One of the instructors at work is wanting to buy a Cessna 172, 177, 177RG or a Piper Comanche 180. If anyone knows of anything near them please let me know. The more details the better.

Thanks

I will have my Comanche 250 for sale ..

Id stay away from the Comanche 180....its a pig.

He sold his Mooney 3 years ago. Now he has the itch agin. But 150 is a little too small for him and Comanche 250 is where he was at 3 years ago. Trying to stay fixed gear and fixed prop if he can.

There's a Comanche 180 on Barnstormers with low total time and 445 smoh for $22k. It has logbook issues. You have to search "Comanche 180" as it wont come up any other way. It's still for sale, I talked to the guy yesterday. It needs a radio stack, and likely $10k worth of maintenance.

Thanks, but he isn't looking for a project.

Wait a year and I will have a 70 Cherokee 140 with 160 hp ram Engine upgrade (Cylinders) . 2 G-5s, G-650, G-345 , G-500 Autopilot, and a JPI-830 Engine monitor . Just bought it today , upgrade avionics next month ,sell next year.

I have a friend who got his private ticket in a Comanche 180 and uses it to commute from Pa. to Chicago every time weather permits and is quite satisfied with his purchase. My 2 cents.

In addition to my first post on this topic, my friend told me he gets 139 knots at 10 gallons per hour. Guess I put 4 cents in now.

I had some experience with a buddies 180 Comanche years ago....flew it off and on for about a year or so. Best I ever saw was barely over 130 kts. The 250/260 Comanches are definitely nice improvements in all areas. All the Comanches are nice birds to fly and they are roomy to boot.

He bought a Comanche 180 over the weekend. It is located in Kalamazoo MI.

Good for him. A little like the 180-HP Cherokee Arrow. Respect gross weight and the Comanche is more efficient. Nice-size cabin, good handling, bullet-proof engine.

Hope he's found a good one.

Suggestion: put it on jacks and swing the gear during the pre-buy.

I did a complex airplane checkout for a commercial student in a Comanche about six months ago. The FBO that owns it insists on putting the airplane on jacks and having the student do the emergency gear extension for real. I thought that was great. The emergency gear extension system is not intuitive. The time in the airplane on jacks working on the gear system was absolutely great. The FBO feels that the training is cheap insurance so it doesn't charge the student for the A & P time for setting up and running the session, just for the dual with the CFI.

If I were restricted to one thing to say to new Comanche pilots it would be - don't add ANY speed over book on final. That airplane is allergic to extra speed on final as it will bite you in the flare and touchdown. It lands beautifully if you fly final on speed. Tack on any more and lots and lots of bad things can happen as you float - directional control issues, touching down on the nose wheel ...

CORRECTION,

I was misinformed or didn't quite hear what Larry told me. He bought a Cherokee 180. 1964. Paint was done in 2013. Very nice and shinny paint job.

And a good, solid plane they are.



Jim