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42-661: After having designed the Aero Commander and Jet Commander , Ted R. Smith founded the Ted Smith Aircraft Company in 1963 to build a new line of aircraft. The first Aerostar prototype, the Model 320, was built with two 160 hp (120 kW) Lycoming IO-320 engines and first flew in November 1966. The same aircraft was upgraded with a pair of 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming IO-360 engines and

84-454: A tricycle configuration. It is designed to seat six, and is distinguished from light twins of similar size and weight by its high wing loading , careful attention to fine aerodynamic details, a mid wing , and in early models, the absence of cowl flaps ; Smith was adamant that they were not needed because of the refined cooling system design. Despite this, the later 700P used cowl flaps because engine cooling of earlier models proved marginal if

126-411: A common chamber near the fuselage tank; the common chamber in turn normally feeds the engines. However, the relative lack of wing dihedral may cause the wing tanks to feed unevenly when used in this manner, causing a fuel imbalance as flight progresses. This problem can be mitigated by using the fuel valves to crossfeed fuel from one wing tank to the opposite engine, bypassing the common chamber; however,

168-416: A dedicated low-fuel warning light, and placards explaining correct crossfeed procedures. The Aerostar has a history of problems with the clamshell-style entry door, which is located directly in front of the left-hand propeller, making it critical for the door to be secured before takeoff. A number of accidents have resulted from the upper half of the door coming open in flight and in some cases separating from

210-478: A door gusset; the gusset may break in flight and cause the door seal to fail, potentially causing uncontrolled decompression in pressurized versions of the Aerostar. Although nominally a six-seat aircraft, owners often remove center-row seats because most Aerostars have inadequate payload to simultaneously carry six people, their baggage, and a large fuel load, and removing the seats improves access and legroom in

252-483: A more streamlined vertical fin and renamed the Model 360; it was subsequently upgraded again with 200 hp (150 kW) IO-360s and renamed again as the Model 400. The aircraft finally entered production as the Aerostar 600 with two 290 hp (220 kW) Lycoming IO-540 -K engines, first flown in December 1967. Also produced, and the base of most of the subsequent models, was a version with turbocharged engines,

294-526: A single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity . Tricycle gear aircraft are the easiest for takeoff, landing and taxiing, and consequently the configuration is now the most widely used on aircraft. Several early aircraft had primitive tricycle gear, notably very early Antoinette planes and the Curtiss Pushers of the pre-World War I Pioneer Era of aviation. Waldo Waterman 's 1929 tailless Whatsit

336-406: A visibility advantage for the pilot as the nose of the aircraft is level, whereas the high nose of the taildragger can block the view ahead. Tricycle gear aircraft are much less liable to 'nose over' as can happen if a taildragger hits a bump or has the brakes heavily applied. In a nose-over, the aircraft's tail rises and the propeller strikes the ground, causing damage. The tricycle layout reduces

378-435: Is arguably more suited to rougher landing strips. The tailwheel makes the plane sit naturally in a nose-up attitude when on the ground, which is useful for operations on unpaved gravel surfaces where debris could damage the propeller. The tailwheel also transmits loads to the airframe in a way much less likely to cause airframe damage when operating on rough fields. The small tailwheel is much lighter and much less vulnerable than

420-601: The Ag Commander S-2 . Both aircraft were originally the products of smaller manufacturers that Aero Commander had purchased. The Ag Commander brand was dropped in 1970, but production continued as the Rockwell S2R Thrush Commander . Tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or landing gear , that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in

462-868: The Yakovlev Yak-15 , the Supermarine Attacker , and prototypes such as the Heinkel He 178 that pioneered jet flight , the first four prototypes (V1 through V4) of the Messerschmitt Me 262 , and the Nene powered version of the Vickers VC.1 Viking . Outside of the United States ;– where the tricycle undercarriage had solidly begun to take root with its aircraft firms before that nation's World War II involvement at

