skywagon8a
MEMBER
SE Mass MA6
The Twin Comanche is a great airplane which flew well with two 160 hp Lycos. Early in it's life there were a number of spin accidents which happened during single engine Vmc demonstrations. It is possible that some of the younger pilots and their instructors are not familiar with that characteristic. The following is a good review of the PA-30.
http://www.planecheck.com/twincom.htm
This is an excerpt from the article:
With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight we now know that no light twin, (except Cessna's 336/337) should be stalled with one engine dead. The wide distribution of weight in the engines and fuel has an aggravating affect under asymmetric thrust. Once the rudder has run out of effective control (below Vmc), a stall may quickly turn into an unrecoverable flat spin. At FAA recommended low altitudes, this was a great prescription for killing pilots in training and is exactly what happened. It led to the Twin Comanche acquiring a totally undeserved reputation.
In belated recognition of demonstrating the dangers of Vmc, the FAA responded in 1969 by a simple stroke of the pen, to increasing the PA-30's Vmc from 80 to 90 mph.
http://www.planecheck.com/twincom.htm
This is an excerpt from the article:
With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight we now know that no light twin, (except Cessna's 336/337) should be stalled with one engine dead. The wide distribution of weight in the engines and fuel has an aggravating affect under asymmetric thrust. Once the rudder has run out of effective control (below Vmc), a stall may quickly turn into an unrecoverable flat spin. At FAA recommended low altitudes, this was a great prescription for killing pilots in training and is exactly what happened. It led to the Twin Comanche acquiring a totally undeserved reputation.
In belated recognition of demonstrating the dangers of Vmc, the FAA responded in 1969 by a simple stroke of the pen, to increasing the PA-30's Vmc from 80 to 90 mph.
