Piper Aero Star

2 × Piston Pressurized Mid Wing • Retractable

Range Map

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+ cargo

Payload vs. Range

Occupants:

Fuel on board

Cargo

Range

Cargo is additional payload after occupants and baggage.

Adjust payload

full tanks

Available Range / nm

Mission capable. This load flies with full fuel.

Fuel reduced by . left aboard for nm range.

Over max payload by . At this load it cannot lift a single occupant.

Trip Preview

Mission Profile

Used market

261

KTAS

Cruise Speed

1,200

Max Range

25,000

Service Ceiling

Occupants

748

lbs

Wet Payload

Endorsements & ratings:

High-Performance
Complex
Pressurization
Multi-Engine

Piper Aerostar (N6898Y) at Rantoul, Kansas, April 2013. Photo: Aeroprints.com, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Estimated Ownership Costs

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About the Piper Aero Star

Type certificated 1984 Source: third-party reference

Overview

The Piper Aerostar 700P is the fastest and most powerful version of the Aerostar, a pressurised piston twin designed by Ted Smith and built from the late 1960s before Piper acquired the line in 1978. The 700P, introduced in 1984, pairs the Aerostar’s distinctive mid-wing, high-wing-loading airframe with two 350-horsepower counter-rotating, turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540 engines. It is often cited as the fastest production piston twin, cruising around 261 knots true at altitude.

The Aerostar is a speed-first airplane: a pressurised, high-altitude cross-country machine for owners who value pace over cabin volume or low operating cost. Its mid-wing layout and slippery design deliver the speed, but the type demands proficiency and rewards disciplined fuel and engine management, and its maintenance and parts costs run high. The honest case against the Aerostar is plain: about 40 gallons an hour at high cruise, a cabin tighter than other cabin-class twins, demanding high-wing-loading handling, and parts and maintenance bills that run above simpler twins. None of that deters the owner who buys the Aerostar for what it does best: cover ground fast, pressurised, at altitude. The proficient, disciplined pilot who prizes pace over economy and cabin room is exactly who it rewards.

Key Features for GA Buyers

Speed-first piston twin. Around 261 knots true at altitude on twin 350-horsepower turbocharged engines, the type’s defining trait.
Pressurised cabin. Cabin pressurisation supports high-altitude cruise above weather.
Counter-rotating turbocharged TIO-540s. 350 hp per side with counter-rotation removing the critical engine.
Mid-wing aerodynamic design. Ted Smith’s high-wing-loading layout delivers the speed and reduces gust response at cruise.
Six seats. Seating for six in a pressurised cabin.

Trade-offs

High operating and maintenance cost. Turbocharged TIO-540s and pressurisation carry high parts and maintenance costs over simpler twins, and the type has demanding parts availability.
Demanding to fly. High wing loading and a history of accidents from engine failures on takeoff and fuel mismanagement make proficiency and discipline essential.
Tight cabin for its class. Cabin volume is modest relative to cabin-class twins, trading room for speed.
Fuel system complexity. Electrically operated remote fuel valves and a particular fuel-management routine require careful attention.
High fuel burn. Around 40 GPH combined at high-speed cruise.

Technical Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Height: 13 ft
Length: 35 ft
Parking area (ft²²): 1,859 ft²

Max Takeoff Weight: 6,315 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 6,000 lbs
Useful Load: 1,744 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 166 gal

Performance

Cruise Speed: Source: third-party reference 261 KTAS
Never-Exceed (V_NE): Source: manufacturer figure 241 KIAS
Max Structural Cruise (V_NO): Source: manufacturer figure 215 KIAS
Approach Speed: 96 KIAS
Stall, Clean (V_S₁): 74 KIAS
Range: 1200 NM
Service Ceiling: 25,000 ft
Rate of Climb: 320 - 1840 fpm
Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle: 3,080 ft
Landing over 50 ft obstacle: 2,100 ft

Engines

Sources

Where the figures on this page come from. Piper Aero Star specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.

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