Aerocomp Inc are a relative newcomer to the kitplane market, but this did not stop them attracting a lot of interest back in March at this year's Sun 'n' Fun.
There they were showing their new CompAir 6, a monster-sized kitplane capable of taking six people in either standard or club seating - yes, club seating in a kitplane! If you're after something smaller; versions with two or four seats are available while if you really are in need of space Aerocomp also have a nine seat twin-tail version!
The CompAir 6 and its smaller sister the CompMonster were designed in 1994 by the company's owners, Ron Lueck and Steve Young. The aeroplane has a traditional look but is in fact hi-tec in design and build, being made of modern composite materials. In common with many composite aeroplanes, the kit comes partially complete: the fuselage and flying surfaces are delivered in two halves, which are glued together with no need for special jigs or tools. All facing surfaces are finished with a white gel coat, which, with a little preparation, can be paint finished.
The projected build time is an optimistic 500 hours. This would be for a very basic finish, although to prove their point in 1996 the company attended the Minnesota State Fair and actually built a flyable aeroplane in ten days, albeit with the help of a group of volunteers.
We were able to get our hands on the factory prototype: a six-seat version with club seating. Later in the day we also had an opportunity of looking at the four-seat float version which we were able to use as a photo ship.
A look at the aircraft
As with most composite aircraft, the finished surfaces are clean, smooth and laminar. Overall the aircraft has a solid look and feel to it. The high wing design is not dissimilar to the Cessna series and although at present the aircraft sits on a tailwheel, the company are in the process of producing a tricycle option. The aircraft can also be built to accommodate floats; once incorporated, these are interchangeable with conventional gear.
... and there's that club seating, nice but not mandatory!
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The wings on our test example had been changed a few days earlier to a prototype tapered version, which produce slightly better cruise performance. As with most high wing aircraft, the fuel is housed in two gravity fed wing tanks.
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At present there are a variety of engine combinations available, from the 110hp Hirth and Rotax 914 series for the CompMonster up to the 220hp Franklin engine fitted in our test aircraft. The Franklin is an unusual choice but, as Ron put it, 'needs must'.
A conventionally aspirated version was fitted to the floatplane version and a fuel-injected model was attached to our test example. Whilst the engine appears to be sold rated at 220hp, for this installation it was rated at 205hp. The design, we're told, will take engines up to 350hp, which would undoubtedly make it a very sprightly performer - but nothing is for free and there'd be the usual weight and wallet penalty.
There are also plans to fit a conventional Lycoming or Continental engine, as there are more of these readily available in the second hand/reconditioned market at lower cost than the new Franklin used in our test model.
Weighing in
Gross weight is some 2,8501b but with modification (via a higher gross weight kit) this can be increased to 3,200 or even 3,6001b. This leaves a useful load, depending on avionics and so on, of 1,300 to 1,40Olb - more with the upgraded versions. I'm not quite sure that I would term this a full blown six seater bearing in mind the 80 US gallon fuel capacity, but with a little juggling it would accommodate four adults and two children or a reasonable amount of baggage.
Access is via doors either side to the front Cessna style and a further rear door on one side only. Internally the fuselage can be built with no bulkheads, leaving a large open space which is basically available to the builder to fit as he or she wishes. Our example, though, incorporated a bulkhead, which meant that the pilots' seat positions were fixed with the passenger seats in club configuration to the rear of the bulkhead. Quite a few builders are buying six seat fuselages and fitting only four seats, giving more room and a larger potential market if they decide to sell later.
At present the doors are alloy frames covered with thick perspex. Production examples are to have flush doors and, hopefully, one that will have an external opening device. The aircraft sits on a glass fibresprung main gear with a sprung tailwheel.
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From the pilots perspective adjustable seats would improve comfort, but the instrument panel is surprisingly low offering improved Cessna 172-like visibility even though the aircraft sits reasonably well down on its tail wheel when on the ground.
The instrument panel can, according to builder preference, be higher, lower or larger, but there is in any case sufficient room to house almost any type of avionics fix which your heart desires and bank balance permits.
Conventional joysticks sprout from the floor in front of the pilot seats and although it is possible to get full movement in all directions, they do tend to foul the legs with maximum aileron deflection. There are dual rudder pedals but on the test example brakes had been fitted to the left side only.
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Club seating and sticks!
The instrument panel leaves
enough room for your wallet
to decide on avionics fit.
