pinerunner Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 I was just reading about the insane distance exploits of Max Conrad in his 250 Comanche. Like going from Africa to Texas and having gas left over. It was natural to wonder; what if he'd had a Mooney? His plane had lot of auxiliary gas tanks and he apparently could get by with no sleep for a couple days. He took out the starter and put in a lighter generator. No frills; just the mission. What if he'd had a Mooney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM20C Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 Max's Comanche started out as a 250 but he put a 180 in it. All of his record flights were done with the 180hp. I think a Mooney would have fitted his needs better than the Comanche, but he had a long relationship with Piper. I think they gave him (or gave him a great deal) his Comanches. He was a heck of a guy. He had something over 56,000hr TT when he died. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N33GG Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 The Comanche was a heck of an aircraft. Too bad the tooling got destroyed and Piper did not continue development of that aircraft! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumbline Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 My top picks when I bought a plane were between a Comanche 250 or pre-electric gear/flap Mooney. I recently read somewhere that Al Mooney, at Piper's behest, did the original design work on the Comanche. Can't remember where I saw that but it made sense to me why the two planes are so attractive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanM20C Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 My top picks when I bought a plane were between a Comanche 250 or pre-electric gear/flap Mooney. I recently read somewhere that Al Mooney, at Piper's behest, did the original design work on the Comanche. Can't remember where I saw that but it made sense to me why the two planes are so attractive. According to this you are correct. http://www.comanchepilot.com/Development/development.html I had never knew that. It makes me respect Al Mooney even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 I've had the "my plane is better than your plane" argument with quite a few Comanche drivers. I don't care what they say the Mooney is better! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotarPilot Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 I've had the "my plane is better than your plane" argument with quite a few Comanche drivers. I don't care what they say the Mooney is better! Seems like a pretty simple argument to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry Posted June 12, 2014 Report Share Posted June 12, 2014 My Dad had a Comanche 400 when I was a kid. He loved that plane. To this day he talks about how that plane could climb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonal Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 One of the first planes I ever flew in as a kid was a Comanche twin. I was just a little kid but I can remember that airplane. As for which is better I like them all. I bought a mooney so I guess for me that answers that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 1500 useful load, 720 pounds with full fuel, 6+ hour endurance, 1000+ NM range, take off in 1200 ft, climb at 1500+ fpm. As much as i loved my Mooney's, it's not a Mooney, a Beech or a Cessna. There are pictures of the first Comanches with Mooney trailing link gear. Clarence Forgot to add, pick the story of Max Conrad, Into the Wind, it's a great read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N201MKTurbo Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Face it we all own Mooney's because we don't want to burn 15 GPH to go 150 KTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsxrpilot Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 The first flying I can remember was when I was about 5 or 6 and flying with my Grandfather in his Comanche 250. That's when I knew I'd have an airplane someday. I did my high performance/complex in a Comanche 250 and did two hours in one in preparations for the Mooney check out before buying my M20C. I briefly looked at Comanche's when it looked like the deal on the Mooney might fall through. I love the Comanche, but for the money, I don't think you can beat my Mooney. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 . . . for the money, I don't think you can beat my Mooney. You said it all right there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisk Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 A Comanche 250/260 was on my short list of planes. Unfortunately, they are orphaned and have a reputation for expensive ADs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinerunner Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Max's Comanche started out as a 250 but he put a 180 in it. All of his record flights were done with the 180hp. I think a Mooney would have fitted his needs better than the Comanche, but he had a long relationship with Piper. I think they gave him (or gave him a great deal) his Comanches. He was a heck of a guy. He had something over 56,000hr TT when he died. Dan He did a bunch of non-record ferry flights for Piper. He's probably got an untouchable (if there is such a thing) record for hours over the mid atlantic in prop-driven aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSMooniac Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 Max Conrad: Could he have done better with a Mooney? Who WOULDN'T have done better with a Mooney? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glafaille Posted July 8, 2017 Report Share Posted July 8, 2017 (edited) His record from Casablanca to El Paso still stands. Someone with a Mooney could give it a try! Edited July 8, 2017 by glafaille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Peace Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 7 hours ago, glafaille said: His record from Casablanca to El Paso still stands. Someone with a Mooney could give it a try! Don't tempt me....I have done over the ocean in a single before.......older and wiser now but I would love to break the record..... I wonder how far a 64c could fly if tanked up....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
INA201 Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 This is what I get assuming 7gph and 140kts. You would need a nice tailwind too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 Jonathan Paul flew a stock E from San Diego to Savannah, GA two or three years ago. His flight was followed here, and he submitted a writeup afterwards. Makes me wonder what the difference in mileage is? Seems he landed with several hours fuel, too. But it was not a fast flight . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinerunner Posted July 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 59 minutes ago, Hank said: Jonathan Paul flew a stock E from San Diego to Savannah, GA two or three years ago. His flight was followed here, and he submitted a writeup afterwards. Makes me wonder what the difference in mileage is? Seems he landed with several hours fuel, too. But it was not a fast flight . . . I love reading his accounts. He had long range tanks and could hold 90 gallons. He also waited for just the right wind conditions to help out. His accounts make me wonder what I could pull off with just 52 gallons in my standard 64 E model. In a pinch its also good to know that you can stretch your reserve by dropping to 6 gph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steingar Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 I've read that Piper actually lost money on the Comanches, and the flooding just gave them an excuse to pull the plug. Difference between a Comanche and a Mooney: Comanche uses a big engine to do its wonders, Mooney gets by on efficiency. I can see why folks like them. Cavernous interiors. Poor man's Bonanza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 9, 2017 Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 12 hours ago, Jim Peace said: Don't tempt me....I have done over the ocean in a single before.......older and wiser now but I would love to break the record..... I wonder how far a 64c could fly if tanked up....... Go for it! I'd love to see if the record could be bettered. For some of Max's records he took off at nearly double the normal gross weight, just shy of 6000 lbs. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 It was enjoyable to watch John Paul select all the things to make his flight a success... He watched the weather like a sailor watches the tides, connecting tail winds generated by the weather's pressure systems... Transcontinental Mooneys are cool! Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glafaille Posted July 10, 2017 Report Share Posted July 10, 2017 23 hours ago, steingar said: I've read that Piper actually lost money on the Comanches, and the flooding just gave them an excuse to pull the plug. Difference between a Comanche and a Mooney: Comanche uses a big engine to do its wonders, Mooney gets by on efficiency. I can see why folks like them. Cavernous interiors. Poor man's Bonanza. Steingar: Sorry but you are mistaken on this particular record setting flight. Max Conrad flew a Comanche 180 from Casablanca to El Paso. Same engine as the C model Mooney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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