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504-453: The attitude required to land on the main gear is the same as that required in the flare , and they are less vulnerable to crosswinds . As a result, the majority of modern aircraft are fitted with tricycle gear. Almost all jet-powered aircraft have been fitted with tricycle landing gear to prevent the blast of hot, high-speed gases from causing damage to the ground surface, in particular runways and taxiways . The few exceptions have included

546-628: The 1960 introduction of the Twin Commander. With the advent of the small gas turbine engine, the 680 T model was released in 1964, followed by the 690 series in 1971, and the JetProp series in 1979. The company later incorporated other aircraft types developed at smaller companies and marketed them as components of the Aero Commander line. It also developed a business- twinjet , the 1121 Jet Commander. The production of this aircraft

588-490: The Aerostar 601. The aircraft were originally built at Van Nuys , California, but in 1968 the company was bought by the American Cement Company . The acquisition was not a success, and in 1969 the company was sold again to Butler Aviation, a major fixed base operator and owner of Mooney Airplane Company . The new company was renamed Aerostar Aircraft Corporation, and plans were made to move production to

630-523: The Aerostar 700 Superstar . In 1976, the company name was changed to the Ted Smith Aerostar Corporation . 1974 saw the introduction of the successful 601P, which introduced cabin pressurization , allowing more convenient high-altitude operation; the designers were able to adapt the fuselage to pressurization without having to limit its service life . The 601P and the 601B, which was introduced in 1977, both feature improvements to

672-400: The Aerostar had an accident rate of 12.9 per 100,000 flight hours, substantially more than the rate of the comparable Beechcraft Baron 58 at 4.9 per 100,000 hours. A similar study conducted by Aviation Safety compared the safety records of eight similar models of twin-piston-engine aircraft and found that the Aerostar had the highest accident and fatal accident rate. According to the studies,

714-515: The Aerostar slow the aircraft relatively quickly, which may induce this problem, so pilots typically do not use the full 20-degree flap setting until the aircraft is close enough to the runway to ensure a safe landing. The Aerostar has a history of accidents stemming from fuel mismanagement by the pilot. Most later Aerostars have a 41.5-US-gallon (157 L; 34.6 imp gal) fuselage fuel tank and individual 62-US-gallon (230 L; 52 imp gal) fuel tanks in each wing, which all feed into

756-508: The Mooney plant at Kerrville , Texas, but Butler got into a dispute with American Cement over alleged corrosion problems with the airframe; the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated and found that no such problem existed, but the dispute resulted in a two-year production hiatus and cancellation of the plant relocation plan. In 1971, Smith attempted to repurchase the rights and announced he would be building an all-new design that

798-478: The aircraft and continued research and development . In 2006, Speer restarted design studies for a jet-powered Aerostar, and in 2010, Aerostar Aircraft first flew the Aerostar Jet , a 601P refitted with a pair of wing-mounted 1,460 lbf (6.5 kN) Pratt & Whitney CW615F engines, providing an estimated maximum cruise speed of 355 knots (657 km/h; 409 mph). In 2014, Aerostar Aircraft said it

840-410: The aircraft compared to its competitors are the absence of a nose baggage locker, and a cabin that can only be accessed through a single clamshell door next to the pilot's seat; aircraft occupants other than the pilot in command must climb over the folded pilot's seat to access their seats. Aerostar model numbers nominally refer to the total installed engine horsepower, but some model numbers vary from

882-539: The aircraft. Although it was not conclusively listed as causal, an unsecured upper door is widely thought to have contributed to a 1988 crash that killed pilot and auto racing driver Al Holbert . That year, the FAA issued an AD requiring inspection of the door rigging, a placard explaining proper door operation, and a dedicated door-ajar warning light. In addition, the FAA has issued warnings regarding an aftermarket door strut which required an installation procedure that may damage

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924-543: The basic Ted Smith model designation system but prefixed each model as the PA-60 . Piper introduced the enhanced 602P, which was initially marketed as the Sequoya , and also put the 700 Superstar into production as the 700P. The 602P was the first model with a turbocharger system built and certified by the engine manufacturer, rather than a turbo system designed and installed by Ted Smith or Piper. After discontinuing production of

