Introduction to Comp Air Jet
The Comp Air Jet is easy to mistake for a business jet from its name, but it is something quite different: a kit aircraft that its owner builds. This page explains what it is, who makes it, and what its published specifications say.
What is a Comp Air Jet?
The Comp Air Jet is an eight-seat, low-wing aircraft with a pressurized cabin, tricycle landing gear and a single turbofan engine. Comp Air marketed it for amateur construction, which means the buyer assembles the aircraft from a kit. Aircraft built this way fly as experimental, homebuilt aircraft rather than as factory-built, type-certified business jets.
The airframe is made from what Comp Air calls a "proprietary carbon-fiber hybrid sandwich." The prototype is powered by an Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan, an engine from Ukraine. Comp Air also planned for alternatives, including the Pratt & Whitney JT12-8 or the CJ610, and possible future Williams International or Agilis engines.
Brief history of Comp Air Jet
Comp Air Inc, formerly Aerocomp Inc, is based in Merritt Island, Florida. It started out making composite floats for seaplanes, then moved into aircraft sold as kits for homebuilders. Its range covers kits from 3 to 10 seats.
The jet project came later:
- 2002: Aerocomp's co-owners, Steve Young and Ron Lueck, announce the Comp Air Jet.
- July 10, 2004: first flight from Merritt Island Airport. The landing gear stayed down for the whole flight, and the aircraft still reached 157 knots. It landed after 37 minutes, using about 2,000 feet of runway.
- January 11, 2005: after more than 30 hours of flight testing at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, the prototype flies back to Merritt Island for further development.
Features and Specifications of Comp Air Jet
Published figures for the Comp Air Jet come from Kitplanes magazine and from Comp Air:
| Specification | Comp Air Jet |
|---|---|
| Seats | 8 (7 passengers) |
| Engine | 1 × Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan |
| Cruise speed | 350 knots |
| Stall speed | 62 knots |
| Range | 1,430 nautical miles |
A homebuilt aircraft's real performance depends on how it was built, the engine fitted and how it is equipped, so these are design figures rather than numbers every finished aircraft will match.
Design and Construction of Comp Air Jet
With a kit aircraft, the builder assembles the airframe from the kit's parts and installs the engine, systems and avionics. Each completed Comp Air Jet reflects its builder's choices, so equipment and cabin finish can vary from one aircraft to the next.
The Comp Air Family
The Comp Air Jet sits alongside the company's other kit aircraft, which include:
- Comp Air 4 and Comp Air 6: single-engine, four- and six-seat utility aircraft
- Comp Air 7, 8 and 10: single-engine, high-wing turboprops seating seven, eight and ten
- Comp Air 11: a six-seat, low-wing turboprop
- Comp Air 12: a low-wing turboprop with tricycle landing gear, for which the company has pursued type certification as a factory-built aircraft
Future of Comp Air Jet
The Comp Air Jet's status is listed as production completed. It was sold as a kit for homebuilders, not as a business jet bought from a factory.
Flying Privately with BLADE
Because the Comp Air Jet is a homebuilt kit aircraft rather than a factory-built business jet, it is not a typical charter aircraft. If you want to fly privately, BLADE arranges private charters of jets, helicopters and turboprops through BLADE Anywhere. Tell BLADE your route, date and group size, and BLADE finds a suitable aircraft from its operator partners. In the United States, all flights are operated by DOT/FAA-licensed carriers, and BLADE's safety team vets its operator partners. The private jet charter cost estimator on blade.com shows suitable aircraft and an estimated price for your airports and date.
FAQs about What Is An Comp Air Jet?
What is a Comp Air Jet?
The Comp Air Jet is an American eight-seat, low-wing, pressurized, single-turbofan aircraft sold by Comp Air as a kit for amateur construction.
Who makes the Comp Air Jet?
Comp Air Inc, formerly Aerocomp Inc, a kit-aircraft maker based in Merritt Island, Florida.
What engine does the Comp Air Jet use?
The prototype uses a Ukrainian Ivchenko AI-25 turbofan. Comp Air also planned for alternatives such as the Pratt & Whitney JT12-8 and the CJ610.
When did the Comp Air Jet first fly?
On July 10, 2004, from Merritt Island Airport in Florida.
What are the Comp Air Jet's speed and range?
Published figures from Kitplanes and Comp Air give a cruise speed of 350 knots and a range of 1,430 nautical miles.
Is the Comp Air Jet a turboprop?
No. The Comp Air Jet has a turbofan engine. Comp Air's other models, such as the Comp Air 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12, are turboprops.