Today’s Top Pick is a 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar 601P.

For a rare airplane, the Ted Smith Aerostar is pretty well known among pilots and even in popular culture thanks to a notable supporting role in 2017’s hit film American Made, which stars Tom Cruise as a sketchy pilot hauling questionable cargo.

Long before the film, though, my planespotting schoolmates and I could identify Aerostars that flew over the school playground during recess. Their swept tail surfaces and small wings, seemingly set so far aft on the fuselage, gave them away.

The rubber-band-powered model airplanes we flew after school gained speed when we slid their wings back, and the same held true for the Aerostar, which set speed records in its heyday. This Aerostar has upgrades from Machen, a company that specialized in performance-enhancing modifications for the type. Auxiliary fuel gives a significant range boost. 

This 1975 Aerostar has 3,955 hours on the airframe, 1,397 hours since overhaul on the left Lycoming IO-540 engine and 1,468 on the right. The aircraft is equipped with GAMI injectors, auxiliary fuel, spoilers, heavy-duty Cleveland wheels and brakes, and Machen vortex generators and exhaust.

The panel includes a garmin GNS 430 GPS/nav/comm, Garmin SL 30 nav/comm, GTX 330 transponder, Garmin MX 20 MFD with charts, GDL 69 with SiriusXM weather, PS Engineering PMA 8000SR audio panel, Bendix-King radar altimeter, Bendix HSD 860 HSI Compass system, WX500 Stormscope, S-TEC 55X autopilot, and JPI 760 engine monitor.

Additional equipment includes air conditioning, oxygen system, deicing boots with windshield hot plate, and 44-gallon auxiliary fuel tank. This Aerostar has a useful load of 1,745 pounds.

Pilots looking for a light twin with extraordinary speed and impressive range for serious cross-country travel should consider this 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar, which is available for $210,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar Is a Long-Legged ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1979 Piper PA-60-700 Superstar.

Aircraft designer Ted Smith is well-known in general aviation circles for designing the Aerostar, a sleek, midwing light twin built for high-speed travel. The best performing versions of the Aerostar and upgraded Superstar aircraft still hold the title of fastest production light piston twins ever built. The aircraft was already a legend when it co-starred with Tom Cruise in the 2017 film American Made, but the movie certainly rekindled interest in the model, which had been out of production for decades.

A close look at certain details of the Aerostar might lead some observant people to other famous Smith-designed aircraft, including the Douglas A-20 Havoc and the Aero Commander general aviation twins that gained popularity soon after reaching the market during the 1950s. These earlier twins were more practical than the later Aerostars but nowhere near as fast or attractive. The rare Aerostar, whose production was repeatedly slowed by issues related to funding, design, and market conditions, will always be the subject of “what-if” discussions among aviation enthusiasts. Owners, however, love this fast, fine-looking, and innovative machine that clearly was ahead of its time.  

This 1979 Aerostar has 2,606 hours on the airframe, 972 hours on the left engine, 796 hours on the right, and 488 hours on each of its counter-rotating propellers since overhaul. The aircraft received new exterior paint last year. 

The panel features a Garmin G600TXi, Garmin GI 275, GNS 530W and 430W GPS/Nav/Coms, Flight Stream 210, GCU 485 mode selector, S-Tec 55X autopilot, dual Gramin transponders with ADS-B In and Out, Avidyne EX500 MFD, engine monitor, Shadin fuel flow monitor, color radar, Stormscope, and Sirius XM weather.

Pilots interested in flying one of the fastest GA piston twins ever developed should consider this 1979 Piper PA-60-700 Superstar, which is available for $600,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 1979 Piper Aerostar Is a Top-Tier Piston Twin and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1981 Ted Smith Aerostar 601B

Aerostars like this one used to fly over my family home when I was in grade school. Looking up, I immediately noticed their swept empennage, short wings, and seemingly huge engine nacelles. They must be really fast, I figured. Indeed, they were at least as fast as they looked, and the design set a number of speed records.

Years later, the Aerostar became a movie star as a supporting character in the 2017 Tom Cruise film American Made. While the story focused on a nefarious corner of general aviation, it was easy to imagine using the Aerostar to cut travel time on your next family vacation. Here was a piston airplane fast enough to compete with airlines.

This 1981 Aerostar has 3,179 hours on the airframe and 1,484  hours on each engine. The engines’ TBO is 1,800 hours. The airplane has the 350 hp turbocharged Lycoming 540 engines that are part of the Merlyn 700. Aircraft outfitted this way could cruise at more than 250 ktas.

The aircraft has a custom panel fabricated last year that includes  two Avidyne integrated flight displays, Aspen EFD-1000 Max primary flight display, and multifunction display, ADS-B with weather and traffic, S-TEC 3100 autopilot, Garmin GI-275 glideslope, JPI EDM-790 engine monitor, and a Lynx NGT-9000D transponder with ADS-B in and out.

If you are ready to take the controls of a truly fast piston twin that harks back to an innovative period in GA, consider this 1981 Ted Smith Aerostar, which is available for $269,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.

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