Touche', we love everything we fly. No arguments just love for being airborne! Fast slow it doesn't matter. An Astar was on my step up list when I was training in a Mooney. My IFR instructor said when we saw one on the ramp at KMIE it was the next move for a Mooney driver. I went out and drooled on it. If I'd had a shop on the field then I'd have bought one. Is there a jump seat in the SR71? I'd love to catch a ride.



And if I buy an SR71 Blackbird I can cruise at FL80 doing 2000knots....
As much as the TBM is Fabulous it is equally not in the realm of my dreams...yet

If I buy an Aerostar and fly it often and hug it and squeeze it and pet it and call it George I will find myself smiling when I buy fuel for it, smiling when I pay most of the bills and smiling when lay my head down at night.

If you are ever near Charlotte I will buy the kerosene and take a ride though

TBM is a neat piece of gear, and is faster, but....

Can that TBM keep flying with an engine shut down?
Can it see in the dark?
Can it communicate via HF radio?
Can it send text messages from anywhere?
Can it go 210TAS at FL230 on 25-26gph?
Can it get a complete factory reman for $110,000.00?
Can it fly from VA to AZ in one easy day at 4-6K to stay below headwinds?
Can it display color on board radar with a 12" antenna?

Capital cost for an Aerostar is a lot less than a TBM, Insurance and training cost is less, I fly at night, over cold water and IFR conditions without a worry.

It can carry four passengers and bags 5-600 miles in comfort, and meets my needs.

TBMs are cool, but if someone gave me one, I'd sell it and put the difference between that and what I'd pay for a nice Aerostar in Vanguard S&P500 index fund, in ten years I'll be ahead of whatever that TBM would have been worth in ten years.

The bottom line is that Chuck's "toy" budget is bigger than mine.

And mine is shrinking.

After much consternation and conversations with several friends, and wife, I'm retiring that portion of my life. No rush, no fire sales, but the A* will be sold and not replaced.

Jgreen

How is an Aerostar better than a 58P?

From what I think I know:
4.3 psid is better than 3.9 (I would REALLY want the 5.5 upgrade)
inside on A* is bigger than 58P even though smaller than 421
Lycoming engine is more reliable then 325WB (please correct me if wrong)

What else??

Oh, 10k hour life limit on 58P (mainly a perception issue but it is there)

What else?

Sorry to hear that, JG. We bought our Aerostars pretty much at the same time as you know. But I understand, life changes and needs modify. Will you keep any aircraft?

Brad,

The 58P and A* are very equivalent airplanes. The room in each is almost the same. The differences that made me choose the A* over the 58P are specific.

#1: I do have lots of faith in the turbo normalized engines of the 601P with intercoolers.
#2: I prefer the entry/exit of the A* over crawling out over the wing.
#3: My wife can move from the copilots seat to the rear seats for the grandchild.

On the other hand, the Baron is more comfortable for a tall pilot/copilot, has better single engine performance than the "small engine" A*, and probably a slightly better payload.

The A* is faster, I think, in the real world, but not by that much. That is coming from a friend who has owned two of each.

The 10,000 hour life limit on the 58P is NO ISSUE with most airframes or owners.

Just my 2 cents.

Jgreen

And if I buy an SR71 Blackbird I can cruise at FL80 doing 2000knots....
As much as the TBM is Fabulous it is equally not in the realm of my dreams...yet

If I buy an Aerostar and fly it often and hug it and squeeze it and pet it and call it George I will find myself smiling when I buy fuel for it, smiling when I pay most of the bills and smiling when lay my head down at night.

If you are ever near Charlotte I will buy the kerosene and take a ride though

Sorry to hear that, JG. We bought our Aerostars pretty much at the same time as you know. But I understand, life changes and needs modify. Will you keep any aircraft?

Yes, it can fly VA to AZ easily in one day. The Aerostar has a built in 100 knot headwind by comparison to the TBM.

You will never find a situation where the Aerostar is faster than a TBM.

Now, if you want low cost, twin, turbine, 300 knots, 6 PSI cabin, 1200 nm range, 1200 lbs full fuel useful load, etc, I know the right choice for that. :-)

Mike C.

Wrong, paying off the loan to acquire the A* will happen a lot faster.

Tim

Yes, it can fly VA to AZ easily in one day. The Aerostar has a built in 100 knot headwind by comparison to the TBM.

You will never find a situation where the Aerostar is faster than a TBM.

Now, if you want low cost, twin, turbine, 300 knots, 6 PSI cabin, 1200 nm range, 1200 lbs full fuel useful load, etc, I know the right choice for that. :-)

Mike C.

What is the least amount of fuel you will land A* with?
My slightly risky but safe side says 20 gallons absolute minimum on a good VFR day at a known airport with close alternative AFTER I have 100 hours or so in the plane. Is 20 gallons under these conditions still too low?
By absolute minimum I mean landing 40 miles before intended airport just to add 40 gallons of fuel if I will not make intended airport with ? gallons.

10 gallons is my absolute minimum on my Columbia...one engine, Good VFR, known airport

add Night or IFR and I do not even want to think about fuel.

VFR, I flight plan on having at least 30 gallons on landing.

For flight planning I use 40 gallons and 150 miles for the first hour and 30 gallons and 200 miles for each hour after the first hour.

Legal Day VFR fuel reserve is 30 min @ cruise (at departure), to me, that isn't enough.

If, enroute, I believe I'll have less than 25 gallons, I'll land early.

In a 700 I'd plan on 50 the first hour and 40 / hour after that, with 40 gallons reserve.

Running out of gas is a very preventable situation, with catastrophic consequences, there are no good reasons for planning that results in running out of gas.

Great thread, and for Brad, on that leg I was in a hurry and was doing a 75% ish best power ROP run, 230 KTAS and about 50 knots on the tail, and 37gph.

Being in the Aerostar LOP mafia, it was an indiscretion. A very delicious, tasty addictive indiscretion. I had to play the Galactic Empire theme in the headset as the Power of The Dark Side attempted to envelop me.

This is the moment when it all starts. On my left is Jim Christy, Vice President of Aerostar Aircraft Company. I am handing him my wallet with nearly every penny I have, in exchange for the airplane in the background!