N17MB is William’s 1966 B-model Piper Twin Comanche (PA-30B) based at Gallatin, Music City Executive (KXNX), near Nashville, TN. 17MB seats four adults (plus two removable seats), cruises at 170mph, burns 17 gallons an hour, and carries 84 gallons of usable fuel.
The Twin Comanche is the second most efficient general aviation light twin, second to Diamond’s DA twin series. It takes William just under 4.5 hours to fly between Nashville and San Antonio, all while burning 10 less gallons than his Tahoe would burn making the same drive but over a total time of about 14 hours.
17MB was previously owned by former American Airlines pilot Mike, of Music City Aircraft Sales, who still retains 5% ownership and helped instruct William to get his multi-engine rating. Together they have put many miles on 17MB since becoming partners in April, 2021.
Here is some video of N17MB in action:
The Alaska Trip
In July 2022, together with friends Robert, James, and Daniel, William flew N17MB to Anchorage Alaska from the lower 48. They flew the coastal route from Seattle, overflying Canada to Ketchikan and Yakutat around the Gulf of Alaska.
The Seattle Trip
William along with James and Daniel flew N17MB from San Antonio to Seattle and back during the summer of 2021. Below are a collection of videos of the trip:
Track N17MB using it’s Twitter bot.
Resources:
International Comanche Society PA-30 Twin Comanche POH
Piper PA-30B Twin Comanche POH
Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche Service Manual
STEC 40 Autopilot Operating Manual
Shadin Digital Fuel Flow Operating Manual
JPI EDM-760 Digital Engine Monitor Operating Manual
Lycoming IO-320 Engine Operator Manual