication of the
International Comanche Society P.O. Box 1810
Traverse City, MI 49685-1810U.S.: (888) 300-0082 Other: (231) 946-3712
Fax: (231) 946-6180 E-mail: [email protected]
www.comancheflyer.com
ICS President Bob Cretney
Cell: (214) 725-6584Email: [email protected]
Managing Editor Melissa Frisbie
E-mail: [email protected]
Senior Advertising Director John Shoemaker
(800) 773-7798 Fax: (231) 946-9588 E-mail: [email protected]
Advertising Administrative AssistantTrading Post & Classified Advertising
Betsy BeaudoinPh: (800) 773-7798, Fax: (231) 946-9588 Email: [email protected]
Graphic Design Brandon Hoffman
E-mail: [email protected]
Printer Village Press
2779 Aero Park Drive Traverse City, MI 49685-0629
www.villagepress.com
Maintenance Resource Advisors Pat Barry
Ph: (949) 362-1600 on Pacific TimeE-mail: [email protected]
Dave ClarkPh: (817) 860-4393
Email: [email protected]
Zach GrantCell: (317) 201-4293
Email: [email protected](Email preferred contact)
Karl HippPh: (970) 963-3755
Email: [email protected]
Lucky LouquePh: (903) 345-9198
Email: [email protected]
Cliff WilewskiPh: (815) 395-0500, Cell: (815) 979-7785
E-mail: [email protected]
ICS Tool Loan Program Matt Kurke
8192 Sanctuary Drive, Unit 1Naples, FL 34104
Ph: (239) 593-6944 [email protected]
The Comanche Flyer (ISSN 08994223, USPS 2-324) is available to members; the $25 annual subscription rate is included in the Society’s Annual Membership dues in US funds below. Comanche Flyer is published
monthly by Village Press
U.S., Canada, Mexico One year $72, Two years $136
UK, Europe, Asia & Africa One year $98, Two years $188
All Other Countries One year $86, Two years $164
Spousal Members One year $36, Two years $72
Cover Photo Jim Oates’ Turbo Model 260TC.
Copyright NoticeThe act of making a submission for publication is an express warranty that such contribution does not infringe on the rights or copyright of others. Nothing appearing in the Comanche Flyer shall be reproduced or distributed without the express permission of the publisher.
Postmaster Send address changes to the above address.
Periodical postage paid at Traverse City, MI 49686
Published By the International Comanche Society, Inc.
INTERNATIONALCOMANCHESOCIETY, INC.
CONTENTS
www.comancheflyer.comVolume 41, No. 7 • July 2014
2 Letter from the President Bob Cretney
Comanche Spirit 4 The Last 260 “TC” Ever Built! Jim Oates
10 ICS Board of Directors, Tribe Chiefs, & Tribe Representatives ICS Standing Committees
11 Maintenance Resource Advisors ICS Tool Loan Program CFF-Trained CFIs
CFF President’s Letter 12 Hello Comanche pilots/owners! Mike Foster
13 Letter to the Editor Russell Greenlaw
Vote 2015 14 ICS General Membership Electronic Voting Sally Williams 15 Vote 2014-2015 Officer NOMINATIONS
18 ICS Membership Renewal Form
Convention News 20 2014 Convention – Update Pat Donovan
Best of the Flyer 28 Who Really is the PIC? Bill Creech
31 Comanche Joe
32 ICS Items for Sale
Online Intelligence 34 Gas Fumes in Two Places
37 From the Tribe Chiefs
39 ICS Name Badge Order Form
Feature 40 Comanche Flyer Needs your Stories, Tips and Tricks!
Technically Speaking 42 Rajay® Turbonormalizing For Dummies Jim Oates
46 Comanche Classifieds
47 Advertisers’ Index
Last Laugh 48 Aviation Quotes
Published By the International Comanche Society, Inc.
2 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
All members are encouraged to submit articles for publication in the Comanche Flyer. If you have an article about a maintenance event, trip, piloting technique, or anything else pertinent to Comanche ownership, please share it with your fellow members.
For those with access to the Internet, please submit the article via e-mail, preferably in Microsoft Word. You may also include the article in the body of your e-mail message. Include your full name, as you would like it published, and your ICS number.
Please attach digital pictures, if applicable, in jpeg format. For best results, use the highest resolution setting your camera will allow. Photo files under 500 kb in size typically do not reproduce well.
Although submissions are reviewed for technical accuracy, the information in this magazine is meant for reference only. Any modifications, alterations, or major repairs to U.S. aircraft require FAA-approved data as a basis for beginning work, and as such should not be based solely on information contained in this magazine. The International Comanche Society does not endorse any piloting adverse to published FAA regulations.
Submissions are subject to editing and revision unless specifi-cally requested to be published as submitted. The right is reserved to publish or not, any submission.
Deadline for all submissions is the 20th of the month, approxi-mately 40 days prior to month of publication.
Comanche Flyer Submission Guidelines
ICS has lost one of its oldest and dearest members — Frank Sargeant, ICS #61. He flew west April 19, 2014.
He will be remembered as kind, soft spoken and generous. The twinkle in his eye forecasted the wit about to fol-low. Frank held the office of President
of CFF, Secretary of ICS, and was the Northwest Tribe Chief several times. Our condolences to his wife, Janet, and the rest of his family. We will all miss him.
Ed Swearingen, another aviation icon who provided modification engineering and the development of performance mods for the Comanche flew west January 23, 2014. The Twin Comanche was one of the most suc-cessful mods. His company performed another mod for Piper that involved installing Lycoming IO-540 engines on a Twin Comanche. After flying it, Piper test pilots refused to let development and production continue due to its high performance, stating that during takeoff the aircraft was at rotation speed by the time takeoff power was set.
The ICS Annual Convention will take place at Oshkosh, July 25, 26 and 27, with the EAA OSH Conven-tion beginning the next day (July 28). You still have time to register or just
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Send to: Melissa Frisbie, Managing Editor at [email protected] Articles and photos may also be sent via U.S. Mail to:
Melissa Frisbie • 125 N. Turnberry St., Wichita, KS 67230
show up and the Mid States Tribe will accommodate you. Keep in mind some of the venues, including the annual dinner, may already be full. Read the Convention News column in this issue for updates on agendas, vendors, tours, and everything else that’s happening. This is a great way to see old friends, learn about Comanches, visit with your officers, and take in the Oshkosh ad-venture all at the same time.
Voting for the 2014/2015 ICS Of-ficers, 2015 Budget and Bylaw amend-ments will conclude July 24, 2014. Voting can be completed electronically on the ICS website at comancheflyer.com. Click the voting box at the top right corner of the home page and fol-low the instructions.
Golden Circle and Annual Achieve-ment Award nominations are still open. The Golden Circle Award is for out-standing service and contributions to ICS over a number of years. The
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 3
annual Achievement Award is for the most outstanding contribution by a member during the year ending at the Annual Convention. These awards are presented during the Annual Meeting and dinner. If you have a candidate(s) in mind for either of these awards, please pass it/them on to your Tribe Representative or any board member as soon as possible. Nominations close July 24, 2014.
As I mentioned last month, the Flagship event at this year’s Conven-tion will have an additional class. It is the “Peoples Choice Award” and will go to the Comanche receiving the most votes from the members at the
2011-2012 Zach Grant
2009-2010 Bernie Mazurek
2007-2008 Dave Fitzgerald
2006 Lawrence Paratz
2005 Karl Hipp
2004 Skip Dykema
2003 John Van Bladeren
2002 Larry Rackley
2001 Robert Noble
2000 David Buttle
1999 Roy Roberts
1998 Harley McGatha
1997 Charles Wiseman
1996 Bryce Campbell
1995 Jess Bootman
1994 Chuck Medicus
1993 Dale Vandever
1992 Bill Jackson
1991 Martin Busch
1990 George Burson
1989 William Creech
1988 Jim Fox
1987 Pat Rowe
1986 Ted Peifer
1985 Bill Shank
1984 Jerry Irvin
1983 Bill Stanyer
1982 Norn Berneche
1981 Ben Kitchens
1980 Jack Holaway
1979 Larry Larkin
1978 Clifford Younger
1977 Art Shriver
1976 Mike Keedy
1975 George Smith
1974 Paul Rechnitzer
1973 Andy Speer
ICS Past Presidents
Convention. The two requirements are: 1) the planes must be present at the judging site, and 2) entered in the contest. Only members present at the Convention may vote. As in the past, the remaining classes will be judged by a panel of qualified judges headed by Cliff Wilewski.
Tales from the Wide SideAngels can fly because they take
themselves lightly.
‘Til next month …
Bob Cretney
www.comanchetraining.comContact Dennis [email protected]
(920) 749-9558
New IFR Clinic• • • • •
Seymour, IN (KSER) Systems/Flight Clinic
Sept 26–28• • • • •
Lancaster, TX (LNC) IFR Clinic
Oct 24-26th, 2014
4 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
C O M A N C H E
THE LAST 260 “TC”
EVER BUILT!by Jim Oates, ICS#17804
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 5
C O M A N C H E
Phone calls to my father often start, “Hey Dad, I know you think I’m crazy, but ....” Nor-mally I get a laugh, but the day
I outlined my plan to convert N9480P to a 260TC, he just said, “James ... you really are crazy!”
He was right ... 80P is a nice late model Comanche with some special features—low time, factory oxygen, solid avionics, and a Robertson STOL kit. The STOL especially makes it a great plane for weekend missions to dirt strips in Mexico, and I felt turbo-charging would expand capability on the other end to support long cross-country flights I was making from the West Coast to family and friends in the Midwest.
With an engine showing signs of age, I was braced for an impending overhaul. Late last August on a trip from Kentucky to Minnesota, I found myself stranded in Madison, Wis. with a bad cylinder. Without a clear idea how, I decided the time was right to do two things for 80P: overhaul the engine and install turbos.
The Turbo Model 260TC was the final evolution of the PA-24. With production cut short by the infamous Lockhaven, Penn. flood in 1972, only 29 were produced (50 were initially planned). Often considered better per-formers than Comanche 400s, the specs are impressive:
Beach, Calif. This system is manual-ly controlled (see Turbonormalizing pg.42). Rajay also developed Supple-mental Type Certificates (STC) for other aircraft including early Comanche mod-els, but in the case of the 260C, turbos were installed by Piper at the factory in Lockhaven under the “Type Certificate.” Therefore, no STC was needed.
Service ceiling............................. 25,000 ft
Max Speed @ 20,000.............. 202 knots
75% Cruise @ 25,000.............. 195 knots
Turbo Critical Altitude.............. 20,000 ft
Fuel Consumption 75%........... 14.1GPH-
Piper used a “dual turbo system” produced by Rajay® Industries in Long
COVER STORYSee, dad, I wasn’t so crazy after all!
John Podgorski, the IA at Wisconsin Aviation,
is diligently working on the turbo install.
6 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Finding parts would be difficult. The original Rajay was bought and sold a number of times starting in the early 1980s. Today, replacement parts are supplied by a company in Florida called Rajay Parts. Owner Bob Spillman holds STCs produced by Rajay, but does not have complete installation packages. Reproduction of individual parts is costly and time-consuming. Searching the web, I found a discus-sion board regarding a 260TC to 260C firewall forward engine swap concept. One responder mentioned a friend with a wrecked 260TC that might be willing to sell the power plant!
Out of twenty-nine 260TCs ever produced, what were the chances one would wreck and still have undam-aged parts, just when I needed them? If I could find the wrecked plane, I’d have my parts. I found N7082H in the FAA Incident Database (a good read on why not to exceed Gross). The owner, Vic Gelking of Fargo, North Dakota confirmed that a renter had run his plane off a runway, damaging the wings and gear but leaving the engine bowl intact. We settled on a deal to purchase the Rajay System and turbos if I could convert my engine.
