Aerostar Arrives at AirVenture with a Jet

Isabel Goyer

Friday, July 29, 2011 at 02:07 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Aerostar Aircraft Corporation publicly debuted a jet-powered modification of its 601P Aerostar, featuring Pratt & Whitney PW615 engines, at AirVenture.
The aircraft is in early flight testing and configuration, already showing preliminary speeds of around 380 knots true at suboptimal altitudes, with expectations to exceed 400 knots true at its optimal 35,000 feet.
The modification leverages the original airframe's design intent for jet engines, with the team rebuilding the wing and adding fuselage fuel.
Aerostar is currently exploring commercialization paths, potentially as a Type Certificate (TC) modification priced around $1.5 million plus an airframe, or as a fully certified product with an equity partner.

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Aerostar Aircraft Corporation showed up on Tuesday at AirVenture with a Pratt & Whitney PW615-powered 601P Aerostar modification. It was the first public showing of the airplane, which is undergoing early flight test and configuration.

The airplane is a work in progress in many respects. There are no boots on it yet. The pressurization system has yet to be fully tested above the Aerostar’s ceiling. The avionics are a mix of old, new and and not ready for prime-time devices. The fuel system is not yet finished.