Against my recommendations, it looks like a friend of mine is going to have a Comanche 400 in his hangar pretty soon. He wants me to instruct him in it. All he has flown is a Cherokee 180 and he does not have his high performance or complex signoffs.

I have never flown a Comanche.

Any advice? It's too late for me to get out of this. Are there any quirks in this plane that I need to know of? Any info is greatly appreciated.

I understand the trepidation.

But...sounds like you need to find a 400 expert, get some training for you and your friend.

Then go and have fun! They don't make weird stuff like this anymore. Enjoy!

Maybe show them the IO-720 $100k overhaul cost. They are great planes and climb like a homesick angel. They are heavier in the nose than the Comanche 250. They are also thirstier. A friend had one and sold it a while back.

If you have no Comanche time, let alone Comanche 400 time, how are you gonna qualify on his insurance policy?

Hence finding a 400 expert, getting time, building time after that for insurance (whatever that is...a few hours), then instructing his friend. Yes, they need specialized checkout, but for a competent CFI, thry aren't the Space Shuttle (after you have good initial training).

I transition people from Senecas into 90s and 200s. Yes, they need instruction. But after I "sign them off", I know they can do the thing.

Same here. OP gets tribal knowledge and instruction from expert. Then he becomes local resource...

The Comanche guys have a pretty good owners association. You could reach out to them and find a guru resource. Perhaps you could have a phone call or a web dialogue and get up to speed.

For the record until you are in the air it’s not too late to get out of this.

No Comanche time? Nah. You’re not bringing enough to the table to justify the risk.

For the record until you are in the air it’s not too late to get out of this.

No Comanche time? Nah. You’re not bringing enough to the table to justify the risk.

Study the aircraft systems. Nothing complicated about the Comanche. Don't be the guy trying to pump the gear down! Overhead trim seems to throw some people off.

The 400 is nose heavy compared to the 250/260. I land the 250 with half flaps unless I have pax in the rear. It is easy to land with the nose wheel first since the CG is a bit forward.

Unlikely to have copilot brakes. So giving dual you need some confidence in the pilot. There is a hand brake you can reach from right seat if the need arises.

I have transitioned several people in my 250. Typically, just takes a couple of flights to accomplish.

Thank you. That is the kind of information that I am needing.

The best thing you can do for a real friend is be honest. If you are not properly qualified to safely and effectively give the training, then you are a better friend for saying that you can’t.

That said, if your intention is to receive training in the airplane yourself, before training the new owner, then fine enough, but at that point why not just have the person who would train you, give the training to your friend?

1800 hrs of Comanches single and twin, the 400 isn’t just a plane and you figure it out in… you will significantly increase your chances of damaging yourself or the aircraft

The best thing you can do for a real friend is be honest. If you are not properly qualified to safely and effectively give the training, then you are a better friend for saying that you can’t.

That said, if your intention is to receive training in the airplane yourself, before training the new owner, then fine enough, but at that point why not just have the person who would train you, give the training to your friend?

in addition to the Comanche flyers group you might want to check out Mooney space. M20Doc owns one and is pretty active.

I'll ask the question from the perspective of ignorance.

There are thousands of 180, 250, and 260 hp Comanche's out there. It doesn't require Superman to fly them. Other than being more nose heavy, what's so different about the 400? Why can't you just throw 50 pounds (or a hundred or...) in the back and go fly it like a surprisingly powerful Comanche 250?