109(h) IO-540-R1A5 (Turbocharged - Items 122(a) required)installed pre Piper Dwg. 27137122(a) TurbochargerRajay No. RJ0080-102 (2 required when Item 109(h) is installed)
The non-turbo 260C shipped with a Lycoming IO-540-N1A5. Among other features, N1A5s support the extended propeller hub that gives the 260C the “Tiger Shark” cowl. The IO-540-R1A5 is simply a dash number with modifi-cations to support Turbos. So I would be legal with an A&P signature, if I obtained the following:
- R1A5 dash number IO-540- Two Rajay turbochargers
- Piper Drawing 27137
Piece of cake!
Before installation I needed Drawing 27137. I had a Piper dealer, Western Aircraft, in Idaho check availability. They contacted Piper and confirmed the drawing could be purchased ... $250 and two weeks lead time — I placed the order. I would also need to convert my engine during overhaul. Signature En-gines in Cincinnati, Ohio was the shop I chose for this modification. The owner, Bill Schmidt, is one of the most knowl-edgeable engine builders in the country and he agreed to do the conversion.
Making a legal installation was also a problem. Without an available STC, the options were Field Approval or use of Type Certificate Data (Field Approval is a long process, one I hoped to avoid). Installing turbos using the TC Data Sheet was an option I’d read other 260C owners were interested in, but I couldn’t find someone that had taken on the project. The PA-24 TCDS lists the following as an eligible 260 engine:
The STC Master Drawing List linking print to the STC.
Signature Engines is the oldest hangar at Lunken Field in Cincinnati. Terry McRoberts, Chief Inspector (l) and Bill Schmidt, President (r).
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 7
(continued on next page)
For the actual installation I ap-proached Chris Schaffer, maintenance manager at Wisconsin Aviation in Madi-son, where I had left 80P back in August. He was willing to do the in-stall as long as I could provide data to supplement the Service Manual. Rajay Bob in Florida was able to supply many of the documents needed, including piece part drawings and a set of Rajay installation prints produced with Piper for the 260C. Bob and that set of prints, RJ0751, would prove critical in making the installation legal.
I also contacted other Comanche Society members for pictures and infor-mation, and the most help came from
Northeast Tribe Rep Av Shiloh. Av’s N9400P plane served as the working model for N9480P. Similarities between our planes indicate that all 260s after his were prepped for possible turbo installs, and we believe Av’s plane may have been the first production 260TC built (N9308P was converted to TC as a prototype). I had a solid plan for instal-lation, and the support of many fellow Comancheros ... what could go wrong?
Piper Drawing 27137 was the miss-ing link. Several weeks had passed since placing the order and I expected a call from the dealer. Instead I re-ceived a voicemail direct from Piper Engineering! “I’m sorry Mr. Oates,
Drawing 27137 contains ‘Proprietary Data,’ representing trade secrets Piper cannot release.” Proprietary data for a plane last produced in 1972? While not outright refusing assistance, the drawing was off limits. The lesson I learned was that even if a drawing is expressly referenced on a binding regulatory document, a manufacturer does not have to release that draw-ing to end users. Manufacturers can claim the potential for harm to busi-ness, yet the end user is still bound to the referenced drawing. In this way the industry protection aspect of the regulations can sometimes conflict with the rights of owners.
Is Trigger actually helping or just trying to find that sneaky tennis ball?
The discovery of this Rajay Turbocharger Installation print was essential in making the installation legal.
The Control Board for parts overhaul
and shipment.
Bill Schmidt of Signature Engines and I are standing by historic pictures of The
Spirit of St. Louis.
8 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
I continued to work Piper for the Drawing, but needed an alternative for installation. Through ICS, I contacted fellow member and IA Cliff Wilewski of Heritage Aero in Rockford, Ill. (if you ever have a Comanche problem in the Midwest, see Cliff). Between Cliff and his Designated Engineering Representa-tive, options explored included:
- compel Piper to release the drawing for an FAA “accident inspection” of the donor plane
- Field Approval with like information based on Av Shiloh’s 260TC
- search FAA files for copies of the drawing
- file a Freedom of Information act with the Federal Government
Cliff suggested I start by calling the FAA. I received mixed responses from FSDOs, but found inspectors in Aircraft Certification Offices (ACO) to be very helpful — specifically those in Atlanta, Long Beach, and New York. One inspec-tor in Long Beach actually remembered Rajay Industries from her days on the field. Searching her files turned up a sin-gle reference to Rajay STC SA2062WE produced in 1969, the first year of 260C production. In 1970, that same STC was transferred to the New York ACO on behalf of Piper Aircraft.
Proof that the complete fuselage was being stored in an actual house garage!
The installation “Dream Team” at Wisconsin Aviation: Chris Schaffer
(l) and John Podgorski(r)
My IA, Bill Goddard, and me standing with “the last 260TC every built!”
The piston from the bad cylinder that triggered the engine overhaul
and turbos installation.
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 9
Subsequent calls to New York re-vealed that Rajay had indeed produced a separate STC for the 260C, but in order for Piper to integrate the installa-tion with the Type Certificate, the STC had to be re-issued in the name Piper Aircraft Corporation. When “Piper Air-craft” restructured and became “Piper Incorporated,” the STC should have been transferred again, but instead remained in the New York office (they emailed a copy). In the meantime, Ra-jay Bob discovered other portions of the STC and among them was the Master Drawing List. The installation print we’d been using, RJ0751, was named on the MDL Bob found, and the STC I found referenced the MDL. With Bob’s help, I convinced Piper Engineering to take a look at the installation print and the discovered STC, hoping they would release the Drawing.
By mid-October, we needed parts from the donor plane. My IA, Bill God-dard, agreed to join me; we packed our tools for a weekend trip to Fargo. Vic met us at the airport, “The plane is down the road. I’ll call my friend to get access.” He led us to a newly developed subdivision and stopped in front of a brand new house. Vic’s friend, the friend’s family, and Trigger the dog greeted us in the driveway. After a brief introduction Vic said, “Let’s take a look at 82H.” Vic’s friend opened the garage door ... to the house. The complete fuselage was inside the house garage.
When the plane was trucked from the accident site to Fargo, the friend’s house was under construction and the garage had effectively been built around it. The family was thrilled to see us ... until they realized we were only taking parts. They were still generous to allow us in, and Bill and I proceeded with the salvage operation. By Monday morning boxes were packed for shipment back to Madison.
At Thanksgiving the engine and turbo components were in Madison. Chris and his IA, John Podgorski, at Wisconsin Aviation were completing the install. Still no Drawing.
The day before flight testing, I received a call back from Piper En-gineering. “Mr. Oates, we can confirm
that Piper drawing 27137 contains a note stating: This installation ap-proved per Rajay STC#SA2062WE. We can send you an email confirming this.” The many hours of calls and re-search finally paid off. Since the instal-lation print and procedures we used were from the STC, confirming that Drawing 27137 was approved per the STC, meant the installation was done per the Drawing. The email from Piper Engineering tied the knot and N9480P became the last Type Certificated PA-24 Model 260TC ever produced.
The results have been everything I expected. On a recent flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, I averaged 220 knots over the ground at 13,500. In May I made use of the turbos to climb to 24,000 clearing weather over southern Nebraska while maintain-ing 75% power. Managing the manual wastegate system is intuitive — truly a second throttle. The Turbo 260C is efficient, easy to operate, and cer-tainly fits my missions.
In a project of this magnitude there are days when you want to give up. Mak-ing use of resources like ICS, and being professional and open with those you meet can make the difference. I need to thank everyone who helped, especially ICS — it played a big part in this whole process. I hope my story shows how much life our old birds have left.
See you in the flight levels!
Another view of the turbo install.
Bill Goddard inspecting parts.
10 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
President:Bob Cretney, ICS #2269, SC Tribe428 McDaniel RdFerris, TX 75125Cell: (214) 725-6584Email: [email protected]
Vice PresidentBerl Grant, ICS #10704, NC Tribe426 Mutton Creek DriveSeymour, IN 47274Ph: (812) 522-2587
Tribe Representatives and ChiefsSoutheast:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Phillip Hobbs, ICS #10509Ph: (704) 651-9417Email: [email protected]
Northeast Tribe Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Av ShilohHuntington Valley, PAPh: (215) 740-5558Email: [email protected]
North Central: Tribe Chief Bob Williams, ICS #13853647 Robins GateAkron, OH 44319Ph: (330) 867-6711Cell: (330) 592-3111Email: [email protected]
Tribe Rep Cliff Wilewski1651 Grumman DriveRockford IL 61109Ph: (815) 395-0500 Cell: (815) 979-7785 Email: [email protected]
Mid States:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Carl M Talkington, ICS #3208180 Peregrine CircleBroomfield CO 80020-1275Ph: (303) 460-8127Cell: (720) 560-4862Email: [email protected]
Southwest:Tribe Chief Ed Moore, ICS # 12926456 S Sierra WaySan Bernardino CA 92408-1425 Ph: (909) 888-9859Email: [email protected]
Tribe Rep Scott Myers, ICS #168191041 Jasmine Ct.Vista, CA 92081Ph: (760)727-7444 (w)Cell: (760)-519-8604 Email: [email protected]
Northwest:Tribe Chief Dennis Springer, ICS #102374796 Drew St. N.E.Salem, OR 97305Ph: (503) 390-9444Email: [email protected]
Tribe Rep Bill Case, ICS # 16889P.O. Box 549Lebanon OR 97355Ph: (541) 259-5557Cell: (503) 260-2473Email: [email protected]
2013-14 ICS Standing Committees & Chairpersons:
Historical – Chair: Bruce Thumann, SC
Information Technology – Chair:Dave Fitzgerald, NC
Technical Resources – Chair: Zach Grant, NCFinance & Budget – Chair:Pat Donovan, MSBylaws, Standing & Special Rules – Chair: Hank Spellman, NCNominating – Chair: Dave Fitzgerald, NCNominating Committee:Bernie Mazurek, SEBruce Thumann, SCFlagship – Chair: Cliff Wilewski, NC
Elections – Chair: Sally Williams, SEEditorial Review – Chair:Bob Cretney, SCEditorial Committee: Pat Donovan, MSDave Fitzgerald, NCZach Grant, NCBernie Mazurek, SEHank Spellman, NCFleet Airworthiness – Chair:Dave Fitzgerald, NCAnnual Convention – Chair:Shirley Nelson, NW
2013-2014 ICS Board Of Directors
South Central:Tribe Chief Bob Cretney, ICS #2269428 McDaniel RdFerris, TX 75125Ph: (214) 725-6584Cell: (214) 725-6584Email: [email protected]
Tribe Rep Bob Fox, ICS #136501630 W 35th North St.Muskogee OK 74401 Cell: (918) 607-6880 Email: [email protected]
W. Canada:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Ken Mori, ICS #38941433 Copper Mountain CourtVernon BC V1B 3Y7 CanadaPh: 250-545-2491 (home)Email: [email protected]
E. Canada:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Tim Stain, ICS #168357 Laurier Avenue Toronto ON M4X 1S2 Canada Ph: (647) 341-9100 (home) Email: [email protected]
Europe:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Kate Burrows, ICS #17285Ramsey Road, RockwoodLaxey, Isle of Mann IM4-7PY United KingdomPh: 44 1624 861957 (h)Email: [email protected]
S. Africa:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep Russell Knowles, ICS #16469Box 1114, Halfway House1685 South AfricaPh/Fax: +27 11 8052902Cell: +27827809228Email: [email protected]
Australia:Tribe Chief/Tribe Rep George MillsPanshanger P.O. Box 269Longford, TAS 7301 AustraliaPh: +03-6397-6500Email: [email protected]
Secretary:Ron Keil, ICS #70011135 Christine Dr.Lapeer, MI 48446Ph: (810) 406-2065Cell: (810) 834-0168Email: [email protected]
Treasurer:Pat Donovan, ICS #12246, MS Tribe421 Piper Ct.Troy, MO 63379Phone: (636) 462-8370Email: [email protected]
Past President:Zach Grant, ICS #15515, NC Tribe6736 Chapel Hill Rd.Indianapolis, IN 46214Cell: (317) 201-4293Email: [email protected]
CFF President: (non-voting) Mike Foster, ICS #14077, SC Tribe970 Flightline Dr.Spring Branch, Texas 78070Cell: (210) 701-6795 Email: [email protected]
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 11
Todd Underwood - AZ (Phoenix/Prescott)Single/Twin, (623) 202-6910
Bill Archer - AZ (Phoenix/Mesa)Single/Twin, (480) 203-3043
Kristin Winter - CA (Northern)Single & Twin, (707) 477-4727
Larry Whitbeck - ILSingle only
Cell: (217) 737-6074Office: (217) 732-9704
Zach Grant - IN (Indianapolis)Single/Twin, (317) 201-4293
Steve Smith - MTSingle/Twin, (406) 425-0754
George Richmond - NE (Omaha)Single and Twin, (402) 350-1915
William Harris – VASingle & Twin, (540) 731-4772
Steve Zaboji – VASingle & Twin, (571) 228-3420
Dennis R. Carew – WITwin & Single, (920) 749-9558
Craig Mussman - ILSingle/Twin, (815) [email protected]
Donny Nelson - WASingle/Twin, (360) 305-0689
Myron Oakley - ILTwin only, (815) 985-7894
Mike Stich - OHSingle/Twin, (330) 283-1857
ICS TOOL LOAN PROGRAM
Matt Kurke8192 Sanctuary Drive, Unit 1
Naples, FL 34104Ph: (239) 593-6944
MAINTENANCE RESOURCE ADVISORS
Pat BarryPh: (949) 362-1600 on Pacific Time
E-mail: [email protected]
Dave ClarkPh: (817) 860-4393
Email: [email protected]
Zach GrantCell: (317) 201-4293
Email: [email protected](Email preferred contact)
Karl HippPh: (970) 963-3755
Email: [email protected]
CFF-Trained CFIs
Certified flight instructors who have completed a CFF training program.
The International Comanche Society, Inc. (ICS) publishes this list in the spirit of open discussion. The opinions, statements and claims made by the instructors are their own and not those of the International Comanche Society (ICS) or the Comanche Flyer Foundation, Inc. (CFF). The listed CFIs have undergone an extensive training program specializing in the Comanches. ICS and CFF assume no responsibility for any actions between its members and the listed CFIs.
Lucky LouquePh: (903) 345-9198
Email: [email protected]
Cliff WilewskiPh: (815) 395-0500, Cell: (815) 979-7785
E-mail: [email protected]
Enclose check or money order made payable to CFF.
These merchandise purchases and/or your donations can be made through CFF on the ICS website with either a credit
card or our newly availabe PayPal option. Please visit:www.comancheflyer.com
TO ORDER BY MAIL PLEASE FILL OUT
Mail to: CFF c/o Shirley Nelson,925 Ludwick Avenue, Blaine, WA 98230-5109Telephone: 360-671-7388, Fax: 360-671-7388
COMANCHE FLYER FOUNDATION, INC.MAURICE TAYLOR VIDEO PROGRAMS
Take advantage of Maurice’s expert knowledge, captured on these professionally produced videos. Great tools for mechanics, too.
Program 1: Preflight Walk-aroundProgram 2: Tech Tips: A Closer LookProgram 3: Comanche Landing Gear
Program 4: Single Comanche Flight TipsProgram 5: Twin Comanche Flight Tips
(Programs 1-3 apply to both the single and twin models.)All five programs on one DVD.
DVD each $101.00 plus shipping (North America $7.00, elsewhere $11.00)VHS and PAL tapes are no longer available
BOOKSInto the Wind: The Story of Max Conrad by Sally Buegeleisen
Enjoy this account of the life and feats of legendary pilot Max Conrad, including his record setting flights in our own Comanche N110LF. pb, 264 pp.
Price: $21.50 plus shipping (North America: $8.00; elsewhere: $15.00)PA-30 & Multi-Engine Flying by Alice S. Fuchs. pb, 68 pp.
Price $9.00 plus shipping (North America: $5.00; elsewhere: $7.00)
CFF PRESIDENT’S LETTER
12 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
C o m a n c h e F ly e r F o u n d at i o n
Hello Comanche pilots/owners!by Mike Foster
This is my first article written as president of the Comanche Flyer Foundation.
First, an introduction is in order. For those who do not know me, I have been a member of ICS since 2000, and own a well-equipped Comanche 260B. My wife, Paula, and I have flown it all over the country and into Canada on personal vacations and for ICS events such as fly-ins and conventions. We even won the “Best Single Engine” award at the Dayton, Ohio convention in 2009. I have about 1600 hours in the Comanche now, and still enjoy every moment in the air with her.
We relocated from California to Texas in 2011, and built a home on a great airpark just north of San Anto-nio. Having just completed our hangar and offices on the taxiway, I am hop-ing to have a little more time to spend keeping all of you updated on what’s happening with CFF.
As some of you may know CFF has been in the process of rebuilding the CPPP (Comanche Pilot Proficiency Program). We just started it again with what we feel is a better, more complete program than before. Our first clinic occurred this past February in Laughlin, Nevada, and was attended by twelve Comanche pilots from the southwest US area. It was a diverse group, and from all reports everyone was thoroughly satisfied with the in-augural event. By the time you read this, there will have been two more
programs, one in Calgary hosted by the WC tribe in May; and one in the Portland, Oregon area hosted by the NW tribe in June. I am confident that we will have quite a few more satis-fied, and more importantly, proficient Comanche pilots after these events.
A little about the program—we have eight (and growing) highly skilled and qualified instructors covering most of the geographical area of the lower 48 states, whose combined flight experience exceeds 93000 hours, total instructing time over 20000 hours, and combined Comanche Flight instruction time is over 4200 hours. They have already shown the ability and willingness to put on a quality program that is entertaining, informative, relevant, and user friendly. I am proud to be associated with this group of profes-sionals, and know we will all continue to provide an excellent training pro-gram for the future.
CFF has made the commitment to continue providing this training pro-gram for all Comanche owners/pilots, as well as all the other support we as an entity have traditionally and his-torically provided for the Comanche community and the private aviation community in general. CFF has ex-pended a tremendous amount of time and money developing this new pro-gram, and is working on getting an online ground course up and run-ning to make it more convenient
and affordable for Comanche pilots to obtain the up-to-date information and training that keeps us all safer in the sky (and on the ground).
Lastly, with all this being said, I would like to take a moment to ask for your consideration when it comes time to budget whatever charitable giving you may do during the year. Since we have no steady stream of income aside from donations, we are reliant upon the generosity of the people we try to serve. You can donate via the website by PayPal or by including a donation in your ICS membership renewal, as well as send-ing donations directly to our trea-surer, Shirley Nelson.
I hope we will see you at the Con-vention in Fond du Lac, or at the Big Show at OSH. We plan to be at the ICS tent, so stop by and say “hi.”
Best regards and safe flying,
Mike Foster CFF President
N8868P, SC Tribe
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 13
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor:In the May 2014 Comanche Flyer, there were two
maintenance articles that I would like to comment on:
Gear-popping Circuit Breaker (from “Online Intelligence”)
I have owned a 250 for just over 45 years. When first bought, it had a fresh annual including new bungee cords. The plane was leased to a flying club, and we experienced several in-air manual gear extensions (gear not coming down), about one per month. In each case, the motor burned out and the breaker popped ... likely the breaker popped several times before the motor went. Naturally, the club members learned that the plane was unreliable, usage reduced and money lost on the lease.
Several mechanics offered explana-tions like those in the Flyer article, but the problem was much simpler than push pull cable conduits or transmis-sion lubrication. The mechanic doing the pre-purchase annual had installed wrong bungee cords—the length was right but the diameter, hence spring constant, was a smaller amount and provided less assist on the gear-up cycle; thus overloading the motor and eventually burning it out. The mechan-ic who found the problem also said that the gear should go down in about six seconds and up in about seven. If it takes nine or ten seconds then some-thing is wrong.
Since getting correct bungees in-stalled in 1969, I still have the same motor with only one manual extension due to a failed transmission about 30 years ago. Naturally, I replace bungees regularly.
Comanche bungees not only provide an over-center locking force, they also provide an assist force on the up-cycle, overcoming some of the strut and wheel weight. The gear should come partway up with the motor and transmission
disconnected (once manually unlocked with the emergency handle). If your gear does not come part way up on bungee power, consider tired bungees as a cause.
I knew a doctor who said, “If you hear hoof beats, think first of horses, not zebras.” In other words, look for the simple answer first. Since bungees are expendable as well as cheap, I would first look at them as a cause of gear cycling problems before trying things that are more expensive. By the way, why doesn’t someone make STC steel springs to replace those constantly ag-ing rubber bungees?
“Ask Sparky “- Sample Q&AWhen I first got the 250 it had a
dimmer problem in which the panel lights would not dim, and turning on the navigation and panel lights caused the compass to swing about 30 degrees and stay there (to compensate for the compass swing, a remote compass had been installed). It seems that some-one (a prior owner or radio shop) had moved the compass from the panel top to the top of the windshield—perhaps to avoid interference from a VOR indi-cator—and had extended the compass light wiring incorrectly, then recon-necting the compass light so that it prevented the dimmer from dimming. Those readers who have studied the Co-manche wiring diagrams should know already where I am going with this tale.
In 1970, while upgrading to a then-new, 360-channel radio and desiring to use those new-fangled built-in radio lights, I first studied the Piper Service Manual to see how it might be done …not a bad idea, actually. The mechanic I was working with on this provided his then-new 1970 real-paper printed (and really legible) edition of the S.M. set.
It seems that Piper’s idea of dim-ming lights is to dim on the GROUND side of the circuit, not the hot side. I still can’t figure out why, since a switch and resistor provide the landing gear position light dimming. For every Co-manche wiring diagram I have looked at (and my current S.M. set has them all), the same thing holds true. Once knowing this, we fixed the compass swing and dimming matter so that the compass no longer shorted the rheostat to ground, which was also the cause of the compass swing (due to the panel light current going past the compass). When all else fails, read the book.
So, if you can’t get your original, unmodified Piper dimmer to work with avionics internal lighting, consider that your avionics lights may be connected incorrectly to the ground side of the dimmer system rather than the hot side. I know from experience that some avionics can have the lights dimmed on the ground side, but others cannot ... having had some of each.
Look for horses, not zebras.
Russell C. Greenlaw, PE
ICS General Membership Electronic Voting On The ICS Web Siteby Sally Williams, ICS#15620
To vote electronically in the ICS General Membership voting of 2014-2015 Officers, proposed
Bylaw changes, and the 2015 Budget, please see the details below to refresh your memory. Please note that voting will only be conducted electronically on the ICS web site and will begin Tuesday, June 24, 2014. All current ICS mem-bers (including spousal memberships) in good standing are entitled to vote.
Your First Step:
• Go to our ICS web site www.comancheflyer.com/NS/
• This will take you to the ICS Home Page, where you will follow the login instructions.
• Enter your ICS Number (if you cannot remember your number, it can be found on the plastic wrapper of your monthly COMANCHE FLYER, or send an email to “Mail Webmaster” and your ICS number will be returned to you via email).
• Enter your password. (If you have forgotten your password or don’t have one, please contact the ICS Webmaster via email and they will provide your password or set up one for you.)
Your Second Step:
• Once you have logged in, locate the voting box at the top right of the home page to place your vote.
• Safeguards have been initiated so that you can only enter the voting area to vote ONE TIME.
• Follow the instructions to cast your vote.
