Best 6-8 Place High-Wing Kit Aircraft?

[Jim Ryan]

Hi Everyone,

My dad & I co-own a Turbo Lance II (PA32RT-300T) but we're looking to purchase and build our own aircraft. He's a retired A&P with 40 years experience. We were hoping to find a high wing (easier to get in & out) 6 to 8 place aircraft, with as fast as possible cruise speed.

We found the Comp Air 7 online and it looks perfect (though their website hasn't been updated in years). Does anyone have any experience with Comp Air?

Any other suggestions to fit our bill? Our budget is very flexible.

Thanks!

[Auburntsts]

Unfortunately the Compair is the only kit plane I can think of that's anywhere close to that size. Even with 4-place kits, your choice is pretty limited.

As your Dad is an A&P, buying a solid used plane, like a 206, would make more sense to me.

[crusty old aviator]

I haven't heard about Ron Lueck and Compair for a while, but they may still be around. Aircraft Designs' Stallion is a bit smaller, but more efficient. It's out of production, but there are unfinished kits out there that come on the market from time to time. The same with Compair kits...

[Floatsflyer]

So you want a big E-AB, seats a small village, STOL, fast cruise, single engine turbo, taildragger. Then you want a Sherpa. This thing is big, company has been exhibiting at Oshkosh for years.

sherpaaircraft.com

[BES]

You might want to take a look at the Murphy Moose. Wonderful plane to fly and very useful for hauling large loads out of short airstrips.

[deftone]

Murphy Moose is about the only one I can think of other than the Compair. I have heard many great things about the moose, although have not actually seen one up close

[stewartb]

Is Sherpa still operating? I'm aware of one horror story about getting a plane out of them.

A good friend built himself a Moose. It's a beast. Probably the best performing 4 place-plus float plane I've ever seen and I've seen a bunch. He's hauled stuff for me when I couldn't fit it in my Skywagon. Lots of space and really good access to it with the big cargo door.

[Jim Ryan]

Thanks for all the replies. I called CompAir and actually spoke with someone there. They're still in business, which is a good sign. The 8-place Sherpa 650 looks amazing too, but that "horror story" sounds ominous. Thanks for the advice! I'm going to start a new thread to try to find anyone who's built either of these aircraft.

[vasic]

This thread has been dead for almost five years, but in case someone comes here (from Google or some other place), it's worth adding this.

Bearhawk has launched their newest kit, Bearhawk Model 5 (https://bearhawkaircraft.com/bearhawk-model-5/), a 6-place high-wing taildragger with three rows of seats plus additional cargo area.

This is probably the cheapest way to get a very solid 6-place kit, especially considering excellent reputation of its designer (Bob Barrows), as well as the track record of the company.

[ironnerd]

I would vote for the Bob Barrows Big Beautiful Bearhawk, with Mr. Murphy's Magnificent Moose a very close second. They each sell more than a plane every three years, and there are other people building them for when you have questions.