Piper Comanche

A2A's Accu-Sim 2 Comanche uses its external Merlin flight-physics system and a per-cylinder engine model. The manual describes fuel priming, fuel contamination and ground behaviour that responds to tyre loading. Persistent aircraft condition connects one simulator session with the next, while the maintenance and inspection interfaces make that condition visible. The full manual is the starting point for understanding the aircraft; the separate variable list serves cockpit builders.

Accu-Sim 2 Comanche for MSFS · PDF p.8; features and systems

The maintenance interface records engine and airframe hours and provides an inspection diagram showing the condition of individual systems. Its New, Used and Auction starting conditions give the same aircraft different mechanical histories; the Auction option can produce a wide range of condition. The maintenance page also provides an overhaul function. The manual describes selectable airframe modifications, soundproofing and a choice of McCauley or MT three-bladed propeller. These are configuration options within A2A's model. These features are specific to A2A's Comanche.

Accu-Sim Comanche 250 for MSFS · PDF pp.22,50–51 / printed pp.20,48–49

The Comanche's tablet handles fuel, passengers and baggage through Accu-Sim's own simulation. A2A states that the default MSFS weight-and-balance menu is not supported for this aircraft because the model uses external code. The tablet shows a live centre-of-gravity diagram as the load changes, provides fuel presets and can update the JPI engine monitor's fuel state. This is a consequential difference from a default simulator aircraft, even before considering how either one flies.

Accu-Sim Comanche 250 for MSFS · PDF p.50 / printed p.48 · Fuel and payload

Unwin flew Mark Bonsall's refurbished 1963 Comanche 250 from Netherthorpe with instructor Nick Riddin. This particular aircraft had fuel injection and a three-blade propeller, so it was not an untouched factory example. With two aboard and partial fuel, it accelerated briskly from the grass strip. Unwin liked the harmonisation of the primary controls and their low initial resistance, although he found the older instrument and engine-control layout less intuitive than a modern cockpit.

Dave Unwin

Wall's attachment to the Comanche began with a flying-club comparison in 1958. Interviewed by Bill Cox, he recalled flying a loaded Comanche 250 and a contemporary Bonanza between Burbank and Phoenix. He considered the Comanche the stronger performer in that particular comparison, while acknowledging the appeal of the Beechcraft's handling. Decades later, after a professional flying career, that experience helped draw him back to a 1958 Comanche of his own.

Robert Wall, interviewed by Bill Cox