I just use the Richard Collins' rule-of-thumb: climb to calm air. No sense trying to beat the headwind by staying down low and enduring a miserable ride in continuous light turbulence.

I also live under that Class Bravo airspace so from Hartford CT to NYC you're either VFR or 6,000. Ditto approaching from the west.

Funny story - a dear friend who owned & upgraded his 601P to 700 would go on and on raving about how smooth the Aerostar flies through turbulence with its high wing loading. And I'd be like WTF are you talking about? I bought a specially modified pilot seat off another owner, one that had been chopped down and re-welded shorter, so that I wasn't continually bashing my brains into the headliner. Still I keep the lap belt snug.

Of course, he was talking about cruise at the flight levels while I was talking about that unpleasant descent segment and maneuvering to land. I fly in smooth air but have gotten in the habit since installing touch-screens, of setting all the radio frequencies up prior to beginning descent because I've had several flights where it was so bumpy on the way down it made tuning almost impossible.

PS Walter - go for the emags. Those things actually make economic sense.

I’m looking for a nice 601P or 700, must haves are airconditioning, good turbos, garmin avionics.

The A-F is back in operation!

Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

Here’s a reality check:

At those prices:

No availability.

I got lucky and a fellow Aerostar guy had some scrap turbos with serviceable housings that ATC was able to use to get my turbos done.

I am still waiting on the two new (spare) turbos I ordered, and paid for, a while back.

The fellow who answered the phone at Hartzell was nice enough.

Their story is that they are waiting on housings from whoever does their casting.
Once they receive them, Hartzell does the machine work, and then they either get assembled into turbo chargers or the housings get sent off as parts.
They have customers who have been back ordered for over a year.

Forrest S. Ward"]

Update (as of 6/1/2024):
I’m still waiting on those turbos I ordered![/quote]

Hello Forrest,
I talked to Advanced Turbo Components, Inc. one day this past week and she said that they now have plenty of shells, but since they didn’t know that they were getting the shells they didn’t order the cores. She said that they currently have ONE in stock and that it has Jimmy Mullen’s name on it. She said that they have cores on the way. I looked on Parts Base this week and there is 26 of the CF600575-9002 / RJ0330-2 listed as available with 6 of them listed as ATC. They quoted me $8,750.00 exchange and $1,500 core deposit.

Thanks, Frank

I ordered a left and a right turbo (no core) through AAC.

I’ll check in.

I’m requesting the STC (SA01147WI) from Concorde to put a single RG24-20 in our 1977 600.

The problem I have is their STC Information Request asks for the Piper part number. Our Parts Catalogue only has Aerostar part numbers. Additionally, I can see a field approval on an old 337 to convert to a single Gill G-247. That’s what’s in there now - a Gill G247.

The STC also has a note if Piper part 250-029 is the original part number a kit (5-0161) which consists of two spacers and a hold down plate is required. So I’m unsure if 250-029 was the original part (Piper) number or if their kit is required?

Anyone know if it’s already set up to hold the Gill, is the Concorde the exact same size. Do we need their kit? I think some of the newer parts catalogues have both Piper and Aerostar part numbers listed? Would 250-029 be the correct Piper part number?

Appreciate any input you can offer before requesting the STC to help get the paperwork correct.

You need the hold down, pretty sure they sent me mine for free after buying a new Concorde RG24-20.

I'm in the market for a twin, and the 600A caught my eye. When I fly, I like to look down at the world passing by. I had a Baron for a bit, and all I saw when I looked out the window was engines. So I started at looking at high wing twins, and well there isn't much to choose from. (An Aero Commander would be cool, but they are friggin huge.) The Aerostar has great viz, isn't that big, light ones can haul a load, seems like it ticks all the boxes.

Question is, I'm a low time twin pilot (like 50 hours). Is the 600A any easier to fly than the fire breathing versions? Or do I need to go get a couple hundred more hours in a "starter" twin?

A for the sake of discussion, lets be clear on wants vs needs. Owning an airplane for me is a want (well, don't tell my wife that, I have her convinced I'll wither away and die if don't have at least 2 or 3 in the hanger at any given time.) And as a pilot, I want to challenge myself and fly harder and more complex airplanes, which is one of the reasons I want to get back into a twin. However, I need to be able to safely throw my family in this thing and fly IFR.

Hmm, just thinking what the insurance rate a 50 hour pilot in an Aerostar would be?????

I had 15 hours in a Piper Seminole in 2012 when I bout a Superstar II (assuming I recall the name correct, a 602P upgraded to the 700P from Machen). Insurance was not enough to have a noticeable effect on the plane budget.
From what I recall, I was required to take a week long course, about 10 hours flying, and twenty hours of ground school; then a mentor pilot for 25 hours. And lastly, two check rides at three months and six months. Each was about two hours.

Tim

The Aerosatr is a really transparent flying machine. Yes it lands a bit faster and you need to keep the speed up in the pattern, but you get used to that quick. It also lands a bit flatter and with less flare, but you get used to that too. The Aerostar is pretty gentle on one engine and wing will tell you when it's not happy (buffets heavily before stall).

I went though Don Smiths initial in Alabama. I would recommend him, he's got 18000hrs on Aerostars and knows everything. Initial was 4 days and after that you at least won't kill yourself.

For some reason, I never had any troubles getting insurance on my 601P. I did have quite a bit of multi time, but didn't even have IR ticket yet. I flew the Aerostar VFR for another year before I took my IR ticket, in fact, I took it in my own Aerostar. Perhaps things have changed today.

I highly recommend the Aerostar. They're awesome machines with a great view from cockpit.

You likely had a 602P / Machen Superstar I - 700 conversion. The Superstar II was actually the original "Superstar" of which there are few still operating regularly. I believe they stopped doing Superstar II conversions by 1982/1983 or so, and thus few 602P's were converted with that engine as the 602P was introduced by Piper for the 1981 model year.

An Aerostar 700P is the 1984 Piper version of the 350hp pressurized Aerostar of which 25 were built.

Kent,

Thanks. I never could keep the names straight.
When compared to the marketing version of the 702P that AAC created, I was missing the digital auto-pilot and one other small item.
Great plane, I miss it, just not the fuel bill.

Tim

He had a 1983 Aerostar 602P, with the Machen Superstar 700 conversion. U2A engines 350Hp per side, intercooled, with the short props. If I remember correctly it was converted sometime in the early 80's. It was previously owned by Dick Taylor of Boeing, Robyn Astaire, myself, and then Tim.

Andy