Piper PA-24 Comanche ұшағы: Тарихы мен сипаттамасы

American four or six seat monoplane built 1956–1972

The Piper PA 24 Comanche is an American single engine, low wing, all metal monoplane of semimonocoque construction with tricycle retractable landing gear and four or six seats. The Comanche was designed and built by Piper Aircraft and first flew on May 24, 1956. Together with the PA 30 and PA 39 Twin Comanches, it made up the core of Piper's lineup until 1972, when the production lines for both aircraft were destroyed in the 1972 Lock Haven flood.

Two prototypes were built in 1956, with the first being completed by June 20, 1956. In 1964, the PA 24 400 was introduced. Production of the Comanche ended in 1972, when torrential rains from Hurricane Agnes caused the great Susquehanna River flood of 1972, flooding the manufacturing plant and destroying airframes, parts, and much of the tooling necessary for production. Rather than rebuild the tooling, Piper chose to abandon production of the Comanche and Twin Comanche and continue with two newer designs already in production at Piper's other plant in Vero Beach, Florida the PA 28R 200 Arrow and the twin engined PA 34 Seneca.

The original version of the Comanche was the PA 24, which featured a carbureted Lycoming O 360 A1A engine, swept tail, laminar flow airfoil, and all flying stabilator. The standard fuel capacity of the PA 24 180 was The flaps were manually actuated, controlled by the same Johnson bar actuator as the Piper Cherokee. The aircraft specifications were for cruise speeds of and fuel burns between at 55 and 75% power settings, respectively. Full fuel payload with standard fuel was , with a gross weight of and range with 45 minute reserve of
When new, standard, typically equipped Comanche 180s sold between $17,850 (1958) and $21,580 (1964). A total of 1,143 were built.

In 1958, Piper introduced a version using a Lycoming O 540 engine, giving the PA 24 250 Comanche a top cruise speed of Most 250s had carbureted Lycoming O 540 AIA5 engines, but a small number were fitted out with fuel injected versions of the same engine. Early Comanche 250s had manually operated flaps and carried of fuel. Auxiliary fuel tanks ( total) became available in 1961. Electrically actuated flaps were made standard with the 1962 model year.

In 1967, one aircraft was modified with a Lycoming engine for trials. It did not enter production.

The PA 24 400 Comanche 400 was produced from 1964 to 1966. Cooling problems have happened with the rear cylinders. The Comanche 400 has a three bladed propeller and carries of fuel, or with optional extended tanks. Fuel burn was advertised as , at 55 75% power. The high fuel burn means that it is expensive to operate. The 400 had a typical empty weight of and a maximum gross weight of
Book speeds for the PA 24 400 included a cruising speed of and a top speed of
While identical in planform to other PA 24 models, the 400 is structurally strengthened, primarily in the tail, with an extra nose rib in the stabilator and the vertical fin. The stabilator, vertical fin, and rudder of the 400 share virtually no common parts with the 180, 250, or Comanches.

In 1967, a single Comanche was modified by Swearingen with a pressurized cabin. The prototype, powered by a Lycoming O 540 engine and equipped with Twin Comanche landing gear, was designated the PA 33. First flown on March 11, 1967, the prototype later crashed on takeoff in May 1967 and the project was cancelled. The Comanche 250 Max Conrad flew for this flight is now located in the museum at the Liberal, Kansas, airport. On November 24–26, 1959, Conrad flew a Comanche 180 on a distance record flight in FAI C1 C Class for aircraft taking off at weights from to less than that still stands: Casablanca to El Paso, Texas, 6966 mile (11211 km) nonstop, a distance of 6967 mile (11212 km), in 56 hours 26 minutes. He set a closed circuit distance record in the same aircraft on July 4–6 November 1960, flying 6921 mile (11138 km).

In July 1964, Henry Ohye, flying a 1961 PA 24 250, made the first successful trans Pacific flight from the United States to Japan in a single engined aircraft. He flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo with stops in Honolulu, Midway, Wake, Guam, and Okinawa.

A 1966 Comanche 260B, named Myth Too and registered as G ATOY, was owned by English aviator Sheila Scott. The aircraft, flown by Scott, holds 90 world class light aviation records. It is on public display at the National Museum of Flight, Scotland.

The circumnavigation by the oldest pilot on record in 1994 was made by Fred Lasby at age 82 in a Comanche 260B.

The 1963 Camden PA 24 crash – On March 5, 1963, country music singers Patsy Cline, Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were on board a Comanche owned and piloted by Cline's manager, Randy Hughes, when it crashed in deteriorating weather near Camden, Tennessee, killing all on board.