Is there HOPE.... of TURBINE POWER.
 

A TURBINE FOR CHRISTMAS?
Earlier this year, a Pennsylvania company called Affordable Turbine Power attracted some attention when they turned up at air shows with a turbine-powered RV-4 and said they would soon be selling their little engines to the experimental market. The company now has changed its name to Innodyn, and is also flying a turbine-powered RV-6. President Chuck Nearhoof told AVweb on Friday they are on track to start production of the turbines next month, with first deliveries in February. Each of the four models weighs less than 188 pounds and delivers a range of maximum power from 165 to 255 hp, at costs ranging from $26,500 to $34,500. Nearhoof says they have a "substantial number" of orders to fill.

Reinventing the wheel?
 

Were you aware that Soloy Conversions already 'proofed' the prototype of a Turboprop Skymaster?

"Developed and built under contract a prototype 600 hp pusher
turboprop installation for the Cessna 337 using an Allison 250-
C30 engine and a Soloy Turbine Pac gearbox."

Here's the URL:

http://www.soloy.com/Resources/misctext/leader30.pdf

Conroy also created a single engine turboprop conversion of Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, N1414G called the Stolifter. The rear engine was deleted and the forward engine was replaced with a 575-shaft horsepower Garrett AiResearch TPE 331-25A turboprop. The fuselage was extended to nearly double the volume available for cargo. The short take-off characteristics of the Stolifter were improved by the incorporation of a Robertson Aircraft Corporation high-lift system. The attached picture was taken on June 12, 1974. Kind of an UGLY-DUCKLING if you ask me.

If you think 100LL AvGas is expensive for your airplane... just think what all that turbine Jet-A would cost!! The turbines are just not what you'd call fuel-efficient.

SkyKing

And then there was Spectrum SA-550...
 

Almost forgot... over on Peter's webpages, there was the Basler conversion, which looked pretty spiffy compared to the Stolifter.

http://www.skymaster.clara.net/spectrum.htm

The probable reason none of these 'conversions' caught on was their very high R&D initial costs, plus fairly high hourly operating costs.

Be happy with your TCM's... they're more fuel efficient. Besides, what other pressurized light plane do you know of equipped with R/STOL, that can touchdown -or liftoff- at 44 knots and cruise at FL200 at 205+ Knots, that can be had for anywhere between $79,000 and $225,000? I only see the Skymaster in my 'viewer!'

SkyKing

The innodyn turbine is cool looking, though