The Nanchang was traded for a 1965 Comanche. This is in my quest to find a plane that can comfortably operate out of grass strips and still have a decent cruise speed. I have a 1800 ft grass strip I operate out of on a regular basis. Trees at one and and power line at the other. The Piper Lance I had I took it out of this srip but not comfortably. The Nanchang was the same story, it went in and out but only under perfect conditions. I've taken the Comanche in and out of this strip with 4 adults on board and it does it comfortably, couple that with a 158 knot cruise speed and I've found my plane. The six inch nose wheel helps with the rougher strips. I've taken this plane in and out of many abandoned forestry strips around Alberta. I've also flowing it from coast to coast.
The big trade. Flew with a friend in the Nanchang from Wetaskiwin to Dryden, Ont. The other owner flew from Cornwall, Ont to Dryden, Ont. Same distance for both of us. We stayed over night, did all the paperwork and each flew home.
On the farm strip
Since the Comanche does what I need it to do I started to think about upgrades. Engine was low time, paint and interior is good, so panel.
Started with radio, GPS, ADSB and dual Garmin G5s with the Ipad communications. Garmin G500 autopilot installed and it is amazing. The best upgrade I've done to the bird yet. Guess I've been flying with crappy autopilots all these years?