966-718: The company was reincorporated as Twin Commander Aircraft, LLC. In 2005, the company was acquired from Precision in a management buyout . Ag Commander was a brand name used by Aero Commander for their line of agricultural aircraft . Two unrelated aircraft were marketed under this name: the CallAir A-9 , sold as the Ag Commander A-9 and B-9 , and the Ayres Thrush (aka the Snow S-2 ), sold as

1008-464: The company's early efforts: Philadelphia attorney George Pew and Oklahoma City brothers William and Rufus Travis Amis . In September 1950, it became the Aero Design and Engineering Company of Oklahoma . Its facilities consisted of an aircraft hangar and 26,000 sq ft (2,400 m ) manufacturing facility located at what is now Wiley Post Airport near Oklahoma City . In August 1951,

1050-537: The early 1980s, was powered by Dash 10 engines. In December 1985, Gulfstream Aerospace was acquired by Chrysler Corp . With a new focus on the business jet market, production of the Twin Commander ended in 1986. In 1989, the Twin Commander Aircraft subsidiary of Gulfstream was acquired by Precision Aerospace Corporation. With this acquisition, the company transformed from an aircraft manufacturer to an OEM parts, service, and support provider. In 2003,

1092-536: The end of 1941  – the Heinkel firm in World War II Germany began building airframe designs meant to use tricycle undercarriage systems from their beginnings, as early as late 1939 with the Heinkel He 280 pioneering jet fighter demonstrator series, and the unexpectedly successful Heinkel He 219 twin-engined night fighter of 1942 origin. The taildragger configuration has its own advantages, and

1134-504: The first production Aero Commander, the piston-engined model 520, rolled off the assembly line. It was designed as a business class twin-engine aircraft for corporate travelers. In 1954, the 520 was replaced by the 560 and 560A featuring a larger cabin and more powerful Lycoming piston engines. In 1955, the U.S. Air Force selected the Aero Commander as the personal transport for President Dwight D. Eisenhower , ordering 15 aircraft, two of which were used by The White House . This aircraft

1176-467: The leading cause of Aerostar accidents was engine failures on takeoff. The Aviation Consumer notes that the Aerostar's high wing loading, which contributes to its high cruise speed, also gives it relatively unforgiving flying qualities on takeoff and landing; the aircraft requires relatively long runways, and pilots must keep the airspeed high during approach to avoid falling behind the power curve , which can cause an excessive sink rate. The wing flaps of

1218-514: The non-pressurized models, Piper moved production to Vero Beach , Florida, building the last Aerostar there in 1984. Smith conducted engineering studies for a jet -powered Aerostar, and also envisioned turboprop power and a single-engine trainer aircraft using the same basic airframe, but these plans never came to fruition during the aircraft's production run. The Aerostar emerged as a mid-wing cantilever monoplane powered by two wing-mounted piston engines , with retractable landing gear in

1260-449: The pilot. Unusual Aerostar design features include electrically operated remote fuel valves, which avert the need to run fuel lines into the cockpit; electro-hydraulic nosewheel steering; a flight control system that relies on push-pull rods and torque tubes rather than cables; and unusually thick and stiff wing skins, which—together with the high wing loading—give the Aerostar an unusually smooth ride in turbulence . Some disadvantages of

1302-425: The possibility of a ground loop , because the main gear lies behind the center of mass. However, tricycle aircraft can be susceptible to wheel-barrowing . The nosewheel equipped aircraft also is easier to handle on the ground in high winds due to its wing negative angle of attack . Student pilots are able to safely master nosewheel equipped aircraft more quickly. Tricycle gear aircraft are easier to land because

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1344-584: The precise total, particularly the later models. During the time of production, the Aerostar held the speed record for fastest twin piston general aviation aircraft, capable of cruise speeds from 220 knots (410 km/h; 250 mph) for the earliest 600 models to 261 knots (483 km/h; 300 mph) for the later 700 models. Light construction, low drag, and powerful engines contribute to fast climb rates, while allowing high operating altitudes and class-leading fuel efficiency. A study of Aerostar accidents by The Aviation Consumer from 1978 to 1982 showed that