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The rough & smooth
The fuel injected Franklin engine started fairly readily after a little priming but was not happy at slow idle. It remained a little rough while taxying, which by tail wheel standards was easy. Even with the fairly brisk crosswind with a little co-ordinated brake and rudder the aircraft was able to taxi at 90 degrees to this with no problems. Visibility over the nose forward was excellent.
For our first flight we loaded four reasonably hefty adult males, a good quantity of baggage and 70 gallons of fuel - just about on the aircraft's max all up weight. With a 10 to 15 knot headwind and full power applied the tailwheel was off the ground in 50 to 80 metres and we were airborne in less that 300. Even at this weight with the ASI pegged at 100mph we were climbing at well over 1,000 feet per minute.
Handling characteristics are decidedly heavy; the ailerons particularly so, especially as speed increases. A considerable force is needed to get maximum deflection for a fairly pedantic roll rate (with some adverse yaw as there is no differential drag built in to the ailerons). Rudder forces, though, are moderate and the aircraft is reasonably directionally stable. The elevator pitch forces were again moderate and coupled to a fairly positive electric trim.
Rolling and turning manoeuvres definitely required more effort than they should. Ron explained the company is intending an aileron modification or the inclusion of aerodynamic spades to reduce loads. The flight profile is however fairly stable and we rode the fairly turbulent conditions well, maintaining both direction and altitude with ease.
When levelling out the aircraft required two or three minutes to settle down. Once trimmed with 25 inches of manifold and 2,500rpm set the speed settled down to an indicated 150 miles per hour Slow speed handling was straightforward, just a little anticipation required with rudder to off set the adverse yaw when turning but with plenty of control authority right down to the stall speed. During our test, right down to 55 miles per hour, just above the scheduled stall speed, the ailerons remained affective, the aircraft having a Cessna 172 feel about it and certainly during the later landing rolls stalling in a three point attitude proved to be no problem.
Range of options
The Franklin engine burns 10.5 to 11 US gallons per hour at the all square setting of 25/2500. With full fuel this would give a range of around 900 statute miles. This is not an aircraft in which you would be embarrassed to arrive at the end of a long flight.
Engine out, 80mph is the speed to aim for. That delivers you earthbound at about 1,000 feet per minute. For high speed descents the aircraft sideslips adequately.
Joining the circuit at 100mph is comfortable, reducing to 80 downwind, turning base with flaps coming down. Flaps will deploy to a full 40 degrees although currently you can't get more than 30 while airborne. A threshold speed of 65mph brings the aircraft over the runway for a wheeler or a three point landing.
Later, with our passengers and luggage unloaded, the aircraft showed a distinctly more sprightly performance with a climb rate in excess of 1,200fpm and a take-off run, with light headwind, of no more than 200 metres.
A true monster?
This is a stable solid platform, but would benefit from aileron modification to improve feel and roll rate. Apart from that, a few ergonomic fixes including the rather crude perspex doors will result in a credible utility aircraft in the Cessna 172 or 182 mould with similar handling characteristics (the tailwheel excepted).
There will no doubt be some problems in getting a Permit to Fly in the UK for a full six seat kit built aircraft, but the aircraft would still be a viable proposition with four seats and more baggage capacity. There is as yet no UK distributor but in the US the airframe kit retails for $26,995; with the tapered wings, new flush fitting doors, bulkhead free interior; it's $34,995. With a factory new Franklin engine, a three blade adjustable composite prop and VFR instrumentation it's $49,995.
Whether we will see any in the UK remains to be seen. I suspect that in many ways, buyers will perceive the aircraft as something of a reinvention of the wheel because of its similarity to the Cessna series. What it will boil down to is whether anyone wishes to own a permit-capable 'I've built it myself' sleek composite version of that type of aircraft.
COMPAIR 6
| Performance |
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| T-0/Ldg Distance |
450ft/750ft |
| Rate of Climb |
1,100fpm |
| Max Speed |
175mph |
| 75% Cruise |
153mph |
| Stall Speed |
49mph |
| Range |
900sm @135mph |
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| Specifications |
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| Empty Weight |
1,5001b |
| Useful Load |
1,3501b |
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| Price |
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| Complete kit including engine |
$49,995 ex USA |
Contact
Aerocomp, Inc.
2335 Newfound Harbour Drive
Merrit Island, FL 32952
Telephone & Fax: (407) 453 6641
This article was originally published in the December 1997 issue of FLYER.
