Aerostar (1) 600
The Aerostar 600 was designed by Ted R. Smith, previously the Douglas engineer behind the A-26 Invader and later the driving force behind the Aero Commander line, who set up his own company in 1963 to build the fastest piston twin he could. First flown in October 1967, the mid-wing, all-metal Aerostar cruised near 220 knots on two 290-horsepower Lycoming engines, figures few other production piston twins matched. Ownership passed through American Cement, then Butler Aviation/Mooney, back to Smith himself, and finally to Piper in 1978. Pilots still prize the 600 for handling closer to a jet than to a typical cabin-class twin.
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Did you know?
The Aerostar 600 is the mid-wing, all-metal piston twin Ted Smith built to be the fastest in the class, handling closer to a jet than a typical cabin twin.
Specifications
| Length | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 10.4 m (34 ft) |
| Height | 3.9 m (13 ft) |
| Persons on board | 6 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 2.7 t |
| Range | 1,080 NM (2,000 km) |
| Service ceiling | 28,000 ft (8,534 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 21,000 ft (6,401 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,500 ft/min (7.6 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 750 m (2,461 ft) |
| Landing distance | 700 m (2,297 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 620 l |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Aerostar (1) 600 starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Aerostar (1), the 600 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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