Wichita's comanche expert: Bob Weber and his company, Webco Aircraft Co., attract plane owners from around the globe.

Oct. 27--Bob Weber is a man who knows his Comanches. Weber, owner of Webco Aircraft Co., a manufacturing and aircraft maintenance company based at the Newton Municipal Airport, has been working on single- and twin-engine Piper Comanches for more than 40 years.

Webco has built an international reputation as a Comanche specialist, and plane owners come in from all over the world when they to have Weber take a look at their planes.

"I travel all over the United States and do seminars on the Comanche," he said. "After so many years of working on the same airplane, you know all of its quirks. I can teach mechanics what to look for. I know all the things that get overlooked."

Weber holds supplemental type certificates and parts manufacturing approvals on more than 100 parts for the Comanche. A parts manufacturing approval requires regular Federal Aviation Administration inspection of facilities and procedures to ensure that the parts will meet airworthiness standards. A supplemental type certificate allows a replacement part to be built for a specific use and once approved, it can be used on airplanes of the same make and model.

"They stopped building the Comanche in 1972," Weber said. "But there are still more than 6,000 Comanches flying. They are a popular personal airplane for airline pilots. They're fast and relatively economical. But when parts wear out, they're hard to find."

Weber got his start in mechanics while working in his father's auto repair garage as a child. But he always wanted to work on airplanes, so when he was offered a job working on aircraft engines at Jabara Airport, he took it.

"From that point on, I've just kept on going," Weber said.

Last week, he was working on installing a new, lighter-weight, more efficient alternator on his own twin Comanche. A large placard in the window read "Experimental."

Weber explained that the testing of a new part before it receives an STC requires that the plane be classified as experimental, allowing it to carry only the pilot and essential crew. Once the part is approved, the airplane moves back to normal classification and can return to its regular use and passenger load.

He said he likes to do repairs and annual inspections on Comanches because it gives him a chance to stay in touch with the complete operation of the plane -- and a look ahead at what parts are wearing out and might need a new supply chain soon.

"I try to anticipate a new round of need and get ready to get the right authorization to start making that part," he said.

As his reputation for excellence in making parts has grown, so has the business.

"I ship out about $5,000 a day in parts," he said. "We invoice about $2 million a year."

He said he's learned that the right authorization, complete with paperwork, is essential.

The FAA is responsible for parts manufacturing approvals and supplemental type certification authorization. Failure to have the paperwork complete -- even if the part is flawless -- can result in violations and fines.

"I learned early on that you need that piece of paper," he said. "They will violate you, and the consequences are serious."

Weber is proud, however, that he's never had a complaint about work quality from a customer, and no plane he's worked on has crashed as a result of a mistake in his workmanship.

"I've done more than 1,000 engine overhauls and never put one in a field," he said. "There's not a lot of people that can say that."

Reach P.J. Griekspoor at 316-268-6660 or at [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]

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