Piper Aerostar Archives - FLYING Magazine https://cms.flyingmag.com/tag/piper-aerostar/ The world's most widely read aviation magazine Tue, 08 Oct 2024 18:35:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 This 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar Is a Long-Legged ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick https://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft-for-sale-top-picks/this-1975-ted-smith-aerostar-is-a-long-legged-aircraftforsale-top-pick/ Tue, 08 Oct 2024 18:34:59 +0000 https://www.flyingmag.com/?p=219133&preview=1 A piston twin that left competitors behind, the projectile-shaped design also set numerous speed records.

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Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

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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This 1979 Piper Aerostar Is a Top-Tier Piston Twin and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick https://www.flyingmag.com/this-1979-piper-aerostar-is-a-top-tier-piston-twin-and-an-aircraftforsale-top-pick/ Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:05:46 +0000 https://www.flyingmag.com/?p=198302 Famous designer Ted Smith’s fingerprints cover this speedy light twin, which outran the competition in its day.

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

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Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

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.

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

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This 1981 Piper PA-60-602 Aerostar Is a Famously Fast ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick https://www.flyingmag.com/this-1981-piper-pa-60-602-aerostar-is-a-famously-fast-aircraftforsale-top-pick/ Wed, 24 Jan 2024 23:03:19 +0000 https://www.flyingmag.com/?p=193718 Swept tail surfaces give the six-seater the look of an arrow, and it flies like one.

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Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1981 Piper PA-60-602P Aerostar.

For a time when I was a kid, I thought twin-engine airplanes could fly twice as fast as single-engine models. While that theory was incorrect, the Ted Smith-designed Aerostar often seemed determined to be the exception. Indeed it is still regarded as the fastest certified light twin. I recall watching them fly over my home when, as a young airplane spotter, I found the Aerostar’s swept tail surfaces, tapered wings, and long nose easy to identify.

A few years back, an Aerostar like the example for sale here became a star in the 2017 Tom Cruise film American Made. While that aircraft showed its ability to haul big loads of contraband, this one certainly would carry family, friends, or business associates in comfort. Its combination of speed and redundancy could encourage an advancing pilot to to fly longer legs over water, mountains, and other forbidding terrain in order to reach new destinations.

This 1981 Aerostar has 5,015 hours on the airframe, 660 hours on each of its turbonormalized Lycoming IO-540 engines since factory overhaul in 2015, and 775 hours since overhaul on its Hartzell propellers. The panel includes a Garmin GNS 530W and 430W GPS nav/coms, GMA 347 audio panel, GTX 330 transponder, GFC 200 autopilot, WX10A Stormscope, Garmin G5 backup A/I, Aspen Pro 1000 MFD and PFD, SiriusXM weather, and JPI 760 engine analyzer.

Other equipment includes high-output alternators, Hoskins fuel totalizer, Davtron M800 digital chronometer, freon air conditioning, known ice equipment, four USB ports, and spoilers.

Pilots looking for a fast, well-equipped twin that is ready for long-distance travel should consider this 1981 Piper PA-60-602P Aerostar, which is available for $289,000 at AircraftForSale.

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

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