Range Map

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1

Tank-dry, where fuel runs out at catalogue's stored cruise burn.

Excludes reserves: range beyond the dashed circle requires a leaner cruise than what we store. Great-circle, still air, book cruise. Estimates only: always verify against the POH.

Payload vs. Range

Occupants:

Fuel on board

Cargo

nm

Range

Cargo is additional payload after occupants and baggage.
full tanks
Available Range / nm
Mission capable. This load flies with full fuel.
Fuel reduced by . left aboard for nm range.
Over max payload by . At this load it cannot lift a single occupant.

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Mission Profile

Used market Only available used
194
KTAS
Cruise Speed
1,100
nm
Max Range
30,000
ft
Service Ceiling
6
Occupants
597
lbs
Wet Payload
Endorsements & ratings:
  • Complex
  • High-Altitude
  • Multi-Engine
Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche (N7391Y) at Frankfort Capital City Airport, Kentucky. Photo: Aeroprints.com, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche (N7391Y) at Frankfort Capital City Airport, Kentucky. Photo: Aeroprints.com, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the Piper PA-30 Turbo Twin Comanche

Type certificated 1963 Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet

Overview

The Piper PA-30 Turbo Twin Comanche is the turbocharged version of Piper’s fuel-efficient light twin, built on the laminar-flow Comanche airframe and produced from 1963, with turbocharging arriving on the B model in 1966. Two small 160-horsepower Lycoming engines give it cruise speeds that rival larger twins on roughly half the fuel, and manual RayJay turbocharging lets it hold power into the mid-twenties and ceiling at 30,000 feet.

For buyers it is the efficiency play in the twin market: a second engine for redundancy at a fuel burn close to a high-performance single. With optional 15-gallon tip tanks bringing fuel to 120 gallons, range exceeds 1,100 nautical miles. Set against Piper’s own Aztec, the Turbo Twin Comanche is the efficiency choice: it cruises faster on roughly 17 gallons an hour where the Aztec burns near 27, and tip tanks stretch it past 1,100 nautical miles, but it gives up the Aztec’s cabin and payload to do it. It suits the pilot who flies long legs at altitude and counts fuel, not the one who needs to haul a full cabin.

Key Features for GA Buyers

  • Roughly 15 to 17 GPH combined. Two Lycoming TIO-320 fours, 160 hp each.
  • High-altitude turbocharging. Manual RayJay wastegates maintain power into the mid-twenties for a 30,000-foot service ceiling.
  • Tip-tank range. Optional 15-gallon tip tanks raise total fuel to 120 gallons and range past 1,100 nm.
  • Laminar-flow Comanche airframe. Clean aerodynamics deliver the speed, and the type has an established owner and parts community.
  • Counter-rotating PA-39 option. Later airframes eliminate the critical engine, simplifying single-engine handling.

Trade-offs

  • Manual turbo management. Older turbo models use manual wastegates, so the pilot manages throttle and wastegate together in the climb to avoid over-boosting.
  • Demanding landings. The laminar-flow wing and short gear make it a known floater that punishes excess approach speed.
  • Marginal single-engine climb. Like its peers, engine-out climb is modest (roughly 200 to 260 fpm) and rewards a current, proficient pilot who respects Vmc and Vsse.
  • Tight cabin. The four-seat cabin (six PCLM with the optional rear jump seats) is narrow, and the aft seats suit children or baggage more than adults.
  • Aging turbo systems. Turbochargers, wastegates, and induction plumbing add maintenance items beyond a naturally aspirated twin.

See Also

Featured in our buying guides

Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Wingspan 36 ft
Height
8 ft
Length
25 ft
Parking area (ft²2)
1,385 ft²
Max Takeoff Weight
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 3,600 lbs
Max Landing Weight
3,600 lbs
Useful Load
1,317 lbs
Fuel Capacity
120 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed
Source: third-party reference 194 KTAS
Never-Exceed (VNE)
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 200 KIAS
Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
Source: FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 168 KIAS
Approach Speed
75 KIAS
Stall, Clean (VS1)
69 KIAS
Range
1100 NM
Service Ceiling
Source: third-party reference 30,000 ft
Rate of Climb
260 - 1460 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle
1,590 ft
Landing over 50 ft obstacle
1,900 ft

Engines

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Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Piper PA-30 Turbo Twin Comanche specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.

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