Narrowing it down... Comanche?

"Ken Reed" wrote in message
nk.net...
The legroom fits with what I've read--but, otherwise, you're the first
source who *doesn't* say the Mooney is "a tight fit," "like getting into
a sports car," "you wear it," etc. M20s have a 43" cabin width from what
I've read--compare to 45" for the Comanche. Are my figures off??

This from an AOPA article:
"Although the measuring tape says the cabin is comparable to other
four-place retractables, the perception is that the cockpit is not as
large."

The Mooney is 43.5"and the Comanche is 44", according to Plane & Pilot:

http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/cont..._tse_1988.html

http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/cont...rcomanche.html

0.5" difference doesn't get me too excited.

Nor me. (Though, I should note, the P&P site lists the Comanche at the 45"
I'd seen, on both links for a 250; the specs for the 180 show 44"--I thought
they used the same airframe??) I wonder if the difference is related to
shape? Is the Mooney more rounded, perhaps, leading to less shoulder room
than the 43.5" would otherwise indicate? In any case, I've yet to sit in a
Comanche, and it's been many years since I've been in a Mooney (and, at the
time, I was used to flying the AA-5, so I doubt I would've complained then!)
Either way, that "perception" the AOPA article mentions leads me to think
there's something to it....


..

If you decide to look into Mooneys further, you may want to consider an
'F' model versus a 'J' (aka 201). The 'J' is a great airplane too, but it
may be more than you need. Your 150 MPH cruise figure is slow for any
Mooney; the 'F' will cruise at 145-150 kts and the 'J' will do 158-160 kts
(real world numbers). If you are looking for 600sm range, in a Mooney you
don't need four hours ;-)


Oh, absolutely! Of course, 150 mph is slow for the Comanche, too--those
were minimum figures. The M20F's number seem to be comparable to the
PA-24-2xx's (and the J is faster). Factor in the intangibles, though, and
the Mooneys stay on the back burner for now--great airplanes that will meet
my needs, but not (in my impression) the best choice for my needs/wants
right now....

(FYI, before I "discovered" the Comanches in my research, Mooney was leading
the pack....)

Thanks for the advice!

--
Doug
"Where am I to go/Now that I've gone too far?" -- Golden Earring, "Twilight
Zone"
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