• Review your selections, click the button and your vote will be recorded.
• General Membership voting will be closed and ballot information forwarded to the ICS 2014 Elec- tion Committee on Thursday, July 24, 2014.
• Results will be announced at the ICS Annual General Membership Meeting on Friday, July 25, 2014.
We encourage all ICS members to vote in the ICS General Membership electronic vote; this will show your support for those willing to take the time and effort to support your society. Exercise your voting privilege for the 2014-2015 Officers, 2015 Budget, and Bylaw changes. Your vote will also insure a quorum for the Annual General Membership Meeting. If you do not have
access to a computer, such as through the public library or a friend, you may cast your ballot (beginning Tuesday, June 24, 2014) by telephoning ICS 2014 Election Chair, Sally Williams at (561) 676-3884. Your vote will be received in strict confidence and entered electronically into the system.
Thank you.
ICS 2014 ELECTION COMMITTEESally Williams, Chair
VOTE 2015
14 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Comanche owner and an ICS member since 1992. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Industrial Administration, both from Purdue Univer- sity. Berl is a commer-cial-rated pilot with in- strument, multi-engine and seaplane privileges. He is a self-described “old, but not so bold” pilot, who is interested in helping ICS to serve the interests and needs of Comanche owners and pilots.
SecretaryRon Keil, ICS #7001
Ron has been a member of ICS for 28 years and is also a member of EAA and AOPA. He is currently a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, a pilot for Angel Flights, Owner of Lapeer Aviation (where he is also the Avionics Manager), and the Airport Manager of the Dupont-Lapeer Airport.
He is a commercial pilot with single engine land, multi engine land, and instrument ratings. Ron has owned his PA24-250 (N7274P) since 1986 and has accumulated over 3,500 hours in his trusty Comanche. He has traveled
extensively to the Bahamas, southern and western United States, the Canadian Rockies, the Great Lakes area, and even to St Croix, Virgin Islands. He flies a lot of new Mooneys, Cirrus’s, Saratogas, Barons, etc., but would much rather fly his Comanche.
Ron is an electrical engineer by trade and retired from General
Motors in 2008 after 45 years as a senior engineering manager. He is married to his wonderful wife, Betty, who is also a pilot. The two of them can usually be found at the D95 airport.
The officers nominated to serve ICS are:President: Bob CretneyVice President: Berl GrantSecretary: Ron KeilTreasurer: Pat Donovan
PresidentBob Cretney, ICS #2269
At 68, Bob is still working as a flight instructor at Southwest Airlines. Before working for Southwest, he flew for Braniff Airlines, out of Dallas Texas; Air Berlin Airlines in Berlin, Germany; Trans Med Airlines in Cairo, Egypt; and Evergreen International Airlines from McMinnville, Ore. He has accumulated over 20,000 hours of flight time, 3,000 of those in the Comanche. Bob started flying in 1970, bought his first Comanche, a 1963 PA-24 250, in 1974 and joined ICS in 1975. Since then he has owned a 1964 Twin Comanche and his current 1969 Twin Comanche.
Bob has been the North Central Tribe Scribe, Assistant Tribe Chief and Tribe Chief. He has also served as the South Central Assistant Tribe Chief and Tribe Chief, and is on the ICS Board of Directors and CFF Board of Trustees.
Besides his flying career, Bob has farmed or ranched most of his life, and has one daughter, Jennifer. They live in Ferris, Texas.
Vice PresidentBerl Grant, ICS #10704
Berl served as Vice President this past year and would like to serve another year. He is a retired executive having been active in the electronics industry, metal products manufacturing industry, and most recently the lawn and garden tool industry as President and CEO of Seymour Manufacturing Company for 23 years. He is a native of Logansport, Indiana and currently resides in Seymour, Indiana with his wife, a fellow ICS member, Bridget.
Berl has been a pilot since 1964. Having owned and flown various aircraft models over the years, he eventually found his way to the best little twin ever made, and has been a Twin
VOTE 2014-2015 OFFICER NOMINATIONS
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JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 15
TreasurerPat Donovan, ICS #12246
Pat has been a member of ICS for 18 years and has life memberships in both EAA and AOPA. He is currently serving as the Mid-States Tribe Scribe and president of an EAA Chapter, and has served as the ICS Treasurer for the past two years. As a treasurer, he established the financial processes for another EAA Chapter with $100K of assets and participated in getting its 501(c)3 IRS certification.
Pat has owned and flown two PA24-180s for 24 years. The first aircraft was in a part-nership that broke up because the original owner moved and took the plane with him. Pat says he was so enam-ored with Comanches that he and his wife couldn’t think of another aircraft type that they wanted, so
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they bought another. They have owned their current “magic carpet” for 19 years and seen it through several upgrades (avionics, paint, interior), as well as the continuing maintenance to be expected with an airplane that’s 50 years old. Pat says, “Owner-assisted annuals are the best at keeping expenses down and knowledge up in my opinion.”
Three years ago, Pat retired from the federal government as a GS-15 IT information system security program manager, a position that didn’t even exist when he started his working career. He has a BS in aeronautical engineering from the University of California, an MS in photogrammetry from Ohio State, and an MA in strategic studies from the Naval War College. While he has no formal accounting education, he has acquired considerable financial knowledge and experience over the years as a program manager and contracting officer representative ($165M). Since retiring, he has performed seasonal work as an income tax preparer for H&R Block. “I believe that I have the skills necessary to continue as treasurer and look forward to ‘paying back’ ICS and its members for all of the support I’ve received over the years,” he said.
16 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
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JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 17
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18 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
INTERNATIONALCOMANCHESOCIETY, INC.
Name: __________________________________________________ ICS Number: ___________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________State: _________Zip: __________________ Country: ___________________
Telephone: ______________________________________________ Fax: __________________________________________________
E-Mail: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aircraft Model: _____________________________________________Based Airport Identifier: ___________________________________
Registration/Tail #: __________________________________________Serial #: ______________________________________________
Renewal Selection Spousal RenewalU.S., Canada, Mexico* UK, Europe, Asia, and Africa** All Other Countries Spouse’s ICS# ____________________
One year – $72 One year – $98 One year – $86 One year – $36 Two years – $136 Two years – $188 Two years – $164 Two years – $72
*Includes second-class mailing of the Flyer**Includes $9 returned to the EU tribe for communications
You know how valuable the International Comanche Society has been to you for helping you learn about and enjoy your Comanche airplane, both singles and twins, providing a high-quality magazine, and for the camaraderie you’ve experienced among your fellow members. Don’t let your membership lapse or miss a single issue of Comanche Flyer! And for convenience, we are now offering multiple-year memberships! Fill out the renewal form below, and e-mail, fax, or mail it back to us, and keep enjoying the International Comanche Society!
KEEP YOUR MEMBERSHIP GOING!
YOUR SPOUSE CAN JOIN, TOO!One of the beauties of owning and flying your own airplane is the quality time you get to spend with your spouse, traveling to new destinations or social events, and filling the memory book for years to come. Your spouse can also join the International Comanche Society for only $36! With a spousal membership, your spouse will receive a Membership Kit containing a folder, membership card, membership certificate, a cloth ICS patch, ICS decal, access to the popular ICS website and discussion forums, and voting rights! Simply fill out the form below and return it with payment to start your spouse’s membership today!
Your Name: ______________________________________________ Your ICS Number: ________________________________________
Spouse’s Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________State: _________Zip: __________________ Country: ___________________
Telephone: ______________________________________________ Fax: __________________________________________________
E-Mail: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spousal Membership One year – $36 Two years – $72
PAYMENT INFORMATION (Please total all selections)
MC Visa Check or Money Order
Credit Card Number: _____________________________________________________________Exp. Date: ____________________
Amount Paid (U.S. Funds): ______________________________________________________________________________________
Authorized Signature: __________________________________________________________________________________________
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Please mail to: International Comanche Society, P.O. Box 1810, Traverse City, MI 49685-1810.
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 19Please mail to: International Comanche Society, P.O. Box 1810, Traverse City, MI 49685-1810.
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2014 ICS Convention at EAA’s AIRVENTURE in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
July 25-27, 2014
InternationalComanche
Society Convention
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 21
CONVENTION NEWS
by Pat Donovan
2014 Convention – Update
(continued on page 24)
LATE BREAKING NEWS: 1971-72 Comanches attending the convention will be allowed into the Comanche rows of the Vintage Parking Area with prior ap-proval, which can be obtained by contacting Pat Donovan prior to July 20—have your aircraft registration number and expected arrival date readily available. One of our big issues has been trying to get our 1971-72 brethren the privilege of parking along with their older siblings. It’s great to know the quest has been successful.
July is here and the 2014 ICS Con-vention at AirVenture is only three weeks or so away. Are you going
to be there? There is still (barely) enough time to get your registration in. What are you waiting for? Perhaps you haven’t heard there will be a free Kenny Loggin’s (Top Gun’s “Danger Zone”) outdoor concert on Monday night. Okay, so you aren’t a music fan,
then how about seeing the only flying Lockheed Vega (Willy Post, Amelia Earhart) or the Valdez contest STOL demonstrations. Young at heart ... try KidVenture. Build a kit airplane to the taxi test stage in only seven days — who are they kidding? Like fireworks ... try the night air show. And what’s not to like about the Thunderbirds. Still not good enough? How about Patty Wagstaff
addressing the 5th Annual AirVenture Teachers Day participants or the Wom-en in Aviation activities. Alright, I’m reaching here, but perhaps you aren’t an aviation-minded person at all and would prefer a chance to win a 2014 Mustang convertible (proceeds to ben-efit Young Eagles). I can’t imagine that you won’t have a great time.
22 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
ICS Hospitality Tent Locationby Pat Donovan
The ICS Hospitality Tent will be located near the Conoco Phillips Plaza in space #311 which is the same as the past
couple years. For those with weary feet, there is a tram stop located only 60 feet away. The tent will be our base of op-erations as well as the educational and social headquarters for ICS the entire week. Check the seminar schedule (in this issue) and at the tent for any last minute changes.
The Annual ICS AirVenture Din-ner will again be held on Thursday night (July 31) at Harbor Lights res-taurant in Green Lake, Wis. There will be a cash bar for cocktails from 6:00 - 7:15 p.m., followed by dinner ordered off the menu. We will have
the whole back room of the restaurant. Interested members can sign up at the ICS hospitality tent where we will sup-ply directions and coordinate rides. Green Lake is a little town, about 30 miles west of Oshkosh, noted for its pleasant, peaceful atmosphere and a
favorite gathering place for ICS. NOTE: This dinner is during AirVenture and should not be confused with the ICS Convention (July 25-27). If you miss the convention, you have the chance to console yourself by attending this dinner.
#311
2014 Convention Registration FormICS 41st Anniversary Annual Meeting & Convention • July 25-28, 2014 • Host Airport: Wittman Regional, Oshkosh, WI (KOSH)
Checks should be made out to Mid States Comanche Tribe.
24 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
REMEMBER: The FAA has pub-lished the special procedures for arriv-ing and departing at AirVenture (www.airventure.org/flying/2014_notam.pdf). It is mandatory and critical that you obtain these procedures even if you are going to Fond du Lac instead of Oshkosh; here you will find the in-formation necessary to efficiently and safely operate in that environment. Locate the specific procedures; prac-tice the speeds and attitudes specific to your aircraft; and get really good at spot landings that aren’t necessarily on the numbers. Controllers at Oshkosh will assign you a colored dot to land on when you are on final — the color may change depending on traffic at the time which means you could suddenly be landing short or long. It isn’t hard; you just need to be comfortable with your airplane. Departures are fairly straightforward, but the key is to avoid the arrival paths.
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Bring your own tie-downs!
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 25
For the latest AirVenture news, go to www.airventure.org.
