The International Comanche Society - Pilot und Flugzeug

haven’t worked their way up the fleet from trainer to fixedgear,
four-seater to complex aircraft, often in many little
steps over many years. Rather they have come to aviation
in mid-life, and have a strong utility view of it. They buy new,
and they buy “the best” straight up. The top models sell
better than the base models.
And so the product is being tailored to this market. Features,
fitout and finesse all rate highly. You simply can’t sell a cell
phone without countless features, even though most are not
used downstream by the customer. But it’s the packaging
and inclusion of features that sells, not the basic call function.
Likewise, this market is buying airplanes that look and
feel like cell phones or PCs – for them it’s a familiar environment.
You can even get an airplane with a remote to control it!
This is very important to us. It means that the future of
our aircraft has to come from it having a desirability of its
own – it will not have the sleek finish of the new plastic airframes,
and few will be fitted out with an integrated and
ergonomic glass flight environment.
So our Comanches have to be classy – seen as the “real deal;”
aircraft flown and desired by aviators. They also have to be
affordable to operate and capable of undertaking a wide range
of missions – from the local scenic flights to flexible and
efficient cross-country hauls in a range of IFR conditions.
This then is one of the key responsibilities of ICS, and by
the way the reason that any Comanche owner who is not a
member just isn’t doing themselves a favour.
Secondly, our aircraft may be quite confronting to a generation
brought up in the current crop of certified aircraft just because
of their underlying complexity of operation. The Twinstar made
an impression on me. The engines basically had simple controls
– Fuel on/off/xfeed, one engine on/off switch, one engine test
switch, one power lever … and a key starter. That’s about it.
All the rest is hidden and safely managed by the aircraft.
Compare that to our twins. To keep the engines happy, you
need to correctly manage the following controls – throttle,
propeller, mixture, cowl flap, alternate air, electric fuel pump,
magnetos, mechanical fuel selector, tip tank electrical solenoid
… and the starter. So there are over 20 items in the
cockpit which have to be set, understood and managed for
correct engine operation. And I have not included the numerous
gauges to monitor - RPM, MAP, EGT, CHT, FF, fuel quantity,
oil pressure and oil temperature. Perhaps, I should have
said “almost 40 items” to manage and understand.
Now we are all comfortable with that level of complexity,
and for many, mastering that is part of the appeal. But I
can’t help thinking that this may be a barrier for the current
crop of buyers. In fact, will they see a Comanche as an
upgrade or not?
To create this long term value, we need to make and reinforce
our aircraft as an “aspiration” possession – having their own
mystique, own appeal, and drawing looks and comments on
the ramp. Old beaters just won’t do it – they will be perceived
as complex and unsafe.
So we all have responsibilities in this – the ICS and its
members.
The ICS team is going to work on the big issues – the FAA
and continuing airworthiness, the Flyer, the technical support
to members and ensuring the preservation of the many lifetimes
of accumulated Comanche knowledge.
You need to work on the small things – keeping your aircraft
truly airworthy, making sure it has shoulder harnesses, keeping
yourself fit and current, and flying the aircraft actively.
Together there’s a great outlook for many happy years of
personal aviation ahead.
Regards,
Lawrence
Comanche Flyer Submission Guidelines
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.
Send to:
Kim Blonigen, Managing Editor at kblonigen@cox.net
Articles and photos may also be sent via U.S. Mail to:
Kim Blonigen
2031 South Beech • Wichita, KS 67207
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 specifically 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, approximately 40 days prior to month of publication.
SEPTEMBER 2006 Comanche Flyer • 3