Piper COMANCHE User guide

NOTICE
THIS liANDB6oK IS NOT DESIGNED, NOR CAN ANY
HANDBOOK SERVE, AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR ADEQUATI~ AND
COMPETENT FLIGHT INSTRUCTlON, OR KNOWLEDGE OF TI.11S
CURRENT AIRWORTI4INESS DIRECTlVES, THE APPLICABLE
FEDERAL AIR REGULATIONS, AND AbVlSORY CiRCULARS. IT
IS NOT lNTENDED TO BE A GUIDE OF BASIC FLIGHT
INSTRUCTION, NOR A TRAINING MANUAL.
'.
THE 13ANDBOOIC IS DESIGNED:
I. TO HELP YOU OPERATE YOUR COMANCHE WITH
SAFETY AND CONFIDHNC&.
2, TO MORE FULLY ACQUAINT YOU WITH THE BASIC
PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE AJRPLANE.
3. TO MORE FULLY EXPLAIN YOUR COMANCHE'S
OPERATION THAN IS PERMISSIBLE TO SET FORTH IN
THE AIRPLANE FLIGHT MANUAL.
IF THERE IS 'ANY INCONSISTENCY. BETWEEN THIS
HANDBOOK AND THE AIRPLANE FWGHT MANUAL APPROVED
BY THE F.A.A., THE AIRPLAN& FLIGHT MANUAL SHALL
GOVERN.
Revised text and iIIustrations shall be indicated by a
black vertical line in the margin opposite rhc change.
Additional copjes of this manual, Part No. 753 529,
may be obtained fr&~ your Piper Dealer.
Published by
PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT
Piper Aircraft Corporation
. 753529
Issued; October 1960
Revised: April 1973

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The Piper Comanche SECTION 1
DESIGN FEATURES
1. Specifications:

1 SECTION Tire PIper Canrunehe
II. Engine and Propeller:
Tha Comanche Model 180 is quipped with a Lycoming 0-360-
A seriw engine rated ak 180 HP at 2700 RPM. The engine in the 250
is a Lycorning 0-54Q-A series, developing 250 HP at 2575 RPM. Both
engines have compression ratios of 8.5 to 1, and require 92/96
octane minimup fuel. They are iurniahed with n geared starter, 35
ampere 12-volt generator, voItage regulator, shielding, fuel pump,
propeller governer, vacuum pump drive, and carburetax air box and
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filter.
The exhaust system on the 180 is a stainless steel croas over type.
A large mumer and oversize heater shroud is provided an both the
180 and 250 installations, to supply heat for cabin and carburetor
heater systems.
Engine cooling is aocomplished
cowl flaps or exhaust augmentera, and
cowl Aanga.
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without the complication of
without drag producing fixed
,

Ihe PIpef CosuncAe SECTIoN 1
The 180 uses the Harkell, madel HC92ZK8D or the McCnuley,
model 2D36Clk
The 250 uses the Hartzell, model HC82XKID. AII propeilers
are constallt speed controllable.
111.. Fuselage and Wing Structures:
Structures are of d~eer aluminum construction, and are designed
to uitimate load factors well in excess of mormal wquiremnts. All
camponents are campktely zinc chron~aie primed, exterior surfaces
are enameled as well.
The main spars aE the wings are joined with high strength butt
fitting9 in the center of the fuselage, making in effect a c~ndnuous
~nain spar. Main spurs are nuached to the fuselage at the side 01
the fuaelage and in the cetkter of tlie structure; win5 are attached
also at the rear spar and at an auxiliary front spat.
The wing airfoil section is a laminar flow ty e, NACA642A215,
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with maximum thickness about 403, aft of the eading edge. This
permits the tnuin spar, located nt the point of maximum thich~ess,
lo pass through the cabin urrder the rear neat, pruvidiq ul)~h!iW~ctetl
cabin llour space ahead BE he reur acat.
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I SECTION The Pipcr Cnmunrhe
W. landing Gear:
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The main wheds are Cleveland Aircra£t Products Model 3070,
600 x 6, witll single disc hydraulic brakes, Model 3000-250. The nose
wheel is Cleveland Model 38501; all wheels have 600 x 6 tires.
The nose gear is steerable through a 40 degree arc through use
of the rudder pedals. As the nose gear retracts, khe steering linkage
disengages to reduce rudder pedal loads in Righi. The nose wheel
is equipped with a hydraulic sl~irnmy damper.
Many af the parts of the three air-ail type landing gear units,
including die forks, st ruts, md lorque links, are interchangeable.
All three gears are inflated to approximately 2% inches of strut
exlension.
The landing gear is retracted or extended in 7 secanda by an
electric motor installed under the front center floorboards, actuating
push-pull controls to cach of the gears, Manual extension of the
B