Last month was a recap of the time critical decisions depending on your plans. Continuing along that theme…
The daily bus trips to explore the area are almost full. Get your reserva-tion in NOW.
Rooms at the Retlaw Hotel are prob-ably gone, but feel free to try.
As stated before, there is always room for aircraft camping at Oshkosh and no reservations are required. Co-manche aircraft campers will be parked together to enhance the camaraderie and put you front and center with the action. Aircraft departures can be done at any time, except during the air shows. Driving campers can be together or separate as desired. The airport is closed to aircraft operations from sundown to 7am due to safety concerns; it’s dark out there and it’s too easy to get somewhere you don’t want to be or hit something (people, planes, potholes, etc).
Oshkosh will occasionally have an ATIS notification indicating there are no aircraft parking spaces available. This does not normally apply to “vin-tage” or show aircraft — so continue on and ask if in doubt. Remember to place a VAP (Vintage Aircraft Parking) sign in your window after landing to indicate to the ground personnel where you want to go.
Have you checked the Pathfinder to search for other ICS members in your area? By entering your US zip code and a radius of interest, you can get a listing of all ICS members nearby. Contact them to see if they are going and would be interested in joining up.
Here are places in Wisconsin to consider stopping at while en route (driving or flying):
• Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, Wis. – tour a Gato class World War II sub. Many subs were built in Manitowoc and barged down the Mississippi to New Orleans.
(continued on next page)
26 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Saturday Day Trip• Union Star Cheese Factory
www.unionstarcheese.com
• Paper Baron Mansions www.bergstrom-mahlermuseum.com
• Lunch on the Fox River
• Paper Discovery Center www.paperdiscoverycenter.org
• History Museum at the Castle www.myhistorymuseum.org
Sunday Day Trip
• Paine Art Center & Gardens www.thepaine.org
• Lunch on the Fox River
• Oshkosh Public Museum www.oshkoshmuseum.org
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s “House on the Rock” near Spring Green, WI.
• Nancy’s Notions in Beaver Dam, WI (for seamstresses).
• Eat at Walker’s Restaurant & Bakery.
• Milwaukee’s Boerner Botanical Gardens or the Pabst (as in beer) Mansion
• Madison’s Wisconsin Veteran Museum – it has dioramas on all wars, from the Civil War to the present.
• Olbrich Botanical Garden
• For more information and travel guides, go to www.travelwisconsin.com or call (800) 432-8747.
Schedule of events:
Friday, July 25
• Arrive at your convenience
• Check in with Convention registration
• Dinner with your Tribe and friends on your own
Saturday, July 26
• Day Trip via bus from both Retlaw and Oshkosh Airport
• “Old” Board of Directors meeting at Retlaw (8am-5pm)
• Dinner at Retlaw (7pm)
• Annual General Meeting at Retlaw (8pm)
Sunday, July 27
• Day Trip via bus from both Retlaw and Oshkosh Airport
• “Airport Day – Flagship Competition” at Oshkosh (9am-noon)
• Lunch at ICS AirVenture Hospitality Tent at Oshkosh (noon)
• Seminars starting at 1pm at the ICS AirVenture Hospitality Tent
• “New” Board of Directors meeting, if needed (afternoon)
• Awards Banquet at EAA Museum (7pm)
Monday-Sunday, July 28 – August 3
• Comanche-specific operations and maintenance seminars in the ICS AirVenture Hospitality Tent (See seminar schedule for particulars.)
• AirVenture forums on many topics
• Visit the seaplane base
• Planes, Planes, more Planes
• Afternoon Air Show
• Night Air Show on Thursday and Saturday
• Evening concerts on Monday and Friday
• Evening outdoor movies (free popcorn, bring your own lawn chair)
• KidVenture
• Explore the local area
• Seamstresses enjoy the Thursday Sewing Guild/Quilt Show in Oshkosh.
• Go home when you’ve had enough planes, education, bought all the goodies, and/or run out of money.
For reference, the below topics were covered in previ-ous issues of the Flyer. You can look them up by going back into your own archives or by viewing the online archive at www.comancheflyer.com. After logging in, look under the left-hand “Members” menu where you will find issues dating back to January, 2004.
• July 2013 – Convention announcement and general in-formation
• August 2013 – Accommodations
• September 2013 – AirVenture
• October 2013 – KidVenture
• November 2013 – Education
• December 2013 – Day Trips
• January 2014 – Registration and general update
• February 2014 – Reminder why Oshkosh was chosen
• March 2014 – Planning update
• April 2014 – Planning update. Enroute WI travel stops to consider.
• May 2014 – Planning update. Schedule of events and seminars.
• June 2014 – Planning Update. Special Arrival Procedures
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 27
AirVenture • 2014 ICS Hospitality Tent ScheduleDate Time Topic or Activity PresenterSunday, July 27 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Airport Day Lunch Mid States Tribe 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Comanche Pilots Dennis Carew & George Richmond, Top Ten List Comanche Pilot Training Program (CPTP)
Monday, July 28 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Comanche History Dennis Carew & George Richmond, CPTP and Family 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Comanche Maintenance Discussion Cliff Wilewski, Heritage Aero
Tuesday, July 29 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. What does it take to create an EAA Lee Hussey Grand Champion Comanche 400? 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Comanche Systems Operation Dennis Carew & George Richmond, CPTP 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The 5 Most Misunderstood Things Scott Myers, Aviation West Insurance About Aircraft Insurance
Wednesday, July 30 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Comanche Q&A Forum Dennis Carew & George Richmond, CPTP Zach Grant 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CFF Comanche Pilot Proficiency Cliff Wilewski, Heritage Aero Program (CPPP) Overview
Thursday, July 31 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Comanche Systems Operation Dennis Carew & George Richmond, CPTP 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Electronic Ignition – Zeke Valtz, Horizon Aviation Fly faster or burn less fuel.
Friday, August 1 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Saturday. August 2 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
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28 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Who Really is the PIC?
If you ask any Comanche owner the above question, he’ll most likely say that he is. After all, he bought the airplane, didn’t he?
And he pays for all of the maintenance on the bird and he had to be trained as well. And by golly HE is the pilot and legally he is the pilot in command. Oh sure we know, the money comes from the total family treasury, doesn’t it? That makes Mom and the kids at least PART owners of the aircraft and they’re quite proud of THEIR family airplane. That’s just the way it should be.
There are situations where Mom gets interested in flying and frequent-ly gets her license and learns to fly the family Comanche. That’s really a good thing and it gives her a feeling of togetherness to be able to share the flying duties with her husband. When he’s flying she can be a great co-pilot
and help to make that flight safer and more enjoyable for all. This scheme is naturally reversible, depending of many factors, all of which are related to piloting competence and desire.
This rather idyllic situation de-scribed above is NOT the one that I’m referring to. I’m referring to the situa-tion of a reasonably well-qualified pilot and aircraft owner sitting in the left seat and something unusual happens in the aircraft. It could be weather or mechanical. In the right seat, however, is Mom. In this case, she is not inter-ested in flying or anything that’s even related to such – that’s Dad’s job. She just wants to get the flight over with as soon as possible so she can be home or at her daughter’s home or wherever that particular flight may be headed. She’s never even considered a Pinch Hitter course because she’s simply not
interested. She just won’t be bothered and if anyone is interested, she will inform them in no uncertain terms that she feels that way. Dad is also totally aware, she’s already seen to that!
Before I develop this story any fur-ther, I must inform you all that I’m not talking about Jody. She’s the ideal non-pilot co-pilot. She hands me charts as requested and leaves the flying to me. The ultimate in her confidence was a takeoff from San Antonio one fall morning with a total obscuration and an eighth-of-a-mile visibility in fog. Not a peep from her!
This first incident was on a flight to an annual convention in the North-west. My flying buddy was interested in getting some formation experience enroute while flying my wing. We had departed Salt Lake City heading past Boise and he was on my left wing in loose formation with his wife in the right seat. During a brief period of dis-traction by me, we unintentionally flew into a small patch of weather. He lost sight of me and called to inform me. I saw the problem instantly and gave him instructions to prevent an unintended formation rejoin. It was a no-brainer and safety was not impaired. We were back in the clear in minutes.
What I didn’t know was that his wife started immediately directing him to “return to Boise where the weather is good.” This was not a suggestion or a request; it was a demand. I give my friend credit for not following his wife’s demand and he continued with us to our gas stop. At this point she was in hysterics and crying and he was just trying to survive. It took an unsched-uled overnight stop and a half bottle of scotch to calm her down.
Another incident that falls into this category, involved a bona fide emer-gency. The pilot approached El Paso
by the late Bill Creech, ICS #3423
The
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JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 29
for landing when he noticed that his radios were becoming intermittent due to a lack of 12 volts of power. He continued his approach and told the tower that he was having “gear prob-lems.” He didn’t realize it at the time, but the entire problem was due to fail-ure of his alternator to charge. The gear wouldn’t extend normally so he attempted an emergency extension, which was not successful. Afterwards, he admitted that he’d tried to do the emergency extension at too high of an air speed. He pulled the Comanche up to bleed off some airspeed and when he got down below about ninety knots, his wife started screaming, “The air-plane is going to stall.” (This from a person who is personified above, who
knows absolutely nothing about flying, or even what a stall is like.) Her hus-band, with his hands full trying to get the gear down, is now forced to listen to a screaming wife! On recounting this incident to me, I chastised him for not just telling her to “sit down and shut up” and his response was, “Bill you just don’t know Myrtle.” (Not his wife’s real name.)
The fact is, I do know “Myrtle” and she’s a very delightful lady. She simply doesn’t realize the possible implications of her actions. She doesn’t realize that the pilot is very stressed at this point in an emergency and needs support and not ill-conceived advice. The problem is that the only person who CAN give her this training is the one who loves
her the most and he often is just too scared to try.
If you can see yourself possibly in either of these scenarios, you have a potentially very serious problem. It’s one which should be handled very carefully and with much caring. The whole point, however, is that the pilot is ALWAYS the PIC and everyone who fills a passenger seat absolutely must be aware of that fact. For the pilot to abdicate that responsibility cannot be tolerated, ever.
Editor’s note: This article was printed verbatim, as written, at the request of the author. Only grammati-cal edits were made.
Reprinted from the January 2007 Comanche Flyer
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30 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
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32 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
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JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 33
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34 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
GAS FUMESIN TWO PLACES
ONLINE INTELLIGENCEwww.comancheflyer.com
Landing Gear
I’m noticing strong gas fumes while the landing gear is coming down. Anyone have any sugges-tions? I’m also getting fluctua-
tions in fuel pressure at cruise settings as well as fluctuations in fuel burn during cruise settings. I’m looking for recommendations.___________________________________
How old are your fuel bladders? Fuel smell on landing is a common com-plaint associated with leaking bladders. Apparently lowering the gear causes a pressurization in the wing which forc-es the fumes into the cabin. I would get on a creeper and look for “blue goo” on the bottom of the wing roots.___________________________________
Suggest also being alert for fuel se-lector seepage between tanks as my selector went about the same time as the 40-year-old bladders.___________________________________
Thanks for your response to my problem. I just replaced the left aux tank bladder three weeks ago, it was 44-years-old. One main bladder is about 20 years old and the others have been replaced within the last eight years. I spoke with Phillip at Webco today and he suggested pres-surizing the line from the firewall forward to see if I had any leaks with the fittings and lines going to the car-buretor. After that, a host of other checks which will be done this week-end. If you think of anything else it would certainly be appreciated.___________________________________
I guess my only other thought is that if this smell developed in the last 3 weeks I would check all the connec-tions for the left aux tank.___________________________________
We have a ‘61 250 with the O-540. We have a JPI fuel flow 450. Fuel flow will fluctuate as the float bowl in the carb fills up, which equates to a flow
between 14.5 -16 GPH at cruise leaned to 50 rop at 75% or less power. The O-540 only needs a min .5 psi for fuel pressure. At takeoff with WOT we see a very low fuel pressure on the stock gauge. I believe this is because you have a large volume of fuel, throttle plate wide open, thus low pressure has no restriction to flow, much like a garden hose with no nozzle. Once we reduce manifold pressure, fuel pres-sure comes up and, obviously, fuel flow goes down.
