Selling an airplane can be an emotional experience.
Maybe the plane has been in the family for years and parting with it is too much to think about it. Or the owner has lost their ability to fly, for any number of reasons. Perhaps the seller has a good reason to sell, but can’t find the proper caretaker. There are many other reasons, of course.
The story of N8974P may just be one of those emotionally charged planes. At least for those involved.
74P is a 1966 Piper Comanche 260B.
Les Rowland bought her new.
According to Brenden Rowland, Les’ great-grandson, Les also owned a Twin Comanche.
Apparently it was the twin that Les preferred.
With a handshake, Les sold 74P to friend, Ron Greenlee, in 1983.
74P had “about 300 hours when Ron bought her,” according to Pam Greenlee, Ron’s wife. Over the next 40-plus years, Ron and Pam flew 74P another 5,000 hours or so.
“When it came time to overhaul the engine, Ron sent the original engine to Lycoming for a factory reman,” Pam continued. “It was important to Ron to keep the original engine in the airplane.”
Alas, when it came time for another engine overhaul, Lycoming no longer supported the narrow-deck cylinder base of the original, so Ron had to switch to the wide-deck IO-540.
A new engine in an original airframe.
“Ron kept the plane pristine. The inside of the engine compartment was as clean as the entire plane,” she added.
Sadly, Ron was only able to put another 100 hours on the new engine. He passed away in September 2025.
Pam needed to sell 74P and the leased hangar she lived in.
Pam turned to friend Brandon Baimbridge. He owns AV8RS, LLC which, among other services, is an aircraft brokerage firm.
It was 74P’s listing on Facebook that caught Brenden Rowland’s eye.
“The pilot gene skipped two generations in my family for whatever reason,” Brenden said. “But it got me.”
Brenden is an aspiring professional pilot. By the time you read this, he will hopefully have completed his private pilot check ride.
Brenden met with Ron in June 2025. He was able to see 74P and sat in the cockpit with Ron.
But that was it.
Until Brenden scrolled onto 74P’s listing on Facebook.
Today, 74P is back in the arms of Les’ family. Six decades after she was built and 42 years after his great-grandfather sold her, 74P belongs, once again, to the Rowland family.
One airplane, two families, and maybe a tear or two.
Wonderful coming-home story! Welcome home, 74P.
Great Story for sure but I disagree with Wyerosk it happens in many other countries as well. One of those countries is CANADA.
Similar story. I’m leaving on Sunday to pick up the PA-20 Pacer my dad owned for 28yrs. She needs her wings rebuilt but it will be nice to have her “home”
When I was 17 years old, I had to get from Los Angeles to Southlake Tahoe to see my parents. My dad‘s friend had a Piper Comanche. We flew from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe. It was a warm summer evening. I sat in the right seat and he let me fly it. He said point to that mountain off in the distance and fly towards it. He let me do very gentle climbs and slight descents. I knew even then to be light on the controls. Never quite got over it and now I own a Piper Apache and have a commercial license.
Fifty years ago, while serving as a naval submarine sailor, I completed my private pilot license. Noticing that Air Force bases tended to have better landscaping than naval piers, I decided to join Air Force Aero clubs. It was at Langley that I first got checked out in a PA24-180. Even though they had a PA28R available at the time, which seemed sexier back then, I was incredibly impressed by the Comanche and fell in love with flying it.
Many years and several aircraft later—including a PA24-260B—I have finally returned to my first love, a PA24-180. As I get further “up-stream” in my flying career, my hope is that one day, when the time comes, I won’t just find a buyer for my bird, but a true caretaker.
What a great story…….Only in America!