I just bought an Aerostar. In fact, I'm doing my training on my own aircraft as we speak, with an instructor who has about 11.000hrs in Aerostars alone and used to work for Ted Smith (no relation)! It's a fun plane to fly. But the ink had barely dried on the pink copy before I had to shell out for a stuck prop governor cable...
But I'm no stranger to ownership, so I know there will alway be a maintenance hump when you buy an aircraft that usually lasts over 2 annuals, where all the gremlins get worked out. These first annuals can be expensive, but it does get better. The last one on the plane I just bought was $7K. Not bad, for a complex, pressurised twin.
A couple of myths about Aerostars:
1.
That they're thirsty. They are, as everyone knows, very fast. But that also means they're very economical when you throttle back. They have one of the smallest frontal areas of any twin and that racy wing is very slick which reduces drag. This translates to great economy, at least for the 601P model. Running LOP you can coast along at 200-210ktas at high altitudes on 25gph. Except for the Twinstar diesel and the Tecnam P2006T, there are few, if any, twins that can match that economy.
2.
They are a handful to fly on single engine. Not true, I've been doing it all week. The engines sit close to the centerline, so the moment isn't as great as in most other twins. This means the tail can be made a little bit smaller and less draggy and still have plenty of authority. You have to be a little bit quicker in the T/O configuration on the 601P to cage one engine and pitch for blue line, as it doesn't have as much power as the 700. But once that's done it'll climb an easy 300fpm at max gross and on a 94 degree day. Not too shabby.
3.
Hard to get parts for. They are perhaps the most well supported discontinued piston airframe on the market. You can get anything, plus tons of modifications, right from Aerostar Inc - the holder of the type certificate. Constantly developing new improvements etc. Not cheap, but a great resource for owners like me who aren't millionaires. I can upgrade as I go, safe in the knowledge that the items I might want to upgrade are there when I can afford them.
All the other myths are true...
They do like a bit of rwy. They do land pretty fast. They are complex.
As for flying them: The torque tube controls gives a feel like no other twin. Super tight, like a little jet fighter. Lands like a jet, too - with a little firm thump. Well built and oversized. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I bought one (and for fuel economy): there is only one known in-flight breakup known in an Aerostar. The outer skins are almost twice as thick as on any other twin. The flap deployment speeds are way higher than most - I can throw 10 degrees down at any speed, 20 degrees at 174kts. The yellow arc is ridiculously short and you can go almost right up to Vne before you hit it, etc, etc. So basically, they're built like tanks and that 3-spar wing can take a beating. I feel safe in the knowledge that I have an extra margin of safety should I ever encounter elements that would break up other planes.