We had the same smell-like systems at gear extension. It was a bad bladder. I believe as the gear extends, the re-sultant fumes are transferred to the cabin with the increased airflow in the gear wells.
I agree about checking the connec-tions on the newly installed aux tank. Out of curiosity which tank manufac-ture did you use for the aux?
Good luck and hope this helps.___________________________________
From the Comanche Website Maintenance Forum
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 35
(continued on next page)
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ONLINE INTELLIGENCEwww.comancheflyer.com
My airplane, ‘62 PA 24-250, did the same thing a couple years ago. It was minor seepage, not a leak, around the top of the fuel selector stem. Not only do you lower the gear when landing, but often switch to the fullest tank.___________________________________
I replaced the left aux tank and bought it from Eagle fuel cells. I also had the shop replace all of the T con-nectors on each bladder.___________________________________
I’m pulling up the plastic fuel selec-tor cover and looking at the fuel selec-tor switch today. I’ll see what that looks like and let you know.___________________________________
I had an Archer that would give you a brief whiff of fuel every time you changed tanks. Wasn’t worth the effort to take it apart to fix.___________________________________
Check the bolts that hold the tank to the filler plate. Those bolts should
be torqued to about 25 in/lb, or IMX, a skosh more. If they are loose, they will slop fuel to the top of the tank that then works its way down the wing.___________________________________
I think mine is doing that. I noticed some fuel under the cover and around the fuel cap on my left side, or maybe I need to adjust my cap, I think I will do both. Not to hijack the thread.___________________________________
I want to thank all of you that re-sponded to suggestions regarding the fuel odor in the cabin. I found the prob-lem day before yesterday. The fuel strainer gascolator was leaking all around the bowl, but not enough where it was dripping on the ground. When I opened up the fuel strainer door, I tried to put my hand around the bowl and it was wet with fuel. I ordered a new gasket and screen from Webco Aircraft and the problem is fixed. Thanks again for all of your help.___________________________________
In the Cabin
I have a ‘61 250 that always has fuel fumes in the cabin. The plane is kept in a closed hanger and is flown
an average of 10 hours per month. There are never any stains on the floor or the wings. Typically the fumes are not as obvious while flying. We have replaced a 10-year-old right main with-out any effect (anybody need a good right main bladder cheap?). We have looked carefully at the selector at every annual and there are never any stains. Do you have suggestions?___________________________________
Do you notice this more after filling the airplane, or is it just something that you notice after it has been closed up for a few days? Also, is there any dif-ference in flight such as getting a whiff putting the gear down, or closing /open-ing the vents? Are you by chance fuel injected? If so, you may have a seep from the electric fuel pump under the copilot’s floorboard. If you have a stock
36 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
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fuel pressure gauge, check the line that runs to it as well as the gauge. Fuel leaks are easy to find. Seeps, not so much, as they smell worse than they appear most times. Look for blue or BROWN staining around any fuel fit-ting, valve, or pretty much anywhere any raw fuel is present. Pull the wing root fairing strips from the bottom of the wings and check for stains as well as the security of the hose clamp on the tank nipple. Verify the tank bolts are properly torqued and that the scup-per drain line is hooked up and the fuel filler caps are properly fitting. One other place many folks miss is a seep-ing fuel strainer valve. This can be missed as it gets “cleaned” off every time you drain fuel, but it can fill the cabin with enough fumes that it is no-ticeable after it has been closed up for a few days. These are hard things to sort out from a distance, but maybe there is something in here that might point you in the right/different direc-tion from where you have been looking.
___________________________________
You might want to check the fuel se-lector as well. We have had a slight fuel smell in the cabin that persisted after all the cells were replaced. Fuel strainer was rebuilt but no change and fuel pump rebuilt as well. We opened up the area around the fuel selector so we could re-move and rebuild it as its operation was sticky. There was an obvious fuel leak I suspect was coming from the fuel selec-tor. Not reinstalled, but will let you know if this cures the problem.
___________________________________
These postings are provided for informational purposes only. The views expressed in these postings rep-resent the opinions of individual Co-manche owners and have not been vetted by the ICS technical committee.
As a responsible pilot and aircraft owner, you should always seek advice from an experienced, trusted source, such as your A&P or CFF-trained CFI, before applying any of the techniques or recommendations presented in these postings.
The postings are printed as they appeared. Due to space consider-ations, sometimes only selected posts have been published.
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 37
(continued on next page)
FROM THE TRIBE CHIEFS
DATE TRIBE EVENT/LOCATION INFO SOURCE/HOSTJuly 25-27 ICS 2014 ICS Convention/ Mid-States Tribe Oshkosh, Wis.
July 28-Aug 3 ICS AirVenture/Oshkosh, Wis.
Aug 14-17 WC 3-day Fly-in/Drumheller, Don & Carol Ostergard Alberta, Canada (403) 823-0405 (Don cell) (403) 823-8813 (res) [email protected]
Oct 24-26 SC CPTP IFR Refresher Bob Cretney Clinic, Lancaster, Tex. (214) 725-6584 (cell) [email protected]
Nov. 16 NE Lunch/Georgetown, Del. Ron and Lynn Ward – To register: [email protected]
Dec. 16 NE Lunch/Cambridge, Md. Ron and Lynn Ward – To register: [email protected]
* The following Sunday is the raindate.
Editor’s Note: Tribe Chiefs and Fly-In Coordinators, remember to send in your calendar of fly-ins and more detailed information, as it becomes avail- able, so it can be published in the Flyer.
MID-STATES TRIBE
Saturday Lunch Fly-InsSaturday Lunch Fly-Ins will be
posted in our new Comanche Winds newsletter which will come out every other month.
SOUTH CENTRAL TRIBE
October 24-26CPTP IFR Refresher ClinicLancaster, Texas
The South Central Tribe will host a CPTP IFR Refresher Clinic at Lan-caster, Texas, October 24, 25 and 26. For those who have attended the Lan-caster Clinics in the past, the venue will remain the same. The Cold War Aviation Museum will provide the same stellar classroom facilities, fuel is the lowest in the area (currently $4.60 a gallon), and the airport sports a 6500 foot runway and ramp built two years ago. The area provides many airports with a variety of approaches within close proximity of LNC, so flight time to them is minimal. The Taxiway Café is on the field and Aircraft Insurance Agency by Duncan will provide lunch each day. As in the past, BBQ will be
the entrée of choice. We will stay in the MCM Grand—they will provide trans-portation to and from the airport as well as to dinner in the evening.
The instructors (both own and fly Comanches) are airline pilots who pro-vide professional training and have over 1000 hours each instructing in Coman-ches. This is in addition to the thou-sands of hours they have instructing in other types of aircraft and simulators. They have operated this Comanche training program for over seven years.
Please try to make this seminar. It will be the best Comanche training you can receive and includes techniques to make instrument flying easier for you and easier on your Comanche. See the CPTP ad in this issue for con-tact information ... I can be reached at (214) 725-6584 or email [email protected].
Saturday Lunch Fly-InsIf it is difficult for you to make a
full weekend fly-in, you may find the Saturday lunch gatherings with Co-manche camaraderie, sharing of flying stories, maintenance talk and lunch, to your liking. You should be able to find a schedule of the lunch fly-ins on the South Central Tribe website at http://
groups.msn.com/SouthCentralTribe ICS/welcome.msnw and in the South Central Tribe newsletter Smoke Trails. (If you wish to organize a lunch fly-in, please contact Bruce Thumann at [email protected] or (713) 875-3056.)
Tribe E-mail UpdatesIf you are not receiving the South
Central Tribe’s Smoke Trails Newslet-ter and would like to, please e-mail Bruce Thumann at bruce@contract builderssupply.com, and he will make sure to amend the list to include your e-mail address.
W. CANADA TRIBE
Aug 14-17Fly-in – The Great Dinosaur ValleyDrumheller, Alberta, Canada
Drumheller is known as “The Dino-saur Capital of the World.” Specimens from Drumheller’s Dinosaur Valley are on display in most of the world’s great museums. Drumheller’s Royal Museum of Paleontology is recognized as the largest and finest museum of Ancient Life in the world.
38 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Drumheller also has a rich coal min- ing heritage. Long ago when coal was king, there were over 50 underground coal mines in the valley. Though lots of coal is still available, economics brought Drumheller’s commercial mining indus-try to a close a number of years ago.
We’ll also visit a Hutterite Colony in which members of this pacifist sect live in large communal farming colo-nies. They operate huge state-of-the-art farming enterprises while maintaining their traditional garb and living a non-ostentatious lifestyle with deeply faith-based values. (No, they are NOT Amish!)
We’ll host a barbecue at Ostergard’s Seed Farm.
We’ve got a few other adventures in mind, too.
Bring the kids!
We’ve set aside a block of rooms at the Drumheller Ramada. Call 1-877- 807-2800, mention “Comanche Flyers” to get the group rate of CAN$175.49 per night. Drumheller fills up fast in the summer months, so be forewarned.
Don & Carol Ostergard, ICS 3263 Box 2550Drumheller AB T0J 0Y0Tel (403) 823-0405 (Don, cell)Tel (403) 823-8813 (res) [email protected]
EUROPEAN TRIBE
September 4-8 Fly-inGraz, Austria
The basic program will be in the city of Graz with the best places to see and be at. It will include a guided tour
through the city taking part of it with an old tram. Travel by cable car up to the Schlossberg, enjoy a view over Graz, get a bit of history, visit a knight museum (the biggest one in Europe), and have a guided tour through the canals below the city. Also, take a trip up a mountain in a cable car, see a lovely view over Styria Region with lunch at the top, and enjoy the evening gala dinner in the old university. Finally, a trip to the vineyards in the south of Graz, visiting different vineyards with lunch at one of them. Contact Titica von Roschka at [email protected].
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2. Name _______________________________________________________________________
3. City & State __________________________________________________________________
4. Plane # _________________ Tribe ______________________ ICS # ____________________Nonmembers should leave ICS # blank or show crew title.
Choice for above badge (circle one) SAFETY PIN ALLIGATOR CLIPPlease make checks payable to Doris Click and send to: 228 Doolittle St., Orlando, FL 32839-1474
40 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
SEPTEMBER 2012 VOLUME 39, NO. 9
The Official Membership Publication of
The International
Comanche Society
Comanche FlyerNeeds yourStories, Tipsand Tricks! Share your Comanche Knowledge with your Fellow ICS Members
Do you have a good technical tip or overhaul story you can share? What about a flying experience or recent instructional experience where you’d learned a lesson from which all pilots could benefit? Maybe a trip you took in your Comanche that you’d recommend to others. We also desperately need in-flight photos of your Comanche to feature on the cover of the Flyer (needs to be at least 1 MB in size to print well). Anything you can share that
would be helpful to fellow ICS members, we need you to send in your information!
You don’t have to be a writer by trade, just put your thoughts down and tell your story – it will be edited, if needed. Below is a list of regular columns in the Flyer, and a few new ones that have been suggested (the word count provided is only an average to help guide you).
Cover photo/Comanche Spirit – Not only do you get to have your Comanche on the cover of the Flyer, but we like to feature the owner so ICS members can get to know you better. You can fill out an owner questionnaire and the editor will write a story about you, or you can submit your own. Average length is 1,000 words.
Letters to the Editor – Send in your comments about an article you read in a past Comanche Flyer. Or you can also send items of interest you’d like to share with other Comanche owners that may not be long enough for an article. Really, we’d like to hear from you!
