 | | May 20 — Have a look at the most recent photos posted in the gallery to the right. You’ll see evidence of great progress in the Win-A-Twin Comanche’s instrument panel transformation. The old radios and instruments are long gone, and the avionics’ wiring and buses are all new.
Sebastian Communication’s Carl Campbell says that “service loops” have been added to all of the main wiring bundles. You do this by giving extra length to the wiring. Having a service loop means that anyone working on the avionics won’t have to deal with wiring bundles that are too short — too short to easily make removals and reinstallations.
With the new circuit breaker panel, Carl said “you can pull the panel eight to 10 inches away from the main panel, so working on it should be no problem.” The main avionics wiring bundles — two one-inch diameter trunks — also have service loops. These have just been installed.
Using Sebastian’s CNC (computer numerical control) milling machine, the airplane’s instrument panels have been given their cutouts and await installation of the new and/or overhauled instruments. Campbell bought the milling machine as a conventional model, then converted it himself to computerized control. He runs the Autocad and Bobcad software programs to cut new panels. “It’s paid for itself many times over,” Carl said. “I’ll bet I’ve cut 60 to 70 panels on it.”
It’s also worth mentioning the Radiorax avionics mounting rails. You can identify them in the photos because they have a blue anodized finish. You can also see them on Sebastian’s Web site. These mount vertically and let avionics installers attach radios and other black boxes in just about any location — up or down — in the center stack. Sebastian wanted the Radiorax mounts because the old Twin Comanche stack was attached by screws and nut plates, in fixed locations. That won’t work with such big and differently shaped boxes like the Garmin AT CNX80 and MX20. Those units, and much more, will soon be front and center on the brand-new center stack. |  | | | At this point, it looks like the Win-A-Twin will be finished in time for AOPA's annual Fly-In on Saturday, June 5. Sebastian Communication has been hard at work applying the reverse-time machine to 40 years' worth of avionics, and we have all seen how big a job that has been. Even so, they do this kind of work all the time, and we're hopeful that our/your Twin Comanche will be on AOPA's ramp at the Frederick, Maryland, Municipal Aiport in time for the festivities. Please mark your calendars and stop by to visit. And let's all hope for clear skies!
|  | | | After the Fly-In, the Win-A-Twin will fly to the Trenton-Mercer County Airport. There, its new interior will be installed by Airtex Products, Inc. Stay tuned for more updates as this remarkable Twin Comanche goes into the final stages of its restoration. — Thomas A. Horne
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 | |  | | | | Anyone who flies, owns, or is thinking about buying a Comanche or Twin Comanche should really get to know Webco Aircraft Company. They have supplied many parts for the Win-A-Twin restoration and service the entire Comanche/Twin Comanche community from their Kansas shop. You’ll find them extremely helpful and knowledgeable, as we did when the overhead trim cables gave out on the Win-A-Twin. Webco shipped us the cables overnight, faxed the relevant pages from the Piper service manual, and even talked our mechanics through the procedure when it came to some installation questions. Webco’s Web site carries complete listings of their parts — with illustrations — and even has lists of ADs and service bulletins for Comanches and Twin Comanches. For more information, contact Webco Aircraft Co., 1134 N. Oliver Road, Hangar G, Newton, Kansas 67114; telephone 316/283-7929; fax 316/283-4702; Internet: www.webcoaircraft.com. E-mail for:
Technical/Maintenance issues: service@webcoaircraft.com
Customer Service & Sales Support:
sales@webcoaircraft.com
In-house Scheduling or Maintenance Quotes:
john@webcoaircraft.com
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