Aircraft
Comp Air believes t-prop single’s time has arrived
If you’re looking for evidence the single-engine turboprop is an aircraft whose time has come, Comp Air Aviation (Booth No.

If you’re looking for evidence the single-engine turboprop is an aircraft whose time has come, Comp Air Aviation (Booth No. 8842) believes its Comp Air 12 is exhibit A. Powered by a 1,650-hp Honeywell TPE331-14GR engine, the Comp Air 12 is voluminous composite eight-place aircraft with a projected cruise speed of 310 knots at 30,000 feet and a maximum range of 2,535 nm with IFR reserves. Comp Air Aviation (CAA), based in Merritt Island, Fla., is currently conducting flight tests on the Comp Air 12 and expects FAA certification in the first quarter of 2010. Downing Aviation Association, an aviation consultancy, is assisting CAA in the development.

“A single-engine turboprop is something many people might want to have avoided in the past,” said Darrel Downing, CEO of the consulting firm. “Now we’re coming to where they belong in the marketplace.”