©CUSTOM PLANES magazine
April 2001 issue, pages 20-25,73.

Text by Norm Goyer, Photos by Bill Fedorko and Norm Goyer

Reprinted with permission.

WHEN I FIRST brought you the story of Aerocomp and its exciting line of turbine-powered aircraft in the January 2000 issue, I felt like we were seeing the beginning of a new type of aircraft for fast personal and business travel. At that time I had flown the Comp Air 7, the Comp Air 8 on Super Floats and the huge twin-tail Comp Air 10. I liked all of these airplanes, so I wasn't prepared for the firestorm the article ignited in some parts of the imported turbine-engine community. I won't rehash these problems, because they've been taken care of, and the next generation of Walter 601-type turbines has been installed in almost every company- or customer-built Aerocomp aircraft.

I recently flew to Florida once again to see what was happening firsthand and to fly two of the aircraft I'd missed the first time around. I made a second trip to personally check out the Diemech shop where John Cook is reworking the Walter engine in a sort of IRAN (inspect and repair/replace as needed) situation.

At AirVenture 2000, we saw a Comp Air 7 with a bright red finish, gray leather upholstery and one of Cook's engines.

Aerocomp has been experiencing booming sales that show no sign of peaking in the near future. Some of the reasons for its success include the foresight and marketing strategy of the company's owners. They've designed an extensive line of turbine propjet aircraft, one or more of which is sure to suit the needs and tastes of a variety of pilots and business people. The company owners did their homework because they came up with exactly the kinds of aircraft customers want to buy, not just the kind the company wanted to build. Also, though it may not necessarily be a major factor, Aerocomp chose a superb location: Merritt Island, Florida. The right products, at the right time, at a great location – it sure works for Aerocomp.

The "sizzle" in the Aerocomp aircraft was their unique engine/prop combination. When the aircraft first appeared several years ago, they used a Walter 601B engine. (Aerocomp no longer installs this dash-number engine.) Walter engines have been installed by some Eastern Bloc countries in their LET 410 19-passenger commuter airliners. Then, after they'd run beyond the recommended flight time, the engines were

Engine importers were happy to find they were able to obtain quite a number of Walter engines and all their accessories – as well as the props that went with the engines – at attractive prices. Because of their various origins, the first group of Walter engines sold with early Aerocomp aircraft had little (if any) accompanying paperwork, but before they were ever put into service, they were given a great deal of attention. First, they were removed from their shipping cans, checked carefully, then installed on a test stand, where they were run for a long period of time. If the gauges remained in the correct operating range during the extensive bench test runs, they were installed in aircraft sold to customers.

By their very nature, turbine engines can run in spite of many internal defects due to age, or any number of other factors, without showing any outward signs of internal problems. (But when one or more parts fail under running conditions, they can also blow apart in a spectacular fashion.) In the interest of safety, the engines that were sold were restricted in regard to power output, and this added to their margin of safety. That was then. Now, in 2001, it's a completely new Aerocomp/Walter association.