Photograph:
Piper PA-24-400 Comanche VH-FOE (c/n 26-7) at Bankstown, NSW in June 1980 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Four/five seat touring monoplane
Power Plant:
One 298 kw (400 hp) Lycoming IO-720-A1A eight-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10.97 m (36 ft)
- Length: 7.84 m (25 ft 8 in)
- Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 16.53 m ² (178 sq ft)
- Max speed at sea level: 312 km/h (194 mph)
- Cruising speed at 75% power at 2,438 m: (8,000 ft) (185 mph)
- Cruising speed at 65% power at 3,658 m (12,000 ft): 286 km/h (178 mph)
- Rate of climb: 488 m/min (1,600 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 5,944 m (19,500 ft)
- Range cruising at 75% power with standard fuel: 1,398 km (869 miles)
- Range cruising at 55% power: 1,637 km (1,017 miles)
- Take-off run: 299 m (980 ft)
- Landing roll: 360 m (1,180 ft)
- Standard fuel capacity: 378 litres (83 Imp gals)
- Optional fuel capacity: 492 litres (108 Imp gals)
- Empty weight: 957 kg (2,110 lb)
- Useful load: 676 kg (1,490 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,633 kg (3,600 lb)
History:
Following the success of the earlier models of the Comanche, Piper moved on to build what it described in advertising as ”the ultimate light aircraft: ..this new Piper Comanche 400 is a pretty meaningful airplane…The Comanche 400 is the world’s fastest single-engined production airplane…the eight-cylinder 400-hp Lycoming power plant is not geared or super-charged; as a result it will run smoothly from idle to full power – the ultimate in flexibility.”
The most powerful model in the series, the PA-24-400, was flown in prototype form in March 1961. After some development, and assessment of customer interest, the first production machine was flown on 20 September 1963, and deliveries commenced the following year. This had a larger tail unit, all-moving tail surfaces, and some structural strengthening to allow for the higher-powered 298 kw (400 hp) eight-cylinder Lycoming IO-720-A1A engine driving a three-blade propeller. This engine was developed for the PA-24-400 but there were cooling problems with the rear cylinders due to poor airflow. Also, high insurance premiums in the United States meant this model was not produced in large numbers.
This model – considered the epitome of high-performance light aircraft at that time – had a maximum speed of 359 km/h (223 mph) at sea level, and a maximum range with standard fuel of 2,012 km (1,250 miles).
In the late 1960s sales of the Comanche were declining and at that time it took 1,400 hours to build a Comanche whereas an Arrow took 1,100 hours. The same production line was able to turn out a number of models of the Cherokee whereas the Comanche tooling could only be used to build that aircraft. In the event the city of Lock Haven in Pennsylvania, and the Piper Aircraft plant in particular, were devastated in 1972 when central Pennsylvania was hit by Hurricane Agnes, the banks of the Susquehanna River not being able to prevent flooding and the Piper plant being inundated, seriously damaging or destroying the tooling, parts and aircraft on the production line. No further aircraft in the PA-24 series were completed.
In late 1964 James ‘Jim’ Hazelton of Orange, NSW flew solo a PA-24-400 from the United States to Sydney, arriving at Eagle Farm Airport Brisbane, QLD on 2 October, making the first crossing in a single-engine aircraft since the flight by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in the Lockheed Altair in 1934, the total time being 43 hours 16 mins, the flight being from San Francisco to Hilo in the Hawaiian Islands, Canton Island, Nadi in Fiji, and Brisbane. This aircraft N8563P later became VH-TOZ (c/n 26-94) and still survives based in Victoria. Reports at the time stated that this aircraft, using 45% power, cruised at 274 km/h (170 mph). It was equipped, in addition to the normal fuel tanks, with two 208 litre (46 Imp gal) fuel tanks in the cabin, which gave it a total capacity of 908 litres (200 Imp gals).