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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 2131.PDF
932 FLIGHT International, 5 December 1%\ -;!^HHHHHHI Pictured recently when passing through Manchester Airport, this Invader, converted for photo graphic and geophysical survey work, is operated by Aero Service Corporation and used for survey of the North Sea area (photograph by Airviews (Manchester) Ltd) SPORT AND BUSINESS Comanche 400 The following account of the forthcoming Comanche 400 and its background was given by Mr Howard Piper, vice-president for research and development, at the Piper Company's recent annual international sales meeting in Florida. After referring to the good results obtained by Piper aircraft in this year's "Powder Puff Derby" transcontinental race, Mr Piper said: "Here's a new model that ought to be showing up well in some of these races before long. We've been talking about it for a long time, and finally it is going to be in production next spring, barring some other unfore seen delay. It is, of course, our 400 h.p. Comanche powered by the Lycoming eight-cylinder 400 h.p. engine driving a Hartzell three- bladed prop. "I have a lot of hope for this airplane. Let me give you a little background on it. I've been wanting for a long time a reasonably priced, single-engine airplane with as much performance as we could pack into it and still have an acceptable price, configuration, capacity, etc. What I wanted was something as similar to a four- place P-51 Mustang as was practicable. "The only way we could accomplish this was to take a good, clean, economical Comanche, clean it up a little more, and put as large an engine in it as was feasible from a weight, power, and cost standpoint. This engine—the Lycoming IO-720—is the largest, reasonably priced, ungeared, unsupercharged engine of our general type in existence. It gives us a powerplant which will provide as much performance as we can get, at least at low or medium alti tudes. It makes possible a good high-speed, four-place model about 25 m.p.h. faster than a Bonanza, and in the same price category. "I think it is quite apparent that this part of the market needs a stimulant to make it more active. No one's airplanes in that cate gory have been improved for many years. The cruising speeds have been running around 185 m.p.h. at least since 1957 when the Comanche was developed. And performance is what the users of this type of plane want—that's why they buy 250 Comanches in larger numbers than the 180s. "The 400 Comanche will introduce a lot more performance into this category without a prohibitive price increase. I feel that it will take over this market. "This model makes use of some of the components of the Comanche 250 and some of the Twin Comanche parts. The gross weight at 3,6001b is the same as the Twin. The tail is similar, except that an Aztec stabilator is used. The wings and fuselage are similar, but the wings carry 130 gallons of fuel instead of 90. This provides for about six hours of cruising at 75 per cent power at 210-215 m.p.h. "One thing that we have transferred from the Twin Comanche to the 400 is the soundproofing arrangement. It has the double windows and the double soundproofing layer that was worked out on the PA-30. And although it isn't as quiet as the Twin—because it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve as low a sound level when the engine is just ahead of the firewall as it is when the engines are out in the wings—this is about as smooth and quiet a single-engine as has been built. This eight-cylinder engine runs very smoothly in all conditions from idle to full power, and is very impressive in its operation and sound and feel." Lightplane Paperbacks The attractive series of modern aircraft guides edited by Joe Christy and published by Sport Car Press in the USA is now available in this country from the UK agent, Mr Graham K. Scott, 84 Grosvenor Road, Muswell Hill, London N10. Each book in the series costs 12s 6d (13s 2d including post age), and the list includes Racing Planes Guide, Classic Biplanes, Lightplane Engine Guide, Modern Aerobatic and Precision Flying, Cockpit Navigation Guide, Guide to Homebuilts, Used Plane Buying Guide, The Piper Cub Story, Beechcraft Guide, Cessna Guide, Antique Plane Guide, Parachuting for Sport, Guide to Air Traffic Control, Pilot's Weather Guide and Computer Guide. An illustrated leaflet giving more details of these books is obtainable from the above address. Biggin Hill Air Fair The Air Travel Fair will once again be held at Biggin Hill Airport, Kent, next year from May 7 to 10. The committee reports that new aircraft from all over the world are expected to attend and that almost all of this year's participants will be there agiin next year. Chairman of the Fair is Sqn Ldr J. R- Maitland at Biggin Hill Airport. Fournier RF.3 Production Nine Fournier RF.3s have been com pleted and delivered to French customers by Alpavia and 20 more are on order. Final details are being settled concerning a sfrsabw order from the USA. The distributor for Britain, Aviation Apncy (51 Rue du Rocher, Paris 8, France) plans to bring a demon- trator over to Britain early next spring. Next Year's Nationals Lasham Airfield has been chosen frr the 1964 National Gliding Championships, to be held during ^W 17-24. Aztec for Vickers British Executive Air Services of Oxvoro, recently appointed Piper dealers, are supplying a Piper Aztec to Vickers-Armstrongs (Shipbuilders) Ltd.
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