Photograph:
Piper PA-60 Aerostar 601P VH-EDO (c/n 61P-0791-8063403) at Temora, NSW in November 2015 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
United States of America
Description:
Business and executive aircraft
Power Plant:
Two 261 kw (350 hp) Lycoming TUI-540-U2A six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engines
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 11.18 m (36 ft 8 in)
- Length: 10.61 m (34 ft 9¾ in)
- Height: 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 16.56 m² (178.2 sq ft)
- Max speed: 492 km/h (306 mph)
- Cruising speed: 390 km/h (242 mph)
- Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 561 m/min (1,840 ft/min)
- Range: 1,648 km (1,024 miles)
- Empty weight: 1,939 kg (4,275 lb)
- Loaded weight: 2,864 kg (6,315 lb)
History:
The prototype of the Smith Aerostar series, known as the 320, flew for the first time in November 1966 powered by two Lycoming IO-320 engines but as time went by more powerful engines were fitted to new models to increase performance. In December 1967 the prototype of the Aerostar 600 was flown and was followed by the turbo-charged 601 with 216 kw (290 hp) IO-540 engines. A pressurised model became the 601P and entered production in 1974, this being the most popular model of the series.
In June 1968 the Ted Smith Aircraft Co was acquired by American Cement and was later sold to Butler Aviation in 1970. Production continued for a period and by that time 178 examples had been built. In March 1978 the Company was acquired by Piper and production of the 600A, 601B and 601P series at the original Aerostar facility at Santa Maria in California continued. Piper then produced the aircraft for some years as it fitted in its line of types between the Aztec and the Navajo, it becoming known as the PA-60 Aerostar.
Piper stopped production of non-pressurised variants and changed the designations of a few models whilst it was producing the type, the 601 and 601B becoming known as the PA-61 and the 601P becoming the PA-61B. The 602P Sequoia was a variant developed with 216 kw (290 hp) Lycoming TIO-540-AA1A5 engines; and the 700P was the 602P with counter rotating Lycoming TIO-540-U engines providing 261 kw (350 hp). The 700 had increased weights and optional increased fuel capacity. Production of the Aerostar series concluded in 1984 after 1,010 examples had been completed, 519 built by Piper.
Subsequently the rights to the type were offered for sale and in 1991 Aerostar Aircraft Corp of Hayden Lake, Idaho was set up to provide maintenance and support for the type, hoping at sometime in the future to build a turbofan powered model with six seats, or a stretched eight-seat variant. Examples of both the Smith-built and Piper-built variants have been registered in this part of the world over the years.