1386-452: The system is not maintained rigorously. The engines of early 601s are turbonormalized—they retain the higher compression ratio typical of a non-turbocharged engine, and the turbo system is designed to primarily to compensate for increasing altitude by providing more boost pressure as the outside air pressure declines. Later models featured a redesigned turbo system intended to increase reliability and be more forgiving of improper operation by

1428-666: The third-row seats, which are quieter than the other seating positions and are therefore preferred by many passengers. The Aerostar has a reputation for high maintenance requirements and servicing costs due to a cooling system design that is intolerant of poor maintenance, a lack of working space around various aircraft systems, and a turbo system that is sensitive to exhaust system problems. The Aerostar type certificate and manufacturing documentation were sold in 1991 to former Ted Smith Aerostar employees Jim Christy and Steve Speer, who operate Aerostar Aircraft Corporation (originally Machen Incorporated), providing maintenance and support for

1470-481: The turbocharging system to increase engine reliability and ease engine operation; the improved turbo system and a 2.5-foot (0.76 m) greater wingspan improve climb performance. Smith died suddenly in 1976. In 1978, the Aerostar line was acquired by the Piper Aircraft Corporation , which continued to build two variants, the 600A and 601B, and then re-introduced the 601P. Piper continued using

1512-453: The wing tanks are prone to unporting when they are mostly empty, causing engines to lose power or stop running. This hazard can be exacerbated if electrical power is lost, as the electrically operated fuel valves will become inoperable, preventing the pilot from switching back to the fuselage tank. To mitigate these problems, a 1984 airworthiness directive (AD) required owners to install individual, more accurate fuel gauges for each wing tank,

1554-581: Was a military version of the Aero Commander and was assigned a liaison function. It was used by Eisenhower to travel from Washington, D.C. to his farm at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . In 1958, the Company introduced the first pressurized business aircraft in the form of the model 720 Alti-Cruiser. The company was acquired by Rockwell-Standard in 1958 and changed its name to Aero Commander Inc. in late 1960. The aircraft added fuel injection engines and other modifications to increase performance, resulting in

1596-510: Was better than the Aerostar, but negotiations broke down. The Bellanca Aircraft Company and Chance Vought also expressed interest in acquiring the design. In 1972, Ted Smith successfully bought back all the rights to the aircraft and began manufacturing Aerostars under the Ted R. Smith and Associates banner in Santa Maria , California, introducing the pressurized Aerostar 601P along with

1638-511: Was delayed with the company finally delivering to its first customer, Timken Roller Bearing Corporation, on January 11, 1965. Aero Commander sold the manufacturing rights to Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), who produced it as the Westwind . In February 1981, Rockwell International sold the Aero Commander division to Gulfstream Aerospace . The final Twin Commander model 1000, released in

1680-652: Was formed in Culver City, California , in 1944 to design and manufacture a light twin-engined transport aircraft. Ted Smith , a former project engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company , assembled a team of 14 engineers to design what would be the Aero Commander. Preliminary design was completed in 1946. The first prototype took flight on April 23, 1948, and was certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in June, 1950. Three men funded

1722-470: Was investigating production of the aircraft. Data from Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994–95 General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Aero Commander Aero Commander was an aircraft manufacturer formed in 1944. In subsequent years, it became a subsidiary of Rockwell International and Gulfstream Aerospace . The company ceased aircraft production in 1986. Aero

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1764-463: Was one of the first to have a steerable nose wheel. In 1956, Cessna introduced sprung-steel tricycle landing gear on the Cessna 172 . Their marketing department described this as "Land-O-Matic" to imply that these aircraft were much easier to land than tailwheel aircraft. Tricycle gear is essentially the reverse of conventional landing gear or taildragger . On the ground, tricycle aircraft have

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