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Many times Piper Navajo owners will wait until their engines are nearing TBO to have a Colemill Panther conversion performed on their airplanes. Others, however, want that extra power, performance, safety, and comfort immediately.
A good example is Dino Malapanis of Nashua, New Hampshire. He and his partner found a pristine, low time 1983 Navajo CR model they were considering buying.
"Before we bought the airplane, my partner and I went for a test flight in it. He looked at me and said, 'What do you think?' I said, 'I love the airplane but I absolutely will not accept it unless we do the Colemill conversion on it.' It had fewer than 400 hours on the engines. But I was just determined to do the Panther conversion on it. I just didn't want the airplane without it," Malapanis said.
Malapanis had owned a Colemill Panther before. And he had spent a lot of time flying unmodified Navajos and Chieftains. So he was well aware of the vast improvements the Panther conversion makes to these airplanes. That's why he was so insistent that the modification be performed, he said.
"It's a big difference. It's a real big difference. The performance in taking off and carrying the weight is totally different. It's much, much better," Malapanis said.
"I have a lot of time in normal Chieftains and normal 310s. So I can definitely tell you it's a lot quieter and a lot smoother. Anybody I take for a ride in this airplane...the first thing they tell me is they can't believe how smooth it is. I notice the quietness and smoothness myself a lot, but more so for the passengers in the back. Most of the time the passengers won't even wear the headsets," he said.
And while Malapanis and his passengers like the Panther's quiet, smooth ride, he said he, as a pilot, appreciates the increased performance.
"I've definitely noticed a reduction in the length of the takeoff run. Recently when I took off, part of the runway was closed. I had a Baron before and I would not have attempted a takeoff in it under those conditions. But I didn't even think about it with this airplane because I knew what it would do. I just put 15 degrees of flaps in and I was off the ground probably within 1500 feet. I'm super happy with it. It's a great airplane," Malapanis said.
These comments echo many others that Colemill has heard over the years from pilots who fly the Panther Navajo modification.
They're happy with their airplanes and enjoy the extra performance, comfort, and safety the conversion gives them. This is understandable because Colemill spent many years making sure the Panther would be a truly outstanding airplane and a vast improvement over a stock Navajo.
Ever since Colemill began performing the Panther conversion in the 1970s, pilots have found the conversion does, indeed, make dramatic improvements in the airplanes: shorter takeoff runs, increased climb rates, faster cruise speeds, increased stability, a much quieter and smoother cabin, a higher service ceiling, significantly improved single engine performance, and shorter landing rolls are all mentioned when Panther pilots discuss their airplanes.
And this is not just idle talk. Many of these claims have been documented officially---Panthers hold several world records for speed and time to climb.
The Colemill Panther modification includes installation of 350 h.p. Lycoming TIO-540-J2B engines with dual independent magnetos for more power and reliability; four blade "Q-Tip" props for a quiet, smooth ride and additional ground clearance; "Zip-Tip" winglets with built in landing lights for additional lift and improved flight stability; and a Shadin Digiflow fuel computer for fast, accurate answers to any fuel related questions.
Each Panther conversion also includes new governors, spinners, a synchrophaser, an unfeathering accumulator, and all new accessory parts such as starters, alternators, magnetos, Lord mounts, hoses, and belts.
With all those improvements, it's no wonder pilots say, "You can't beat it."
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