Trying to create a generic array

 I am getting an "incompatible types" compile time error, even though
to me (and apparently to the compiler too) these are just three forms
to refer to the same class:

 1) ai.class;
 2) Class.forName("ai");
 3) ((Class.forName("ai")).newInstance()).getClass();

 Here is the actual code example:

// ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
import java.util.*;
import java.lang.reflect.*;

class ai{
 String a;
 int i;
}

class gnrx10{
 gnrx10(){}

 public <T> T[] createTypeAr(Class<T> Tp, int iSz){
  T[] TpAr = (T[])Array.newInstance(Tp, iSz);
  return(TpAr);
 }
}

public class gnrx10Test{
 public static void main(String args[]){
  gnrx10 g = new gnrx10();

// __ this works fine!
  String[] aSAr = g.createTypeAr(String.class, 4);
System.out.println("// __ aSAr.length: |" + aSAr.length + "|");

  ai[] aiAr = g.createTypeAr(ai.class, 16);
System.out.println("// __ aiAr.length: |" + aiAr.length + "|");
// __
  try{

System.out.println(ai.class);
System.out.println(Class.forName("ai"));
System.out.println(((Class.forName("ai")).newInstance()).getClass());

// __ this doesn't!
/*
   Class K = ai.class;
System.out.println(K);
   aiAr = g.createTypeAr(K, 8);
System.out.println("// __ aiAr.length: |" + aiAr.length + "|");

gnrx10Test.java:47: incompatible types
found : java.lang.Object[]
required: ai[]
   aiAr = g.createTypeAr(K, 8);
                        ^
*/

  }catch(ClassNotFoundException KNFX){ KNFX.printStackTrace(); }
    catch(InstantiationException InstX){ InstX.printStackTrace(); }
     catch(IllegalAccessException IlgAxX){ IlgAxX.printStackTrace(); }
 }
}