July 1, 1992
Describing a flight recently made by this low-time pilot in a Comanche 250:
"Well, Lee, do you want the left seat or do you want to watch from the right seat for awhile this morning?", my friend Dan asked as we rolled the Comanche 250 out of the hangar. Dan is a neighbor and private pilot of about 900 hours and owner of the 1960 Comanche. Myself, only 106 hours and never flown anything faster than a Tiger! No complex or 200+hp endorsement in the logbook.
We had agreed on my birthday this year that Dan would let me avail myself of some complex time in the Comanche for the price of avgas, while he sat as "acting pilot in command" for the flights. I myself would log PIC time as "sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft of the type and category for which I had a rating" - Airplane, single engine land. Yep, the Comanche 250 was indeed an airplane, single-engine land, regardless of the number of strange flippers and things I was looking at on the panel.
"I'll take the left seat. You might want to watch carefully, though."
"Hayward Ground, Comanche 6765 Papa at West East hangars - taxi to Triton." "Roger 65 Papa, Hayward Ground, taxi to Triton approved." "Roger, 65 Papa"
So I pushed in the power to taxi, and began to learn all about what a "Johnson Bar" is for. The 1960 Comanche has no brake pedals. It has a big "pull" brake handle to the right of the yoke, sort of like an outsized car emergency brake, which you pump a couple times to get hydraulic pressure and then pull to apply brakes to both main wheels.
...at Triton Fuel Service
"Fill up the tips this morning, sir?"
"Nah, just the mains, and not all the way at that. Leave a couple inches at the top, we won't be going that far today". (This particular Comanche has wingtip fuel tanks giving it a range of about 800 miles or so at lower power settings).
"That comes to $41.60. Help yourself to a free soda or candy bar from the 'fridge."
...and I can't remember the last time I got a free candy bar in a Skyhawk!
"Hayward Ground, Comanche 6765P at Triton with Hotel, taxi to the active for Northeast departure".
Runup was uneventful. There was a strange chrome-plated knob vernier thing next to the throttle marked "prop". I pulled it and got a Rowwrrrr sound, then I pushed it back in.
"Hayward Tower, Comanche 65P ready for take off request right crosswind departure."
"65P cleared for take off Runway 28 Left. Right crosswind departure approved."
I rolled onto the runway and fed in the power. Brisk accelleration. A touch more right rudder required than I was used too (whoops, an *appreciable* amount of right rudder required!). Lift off. Positive rate. Reduce power to 22" account noise abatement. Gear up. Flaps retracted. Push down to stay under the ARSA floor!
"Where would you like to go today, Lee?"
"Don't know, how about Sonoma and Petaluma for some pattern work?"
"Let's go to Columbia". (CA, not Colombia the country)
"All right by me".
"Try a heading of 060".
-- about 15 minutes later --
"See that round looking hill there just to your right. Head directly for that, descend to 3100 and that'll get you on the 45 for runway 17, which is probably in use".
Right. Reduce manifold pressure somewhat. Trim for 500 fpm descent. Airspeed > 180 mph.
-- about 10 minutes later --
"Columbia Traffic, Comanche 6765P is entering the 45 runway 17, landing Columbia".
Reduce manifold pressure. Trim nose up. Landing gear speed yet? THERE. Gear down and locked. Mixture full rich. Fuel pump ON. Flaps, where are the flaps? Oh, yeah, must be that other "Johnson Bar" thing over to the right. "Columbia Traffic Comanche 65P downwind runway 17 full stop Columbia".
Somebody kiss me quick, I'm going to try to land this thing. Prop high rpm. Get set on final at 100 mph. "ColumbiaTrafficComanche65PopFinalColum.." Slow to 80 mph over the numbers, and...
"Who taught you to land like that! BUMPPP! Flared a bit too high, I reckon... The Comanche does not like that!".
"We'll try that again after breakfast. Full stop over there. Jeeesh!".
Omelette was great. I tried not to look too sheepish for mishandling that $45K airplane on landing. We talked about relationships instead. Easier on the nerves.
Back in the airplane.
"Let me get in first and show you the pattern and landing. Then you get back in and try it. I'm sure it'll work out better the second time around".
So I move my miserable self aside and let Dan have the left seat.
He flies one very neat, near perfect right pattern to show me the timing of everything, except for the "BUMP! - flared just a bit too high at the end there" landing. But I think I've seen it now and am ready to try again.
I'm back in the left seat now. "Columbia Traffic, Comanche 65 Papa departing 17 closed right traffic, Columbia". Off we go, the right rudder doesn't catch me sleeping this time.
Rotate 75 mph. Positive rate of climb. Gear up. Power reduction to 22" and 2300 rpm. Flaps up. Turn crosswind and downwind. Gear down. Mixture Rich. Fuel pump on. 16". One notch of flaps. Turn base. Full flaps 100 mph. Turn final. Prop high rpm. Try 80 mph over the numbers, and...
chirp... "Nice landing. 80 mph does it every time at our weight."
Time to get back to Hayward now. I can't believe how fast this thing seems to fly
compared to the Skyhawk. It's getting warm in the afternoon and there is a lot of
cumulus with bases about 4000'. I fly beneath the cumulus, it's just slightly bouncy
there but with the updrafts can trim the nose down a bit and get something like 185 mph
at a throttle setting of 22"/2300 rpm. Before I know it we're skimming over Livermore's
ATA and descending to stay clear of SF's TCA and Oakland's ARSA.
"Hayward Tower, Comanche 6765 Papa over Dublin, 2800' with Mike. Landing Hayward".
"6765 Papa, Hayward Tower. Report right base runway 28R."
And in only a couple of minutes it's all over. "65 Papa is right base 28R".
chirp... Fast airplanes? I think I like 'em a lot. This may turn out to be very expensive for us!
Some notes: