AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2011 - 76

There is little “feel” at first, just as in a jet. My sense is that right now the airplane is a ballistic collection of aerodynamic forms that will point and go as I command, provided I know the right commands. Speed is increasing quickly in the rather shallow initial climb. Gear and flaps up, I let the speed build above VY, 117 knots, as I blast into the low overcast and watch the rate of climb build to nearly 2,000 fpm. With speed comes sensation and feedback in the controls; the Aerostar changes personality from a point-andshoot machine to a living, delightfully responsive being. Yet, trimmed for cruise climb at 140 knots, it is so nicely stable that it stays where I put it when I must divert my attention to other demands as Departure clears me higher and hands me off to Center, which turns me on course and sends me on up to FL230. Under Musick’s tuition I will later discover that hand-flying an Aerostar is one of the true joys of aviation. Steep turns

are surprisingly easy, made even better by the extra windows in the headliner that allow me to see where I am going when tossing the airplane about; slow flight is utterly predictable, although the high wing loading means that it can develop a stunning sink rate; and stalls are straightforward, as long as I keep the ball centered. Nevertheless, I want to see how well the recently installed Garmin G600 and old Bendix FCS-810 autopilot work together, and let them do the flying for a bit. The Garmin G600 retrofit takes a very good airplane and makes it better. Simply put, it is an intuitive system that simplifies the pilot’s workload, providing him or her with far more information regarding the behavior and health of the airplane and the airspace around it than was ever available in even the most lavishly equipped, analogue Aerostar. Approaching top of climb the pressurization system has continued to work smoothly. Now at its maximum 4.25-PSI differential, the cabin altitude

will be about 9,000 feet once I level at FL230, which is coming up on the PFD right now. I punch the ALT button on the autopilot and pull out the cruise checklist as the nose gently comes down a few degrees and the speed again builds. Musick sets power at 24 inches and 2,400 rpm. Speed stabilizes at 227 KTAS, burning 18 gph a side. Moving to leanof-peak operation, I see a true airspeed of 205 knots and the fuel flow drops to 12.5 gph per side. Out of curiosity, Musick pushes the power up to 27 inches while holding 2,400 rpm, rich of peak. Fuel flow goes up to 22 gph per side but the speed slides all the way up to 242 KTAS—faster than some twin turboprops, on less fuel. With some time on my hands, I look around the circular-cross-section cabin. It is more spacious than it appears from outside, with more than adequate head and leg room. For Musick, this is the perfect family airplane; with full fuel (165.5 gallons usable) he can carry 719 pounds in the cabin. He has removed a middle-

Aerostars originally had but one hydraulic pump, on the right engine. The danger of being unable to retract gear and flaps in the event of a right-engine failure on takeoff, thus compounding an already serious emergency, causes one to wonder just what Smith was thinking that day.

AOPA PILOT •

76 • SEPTEMBER 2011

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2011

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