This 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar Is a Long-Legged ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

1975 Ted Smith Aerostar 601P [Courtesy: Scott MacDonald]

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar 601P.

For a rare airplane, the Ted Smith Aerostar is pretty well known among pilots and even in popular culture thanks to a notable supporting role in 2017’s hit film American Made, which stars Tom Cruise as a sketchy pilot hauling questionable cargo.

Long before the film, though, my planespotting schoolmates and I could identify Aerostars that flew over the school playground during recess. Their swept tail surfaces and small wings, seemingly set so far aft on the fuselage, gave them away.

The rubber-band-powered model airplanes we flew after school gained speed when we slid their wings back, and the same held true for the Aerostar, which set speed records in its heyday. This Aerostar has upgrades from Machen, a company that specialized in performance-enhancing modifications for the type. Auxiliary fuel gives a significant range boost.

This 1975 Aerostar has 3,955 hours on the airframe, 1,397 hours since overhaul on the left Lycoming IO-540 engine and 1,468 on the right. The aircraft is equipped with GAMI injectors, auxiliary fuel, spoilers, heavy-duty Cleveland wheels and brakes, and Machen vortex generators and exhaust.

The panel includes a garmin GNS 430 GPS/nav/comm, Garmin SL 30 nav/comm, GTX 330 transponder, Garmin MX 20 MFD with charts, GDL 69 with SiriusXM weather, PS Engineering PMA 8000SR audio panel, Bendix-King radar altimeter, Bendix HSD 860 HSI Compass system, WX500 Stormscope, S-TEC 55X autopilot, and JPI 760 engine monitor.

Additional equipment includes air conditioning, oxygen system, deicing boots with windshield hot plate, and 44-gallon auxiliary fuel tank. This Aerostar has a useful load of 1,745 pounds.

Pilots looking for a light twin with extraordinary speed and impressive range for serious cross-country travel should consider this 1975 Ted Smith Aerostar, which is available for $210,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.