This is one of the finest single engine true touring aircraft in the UK today.

Based at Retford (Gamston) airport, Nottinghamshire, the aircraft, a PA 24-250 Turbo normalised Comanche, is a truly rare breed with a cockpit installation many sophisticated twin engined aircraft would envy.

The engine was totally rebuilt in 2004 using only the original block. All other components, including the engine air cooling baffles, were renewed. The Propeller and Governor were also renewed and then the aircraft was given the upgrade on avionics followed by the Annual Inspection.

The avionics refit was done with the forthcoming European legislation borne in mind so that the aircraft is "future proof" for at least ten years and will not therefore require any major spend as the European legislation unfolds in the next few years.

All this work was undertaken in the aircraft’s home state of California before being flown to the UK by the ferry pilots. The aircraft arrived in the UK on 20th June 2004 having completed a total journey including the Atlantic crossing took of just 46 hours of engine time.

Further improvements were undertaken on arrival in the UK to give the following impressive listing :

• TCAS 
• Garmin 340 Audio Panel
• Garmin 330X Mode S Transponder
• Garmin 430 GPS coupled to
• S-Tec 55X Autopilot

TCAS alerts the pilot to other transponding aircraft within a 5 mile radius horizontally and 1000 feet vertically and complements any radar service being provided to the aircraft or offers some measure of protection where a radar service is not available.

The Garmin 340 audio panel allows pilot and copilot to use the radios independently of each other, hear both radios at the same time, allow independent intercom transmissions and provides for background music or DVD entertainment for the rear passengers.

The Garmin Mode S transponder equips this aircraft with the basic necessities for flight in controlled airspace both in the UK and abroad. This unit is also coupled with the Garmin 430 such that other "traffic" services can be accessed should they ever be made available in the EU. At the moment these services are only available in the American States.

The Garmin 430 provides a myriad of services to the pilot including primary radio and navigation (GPS and ground based) services, flight planning and airport information facilities, arrival, approach and departure planning as well as GPS moving map display. The database is upgraded annually to maintain the most up to date information possible for the pilot.

Facilities for the rear passengers include CD music or DVD cinema entertainment and all four places have Pilot 17/70 noise reduction headset with gel seals.

The engine is Turbo Normalised which means that the Pilot has control of the boost pressure at all times. Overboost is therefore not a problem and maximum fuel economy is effortlessly maintained.

The six fuel tanks boast 430 litres of usable fuel, with a burn of just 55 litres per hour at altitude realising a cruising speed in excess of 160 knots. The tank selection is bilateral and under the control of the pilot so that aircraft balance can be maintained during long journeys.

On board 4 place oxygen using independent cannula allows cruising altitudes of up to 18000 feet making this aircraft a "go any place any time" machine. Fuel economy and effective ground speeds go hand in hand with the higher altitude capability of this machine.