Technically Speaking – We like to feature technical information you have found useful in maintaining your Co- manche. Maybe it was an ongoing problem that you finally found a solution or you want to warn other
owners of an issue that occurred with your airplane. Anything technical is featured in this column. Average length is 500-1,200 words.
Maintenance Q & A – Do you have a question regarding maintenance on your Comanche? Send it in and we’ll have our Technical Directors suggest some solutions. As questions come in and a reader has an alternate solution, they can send them in as well. This would be an ongoing format for maintenance discussion.
From the Logbook – If you have a trip that you’d recommend to other members, or a particular “adventure” you’ve taken in your Comanche that you’d like to share, this is the column! We have featured trips in story and journal formats. Average length is 1,500 words.
Product/Vendor Information – Did you have a good experience with
a vendor that you’d like to share or have you recently purchased a product that you’d recommend to other ICS members? The best information that most owners get is from others who have experienced it, so share with us! Average length is 250-750 words.
Fly-In Reports – A pretty popular column, but we don’t see the experiences some of the tribes are having. Send us your story. We’d like to hear how your Tribe is getting together and sharing the camaraderie. Average length is 250-500 words.
Best of the Flyer – This is an easy one. If you know of an article in past Flyers that you found useful and you think needs repeating, send a copy and we’ll reprint it.
If you have a story that you don’t feel fits into any of the above categories,
FEATURE
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 41
send it anyway. Most issues include feature stories and we’d like to hear from you. What do you enjoy learning or reading about in the Flyer? Do you have something you can contribute? We’d like to hear from you!
Send your contributions and ideas to Editor Melissa Frisbie at [email protected], or 125 N. Turnberry St., Wichita, KS 67230.
email [email protected]
Proud Sponsor of
FREECATALOG
42 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
RAJAY® TURBONORMALIZINGFOR DUMMIEST
here are essentially two ways to get more power to the prop — turn it faster, or turn it harder. Faster hits a limit
when RPM exceeds the ability of the en-gine to lubricate wear surfaces. Harder hits a limit when you blow out rings, or when the ability of the induction system to “breath” in more oxygen is
exceeded. Too much of either one and the engine breaks. Assuming RPM is at a safe limit, the other way to get extra power is to provide more air. That is were turbocharging comes in.
Turbos are air compressors. A turbo fan on a shaft sticks into the exhaust. As exhaust gasses expand and flow out of the engine, the fan spins or “spools” the
turbo to extremely high rates of speed — 10,000 rpms or greater. On the other end of the shaft is a “compressor wheel.” It forces air into the intake, increasing the air available to the engine.
Two terms float around in pilot cir-cles, turbo “super” charging or turbo “normalizing.” One system adds more air than is available at sea level, the other maintains the same amount of air as you climb. To a car guy, turbocharg-ing always means adding extra air, and they call it “boost.” We pilots mostly want only what we lost in the climb ... “normalizing” our flight.
Car guys also talk about “vacuum” versus “boost.” They are describing the two natures of a single measurement that pilots call manifold pressure. Vac-uum is really what a naturally aspirated engine is working to overcome, whether in a car or an airplane. Think of it like this, as you close the throttle plate to reduce power, you are obstructing the air way. Yet the engine tries to gulp the same volume of air on each intake stroke and essentially sucks against the throttle plate, therefore creating partial “vacuum” inside the manifold.
If you open the throttle plate full, you approach the theoretical sweet spot for a breathing engine, zero vacuum. In other words, the engine drinks as much air as is available outside, so manifold “pressure” equals ambient “pressure.” Or does it? Check the next time you launch.
Update Your Old Comanche Panel Make Room for a MFD
Update your panel to a standard “T” configuration. Add space for new electronics. All panels computer drawn and laser cut.
‘58-60 Centerstack Conversion $950.00 (Fully STC’d) ‘61-68 Single or Twin $825.00 (Fully STC’d)
Recuts left side – $250 • Recuts right side – $100. (Prior Panels)
2007 SE Ash Street • Portland, OR 97214 (503) 329-8512 (Day or Night) • Fax: (503) 234-0677
e-mail: [email protected]
Contact: John Van Bladeren at:
Ron & John’s Comanche Service
by Jim Oates, ICS#17804
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 43
RAJAY® TURBONORMALIZINGFOR DUMMIES
Even when you open the throttle 100 percent, air filters and other ob-structions add drag thus preventing perfect flow. So at sea level, a naturally aspirated engine still never reaches zero vacuum. True, a small loss; but loss nonetheless. The climb just makes the power loss worse.
Turbonormalizing, however, solves both problems. You get back manifold pressure as you climb into thinner air, up to the limit of the turbos to over-come the loss — the “turbo critical” altitude. Plus, even at sea level, you compensate for induction system drag, thereby reaching zero percent vacuum. In other words, the engine gets all the air it should.
The trick to turbocharging is controlling how much boost to pro-vide. “Overboost” is a very bad thing. All turbo’d engines come with warn-ing placards and instructions with terms like “teardown” and “replace” ... not good.
To limit the spin of the turbo, you “waste” exhaust out of the system with a “wastegate.” These are essentially valves that reduce flow to the turbo. Most systems use automatic controllers, either a complex mechanical or digi-tally controlled pressure sensing type. Older systems of the mechanical type can be unreliable, and you often hear guys warn to watch for “overboost.” Newer systems use sensors and an-nunciators to indicate the condition.
Another argument against turbos is increased maintenance. Overhaul shops will tell you to expect less than 1000 hours between overhauls. Lots of heat and rpms make for short lives.
The beauty of the Rajay® Turbo sys-tem is that it is manually actuated. When first advertised, Rajay called it a “second throttle.” Fancy controllers
are absent. You advance the wastegate controller handle when you need boost, and pull back when you don’t.
You could overboost if you forget to reduce power prior to descent, but that’s why there is a pressure relief valve, right? A discussion for another time.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
Scott MyerS &DeniSe Porter
Specializing inAviation Insurance
Fixed and Rotor Wing Aircraft
Maintenance / Avionics Shops
Flight Schools
Worker’s Comp
Hangar / Premises
Contact us at 888-727-9655 [email protected] or
www.avwestinsurance.com
PROUD COMANCHE OWNER AND ACTIVE ICS MEMBER
by Jim Oates, ICS#17804 [Editor’s Note: Most Comanche turbo systems do not include overboost relief valves.]
44 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
PILOT’S OPERATING HANDBOOKAND FAA APPROVED
AIRPLANE FLIGHT MANUAL“Formerly Published And Produced by the late Douglas L. Killough”
Piper Aircraft ceased production of the Comanche and Twin Comanche in 1972, several years before the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) established specifications for the contemporary Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). As a result, the Owner’s Handbook published by Piper is incomplete by modern standards. Now available EXCLUSIVELY from the INTERNATIONAL COMANCHE SOCIETY, INC., through it’s licensed agents, is the upgraded Pilot’s Operating Handbook and FAA approved GAMA format Airplane Flight Manual.
Discounted to current ICS members at $75.00 each, plus shipping (must ask for ICS member discount and provide ICS membership number when placing order). Available only through Webco Aircraft at 316-283-7929 or www.webcoaircraft.com. Available Bound or Unbound/Un-punched.
There are SIXTEEN different GAMA format manuals available for the Piper Single and Twin Comanche.Please order your manual by “Manual Number 1-16” from the chart below.
OrderQty
ManualNumber
ModelGrossWeight
Year(s)Mfg
Flight ManualReport Number
SNBegin
SNEnd
Singles:
01.) 180 2550 1957-64 1047 24-1 3687
02.) 250 2800 1958-60 997 103 2298
03.) 250 2900 1961 1127 2299 2843
04.) 250 2900 1962-64 1179 2844 3687
05.) 250 2900 1962-64 1220 (FI) 2844 3687
06.) 260 2900 1965 1334 4000 4299
07.) 260 2900 1965 1333 (Carb) 4000 4299
08.) 260B 3100 1966-68 1359 4300 4803
Not Avail 09.) 260B 3100 1966-68 1358 (Carb) 4300 4803
10.) 260C 3200 1969-72 1545 4804 5028
11.) 260T 3200 1970-72 1640 (Turbo) 4901 5028
12.) 400 3600 1964-65 1295 26-3 148
Twins:
13.) PA30 3600 1963-68 1269 30-2 1744
1969 1515 1745 2000
14.) PA30T 3725 1964-68 1269 (Turbo) 143 1744
1969 1515 (Turbo) 1745 2000
15.) PA39 3600 1970-72 1605 39-1 155
16.) PA39T 3725 1970-72 1605 (Turbo) 1 155
TO ORDER CALL WEBCO AIRCRAFT AT 316-283-7929 OR WWW.WEBCOAIRCRAFT.COM. Specify “Bound” or “Unbound/Un-punched.”
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 45
Volunteers flying for the environment since 1979.
Volunteer Pilots Needed
Phone: 307-332-3242 www.lighthawk.org
Volunteers flying for the environment since 1979.
Volunteer Pilots Needed
Phone: 307-332-3242 www.lighthawk.org
Volunteers flying for the environment since 1979.
Phone: 307-332-3242 • www.lighthawk.org
Volunteer Pilots Needed
6th Vertical
6th Horizontal
PILOT’S OPERATING HANDBOOKAND FAA APPROVED
AIRPLANE FLIGHT MANUAL“Formerly Published And Produced by the late Douglas L. Killough”
46 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Aircraft WantedCOMANCHES WANTED: ALL MODELS, runouts OK, needing P&I/Radio upgrades OK, fast discriminate transaction on your ramp. 20 years experience/references. Call Jim, (760) 803-3093. [email protected]. 2/2
CLASSIFIEDS
Comanches For Sale PA24-180
1960 PA24-180, sn 24-2273, N 7115P, 3923hrsTT, 585hrs SMOH, 150hrs SPOH, fresh November annual, All ADS complied with. Landing gear over-hauled by WEBCO.Intercom,Century IIB autopilot, Brand new Garmin 430W, KX170B, Garmin GTX 327
• (Two issue minimum)• 25 Words: $25.00/2 issues• No charge for photos• Extra Words: $0.50/word• Payment must accompany advertisement order.
All advertising must be received by the ICS in writing (mail, fax, or e-mail) five weeks prior to the desired month of publication. Payment must accompany adver-tisement order.
Renewals may be made by telephone, but initial ad must be in writing.
The publisher makes no warranties as to the veracity or accuracy of the information provided by the advertiser. The publisher is under no obligation to accept any or all advertisements.
InternationalComanche SocietyTrading Post & Classified
Advertising Contact:
Betsy Beaudoin2779 Aero Park Drive
Traverse City, MI 49686Phone: (800) 773-7798
Fax: (231) 946-9588E-mail: [email protected]
transponder, FS engineering audio panel, Always hangared; must sell. Contact Rick (405)641-3199. [email protected] 2/2
PA24-2501961 PA-24-250: Fresh Annual Jan 2014; 5908TT; 1184SFOH; Good IFR Radio Stack; Hangared PRB. $46,500 or Best. Phone: 805-550-2165; Email: [email protected]. 2/2
PA301963 Turbo PA30 C/R, SN30-70, “C” model interior, Turboed (upgraded), 2720TTAF, 210 both engines SFOH, same owner 35yrs, 160 gal gives 2000mi N/S; sound proofed, 1/4” glass, “Q” tips, Century III auto pilot, Dual Coupled ILS, King Avionics: KI-229 RMI; KCS-55A comp KMA-24 Audio; (2) KY-197 Comms; KNS-80, KN 53,87,76; KMA-10 R.ALTMTA.; WX-10A Stormscope. Lt Wt Starters, Alternators, dual tach & M/P, all gap seals, Shadin fuel Comptr; Basic “T” Panel. $89,000. Tom (425)485-6226 (WA). 2/2
1966 PA30B. Lost medical, must sell. TT7655, SMOH L2302/R2302. Altimatic III coupled to Localizer, HSI, Garmin 430, King KNS80w glideslope, LoPresti mods, small nosewheel, 6 year paint, leather. All logs since new. Runs good. $40K. (503) 522-5012, [email protected]. 1/2
PA4001972 Twin Comanche CR. SN. 151, For the Comanche flyer who wants it all, look at this. 3740TT. 1200SMOH, New panel insert with all new GARMIN, G500 MFD PFD synthetic vision, GTN 750 & 650 with traffic, free weather, terrain, IFR flight charts, GDL 88 ADS B in and out, back up CDI 106, panel mount 396 with XM weather, JPI 960 engine and fuel flow analyzer, WX1000 storm scope, 406 ELT, New STEC 55X autopilot fully coupled 1&2 with GPSS steering, VG KIT, Jetglow paint 1999 excellent, (continued next page>)
1960 Comanche PA24-250: engine Lycoming O540-A1D5; TT A/C 4398hrs; since engine overhaul 1984hrs; since top overhaul 579hrs. $55,000. Contact: Bill Lippert or Ib Jensen: (805)905-4788, (805)495-7377, (805)482-1631; [email protected] or [email protected]. 1/2
Very clean 1964 Comanche 250: Only 2052TT. Rare factory fuel injected IO540 Lycoming; 673SMOH. Smooth McCauley C400 3-blade. Aux fuel tanks, Garmin GNS430. 3 axis Century autopilot NSD360A HSI with gyros slaved. Single piece windscreen. 19 panel post lights. WagAero wingtips. KT-76 transponder. Sigtronics 4-pl intercom. Exceptionally nice in and out. Some damage 15 yrs ago from “gentle gear” collapse but all repairs professionally done. All maint, ADs, repair, mod records available.Hangared at Chehalis, WA. (CLS) Family wants more RV, less plane travel. Larry Weaver 360-790-9101 or [email protected] $79,900. 1/2
PA24-260B1966 260B TT3156 SMOH1131 All AD’s, complete logs, IFR certified, December annual based at KOZW Contact Dot 810-632-9588 for additional details. 2/2
JULY 2014 Comanche Flyer • 47
TRADING POSTFax: (231) 946-9588E-mail: [email protected] Post is a non-commercial, member to member service provided free of charge, one time per member, per year. The sale of aircraft is not permitted in the Trading Post.• Ads must be submitted in writing only (fax or E-mail OK).• Free ads may not be placed by phone.• First 25 words are free.• Extra words are $0.40 per word.
PLACING AN AD? Use this list as a guideline for the information you may want to provide and the order in which to do so.• YEAR, Model Year of Aircraft• MODEL, PA 24-180, 250, 260, 400 • SERIAL NUMBER, Serial Number of Aircraft• N-NUMBER, Registration Number of Aircraft• TOTAL AIRFRAME TIME, Total Hours On Airframe• AIRFRAME DAMAGE HISTORY, Any Damage
History e.g. Gear Up Landing• TOTAL ENGINE TIME, Total Hours On Engine Since
Factory New or Remanufactured• ENGINE TIME SINCE TOP OR MAJOR OVERHAUL• PROPELLER TIME, Total Time On Prop Since New
or Overhaul• ANNUAL INSPECTION DATE• FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS, Standard Gyro Panel,
Electronic Flight Instrument System• RADIO / NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT LISTING,
Communications & Navigation Equipment Listing e.g. GPS, ILS, VORs
• WEATHER ADVOIDANCE EQUIPMENT, Stormscope, Radar,
• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT LISTING, Engine Monitor (EGT, CHT, Fuel Flow, etc.)
• AUTOPILOT, Type & Make of Autopilot• INTERCOM• INTERIOR CONDITION & NUMBER OF SEATS• EXTERIOR MODIFICATIONS, Gap Seals, Wing
Tips, Speed Mods, Windshield• PAINT CONDITION • HANGERED OR TIED DOWN• AD NOTE COMPLIANCE• GENERAL COMMENTS• ASKING PRICE• CONTACT PHONE NUMBER• CONTACT E-MAIL
A/C Air ConditioningAD’s Airworthiness DirectivesADF Automatic Direction FinderAH Artificial HorizonA&P Airframe & Powerplant MechanicAI Aircraft InspectorA/P Audio PanelAP AutopilotCDI Course Deviation IndicatorCHT Cylinder Head TemperatureCOM Communication C/R Counter RotatingC/T Carburetor TemperatureDF Direction FinderDG Directional GyroDME Distance Measuring EquipmentEFIS Electronic Flight Instrument System
EGT Exhaust Gas TemperatureELT Emergency Locator TransmitterE/P External Power PlugF/D Flight DirectorFGP Full Gyro PanelFWF Firewall ForwardGPS Global Positioning SystemG/S Glide SlopeGSP Ground Service PlugH/P Heated PitotHP HorsepowerHSI Horizontal Situation IndicatorIFR Instrument Flight RulesIMC Instrument Meteorological ConditionsILS Instrument Landing SystemLE Left Engine
LOC Localizer (Runway Centerline Guidance)LORAN Long Range Navigation SystemM/B Marker BeaconMDH Major Damage HistoryNDH No Damage HistoryNM Nautical MilesNAV Navigation Radio ReceiverOAT Outside Air TemperatureOH OverhaulPET Piper Electric TrimRB Rotating BeaconR/C Rate of ClimbRE Right EngineRG Retractable Landing GearRNAV Area NavigationSB’s Service BulletinsSCMOH Since Chrome Major Overhaul
SFN Since Factory NewSFRM Since Factory RemanufactureSMOH Since Major OverhaulSOH Since OverhaulS/N Serial NumberSPOH Since Propeller OverhaulSTOH Since Top OverhaulTBO Time Between OverhaulsTT Total TimeTTAE Total Time Airframe and EngineTTSN Total Time Since NewXPDR Transponder
ABBREVIATION KEY
Aerotech Publications ...................... 30
Aerox ................................................ 43
Air Parts of Lock Haven ................... 16
Aircraft Specialties Services............. 36
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty ............ 41
AKG ..................................................C2
Alpha Aviation .................................. 33
Aviation West Insurance Broker ...... 43
Clifton Aero ...................................... 19
Comanche Flyer Foundation ........... 11
Comanche Gear ............................... 30
Comanche Pilot Training Program ..... 3
Degroff Aviation Technologies .......... 27
Electronics International ................. 45
General Aviation Modifications ........ 39
Great Lakes Aero Products .............. 33
Ground Tech .................................... 41
Hartzell Propeller, Inc. ..................... 17
Heritage Aero, Inc ....................... 19,29
Insight Instrument Corp ..................C3
JL Osborne Inc ................................. 27
Johnston Aircraft Services ...............C4
Knots 2U, Ltd. ..................................C2
Lighthawk ......................................... 45
McCauley Propeller Systems ............ 29
Met-Co-Aire ...................................... 41
Oilamatic, Inc................................... 39
Paul Bowen ....................................... 45
Phill-Air Inc ...................................... 31
Plane Power ...................................... 25
Poplar Grove Airmotive ................... 35
Precision Propeller ........................... 19
Preferred Airparts............................. 17
Rocky Mountain Propellers, Inc. ...... 30
Ron & John’s Comanche Service ...... 42
Sky Manor’s Air Repair LLC ............C2
Sky Tec Partners Ltd ....................... 25
Sound Ex Products ........................... 39
Tsuniah Lake Lodge ......................... 17
Warren Gregoire & Associates ......... 19
Webco ............................................... 35
Zephyr Aircraft Engines ................... 38
ADVERTISING INDEX
FREE! Single Comanche Firewall Forward Engine Cowling & Nosebowl, needs work, pick up or pay shipping. For info/pix contact Mike: 847-224-5192 [email protected] 2/2
1964 PA24-400: TT4416; 590SMOH; Paint Good; new leather interior; Hangared; 396 Garmin GPS KX155; Digital JPI Engine Analyzer. April Annual. $115,000 Kingman, AZ Everett (928)716-2277. 1/2
nice black interior, Extensive annual with everything fixed, due 4-15, Tanis heaters, No damage history, $168,000 Or OFFER. Ron 712-830-6335. 1/2
48 • Comanche Flyer JULY 2014
Aviation QuotesMy first wife didn’t like to fly, either.— Gordon Baxter, long-time writer for Flying magazine.
Flying a plane is no different from riding a bicycle. It’s just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.— Captain Rex Kramer, in the movie Airplane.
We have clearance, Clarence. Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?— Cockpit crew in the movie Airplane.
The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee.— Gunter’s Second Law of Air Travel
When the weight of the paper equals the weight of the airplane, only then you can go flying.— attributed to Donald Douglas (Mr. DC-n).
The bulk of mankind is as well equipped for flying as thinking.— Jonathon Swift
Which is now a more hopeful statement than Swift in-tended it to be.— Will Durant
In response to how he checked the weather, “I just whip out my blue card with a hole in it and read what it says: ‘When color of card matches color of sky, FLY!”— Gordon Baxter
Instrument flying is an unnatural act probably punish-able by God.— Gordon Baxter
Arguing with a pilot is like wrestling with a pig in the mud, after a while you begin to think the pig likes it.— Seen on a General Dynamics bulletin board.
It was Mark Twain who said, “Never try and teach a pig to sing. It’s a waste of your time, and it annoys the pig.”
It only takes five years to go from rumor to standard operating procedure.— Dick Markgraf
Ted: “We’re gonna have to come in pretty low on this ap-proach.”
Elaine: “Is that difficult?”
Ted: “Well sure it’s difficult. It’s part of every textbook approach. It’s just something you have to do ... when you land.”— from the 1982 movie ‘Airplane II, The Sequel.’
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to the society. The optimist invents the aeroplane, the pessimist the parachute.— George Bernard Shaw
People think it would be fun to be a bird because you could fly. But they forget the negative side, which is the preening.— Jack Handey, ‘Deep Thoughts from Saturday Night Live.’
The light at the end of the tunnel is another airplanes landing light coming down head-on to the runway you are taking off from.— Robert Livingston, ‘Flying The Aeronca.’
Buttons … check. Dials … check. Switches … check. Little colored lights … check.— The Bill Waterson comic character Calvin, of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ fame.
When it comes to testing new aircraft or determining maximum performance, pilots like to talk about “push-ing the envelope.” They’re talking about a two dimen-sional model: the bottom is zero altitude, the ground; the left is zero speed; the top is max altitude; and the right, maximum velocity, of course. So, the pilots are push-ing that upper-right-hand corner of the envelope. What everybody tries not to dwell on is that that’s where the postage gets canceled, too.— Admiral Rick Hunter, U.S. Navy.
Flying an aeroplane with only a single propeller to keep you in the air. Can you imagine that?— Captain Picard, from ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ episode ‘Booby Trap.’
All of these quotes, along with many more, can be found at www.skygod.com/quotes/flyingjokes.html
LAST LAUGH
P.O. Box 1457 • Tulare, CA 93275 • Phone: (559) 686-1794 or 686-2161 • Fax: (559) 686-9360e-mail: [email protected] • Web Site: www.johnstonaircraft.com
Johnston Aircraft ServiceNORTH AMERICAN AGENT FOR AUSTRALIAN HORN
LYCOMING ENGINE O/H PROFESSIONALS
Australian Comanche Stabilator HornSTC’D AND PMA’D
THIS IS A PERMANENT FIX FOR FAA A.D. 2012-17-06
Recommended Installation CentersCLIFTON AERO
Clifton, Texas(254) 675-3771
HERITAGE AERO Rockford, Illinois
(815) 395-0500 [email protected]
WEBCO AIRCRAFTNewton, Kansas(816) 283-7929
JOHNSTON AIRCRAFT SERVICETulare, California
(559) [email protected]
All of these firms have years of experience with Comanches and can do an excellent job for you!
