The Aerostar 600: Taking a Closer Look at Purpose-Built Performance
If you want to start a spirited debate at the airport diner, walk in and ask what the fastest light piston twin is. The answer, if you care about actual aerodynamic engineering, is the Piper (formerly Ted Smith) Aerostar. It’s an airplane that looks like it’s going 250 knots while sitting motionless on the ramp.
The Visionary Behind the Machine To understand the Aerostar, you have to understand the guy who designed it: Ted R. Smith. This is the same visionary who designed the Douglas A-20 Havoc light bomber in WWII and the Aero Commander series. Smith didn’t believe in design by committee. He wanted to build an airframe so structurally robust and aerodynamically clean that it could eventually handle jet engines. (And decades later, people actually did put jets on them.)
Structural Fidelity at Its Peak The Aerostar 600, introduced in the late 1960s, is an absolute masterclass in structural fidelity. Let’s talk about the wings. It features a mid-wing design, using the same NACA-64 series airfoil found on early Learjets. This placement dramatically reduces interference drag between the wing and the fuselage.
The skin? Thick, butt-joined, and flush-riveted. There are no wavy skins or drag-inducing overlapping panels here. But the most interesting part of the Aerostar’s design is what you can't see. Instead of the typical labyrinth of pulleys and cables stretching and stretching over time, the primary flight controls are connected with push-pull tubes, torque tubes, and bellcranks. It gives the pilot incredibly crisp, responsive handling that feels more like a military fighter than a six-seat civilian hauler.
Low-Altitude Hot Rods While later models (like the 601P and 700P) added turbochargers and pressurization to claw their way up into the flight levels, the original naturally aspirated 600 and 600A models hold a special place in the hearts of aviation speed freaks. Powered by two wing-mounted Lycoming IO-540s pushing 290 horsepower each, the 600 is a low-altitude hot rod. It is a purpose-built machine for pilots who like their speed true, their fuel burn high, and their block times incredibly short.
Of course, it’s an airplane that demands a disciplined pilot. With high wing loading and slick aerodynamics, you actually have to fly the airplane all the way to the pavement. It won't tolerate a sloppy approach, which is exactly why the pilots who master them are so fiercely proud of them.
Wear the Legacy Whether you’re burning avgas at 210 knots true in a 600A, or pushing into the flight levels in a 700P, you know you’re flying a piece of Ted Smith's uncompromising vision.
Show off your love for the ultimate piston speed machine with our Aerostar 600A T-Shirt or the Aerostar – Purpose-Built Performance T-Shirt. And if you want to make it personal, grab the Your Aerostar 700 Superstar Hat — Personalized with Tail Number & Custom Text.
What’s your take on the Aerostar’s push-pull tube control feel compared to traditional cables? Let us know in the comments below!
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