These changes were incorporated in the unpressurized turbo model in 1977.

The tenth 601P emerged with a longer wing (stretched from 34.2 to 36.7 feet) and higher max takeoff weight, 6000 pounds. The first pressurized Aerostar, the 601P, appeared in 1974, with a max differential pressure of 4.25 PSI, good for an 11,000-foot cabin all the way to 25,000 feet. The A models had Lycomings with heavier crankcases and crankshafts and engine TBO was boosted from 1400 hours to 2000 for the 600A and 1800 hours for the 601A. The new company began building the 600A and 601A in 1973. Unwilling to let his idea wither, Ted Smith organized a group of investors and bought the company back, setting it up in Santa Maria, California. A squabble between the new owner and the old over corrosion idled the line for two years. Selling Outīy this point, Smith had sold out, first to American Cement and later to Butler Aviation, which acquired both Aerostar and Mooney and moved them to Kerrville, Texas. With turbos, the engines could maintain 290 HP from sea level to 16,000 feet. A year later, the 601 appeared, with a pair of Rajay turbochargers and manually controlled, electrically actuated wastegates on each engine. Five years later, the Model 600 emerged in 1968, with normally aspirated Lycoming IO-540 engines and a takeoff weight of 5500 pounds. In 1963, Smith formed his own company to build a family of fast fliers, all built around the same fuselage, wings and tail. The Aerostar is the product of famed aircraft designer Ted Smith, whose name is attached to such classics as the A-20 twin-engine bomber and the Twin and Jet Commander lines. But for owners who can afford it, an Aerostar is hard to beat for getting from A to B faster than anything that doesn’t burn Jet A. The airplane’s Lycomings don’t exactly sip fuel and although it’s not terribly complex, the Aerostar fleet is aging and getting expensive to maintain. Still, the aircraft has enough power to climb well on a single engine-something that can’t be said for many other piston twins.īut be ready to feed the machine, as the saying goes. Fly one and you’ll see why it has a rep for being blazingly fast, while demanding a healthy amount of pilot proficiency. As piston twins go, the airplane has decent ramp appeal and passengers generally don’t complain about its cabin dwelling. There’s a lot to like about a Piper/Smith Aerostar.

Turnigy aerostar flight control system