a little plane porn, and a contest...

[TAB]

Its a aerostar 601p, it was the plane we took too idaho.  (info about the plane 
http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20performance/aerostar/26.htm)


now the contest,  whats unusual about this aircraft?

get it rigth and you will win... something   

[PegLeg45]

The oddest thing I notice right off-hand is the close proximity of the door to the prop.....and the fact that the prop is behind the door...........dangerous in an emergency exit situation.

[PegLeg45]

Speer?



Is there a connection?

http://www.aerostaraircraft.com/SteveSpeer.html

http://www.speer-bullets.com/about_us/history.aspx

[david86440]

I know that an Aerostar 601 holds the speed record for a production piston twin engined plane, but the one you were on has a P so it's the pressurized version.

Aerostars have really been passed around over the years.

[MAUSERMAN]

The engines are turbo charged not supercharged.

[Sponsor]

[TAB]

The engines are turbo charged not supercharged.

turbo charging is a method of supercharging.


peg there is a connection, but thats not it...

[david86440]

It's piston powered so they use the turbochargers for pressurization, but that isn't all that  unusual.

On turbines they quite often use the bleed air off the compressor section of the turbine.

The one you were in was built in 1976, construction number 61P-0321-089 and has 2 Lycoming T10-540 SER engines.
and is registered to the Peterson's out of Gardnerville, NV.

The Air Worthiness Test was performed on 6/11/1976

[PegLeg45]

Thought this was odd.......? ? ?.....even if this isn't what you were getting at.....very odd aircraft in some areas.

Ted Smith's airplanes always had idiosyncrasies, and the 601P was no exception. The fuel, for example, is in two wing tanks on its side, with the only fuel management to make sure its "on" - as long as you fly with the ball in the middle 100-percent of the time. If the airplane is out of lateral rim even a little the fuel feeds unevenly from the wings and then the crossfeed system must be used to balance the fuel.
On the original airplanes there's only one gauge that measures the total fuel on board, so the only clue to unbalanced fuel is from the pilot (or autopilot) feeling the condition. Crossfeed can be used only in what some might consider level flight, so it is possible to end up with a complicated fuel management chore.
There's a hydraulic pump (to power the landing gear and flaps) on only the right engine, but an optional backup electric pump was available and is installed on virtually all of the airplanes. The nosewheel steering is controlled by a rocker switch on the pedestal, meaning your right hand can either steer or operate the throttles when taxiing. And, the first 601P had "short" wings, with a span of just over 34 feet. The factory extended the wings early in the production run and virtually all of the airplanes built with less span were redone by the factory to the new 36.67 foot wingspan. Maximum cruise on the first 601P was shown in the pilot's operating handbook (POH) as 256 knots at 25,000 feet.

http://www.aerostaraircraft.com/Flying.html

[TAB]

thats correct, it has a gravity feed system, the wing tanks gravity feed into the main tank.  the main tank feeds the motors, no swtich of tanks needed.  unless for some reason you have major wieght embalance.

the nose wheel steering is very cool, its a toggle, it litterly turns on a dime.

[Pathfinder]

As one of the non-insomniacs who was asleep when you posted this, I was going offer up - where does the pilot sit?