After years of exploring the dream of a jet-powered Aerostar, Aerostar Aircraft of Boise, Idaho, is test-flying a Pratt & Whitney re-engined airplane. Company president Jim Christy flew the twinjet to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for AirVenture in July. The airplane, which has very little time on it, is still a work in progress, though the most critical part, the engines and their mounts, are fully engineered.
Christy said that even though he has been limited to 28,000 feet in the non-RVSM-approved airplane, the performance he has been seeing — 380 knots true at high fuel burns — will translate into better than 400 knots at 35,000 feet (the expected ceiling) with the miserly fuel flows more closely associated with the P&W 615 engines (the same engines as on the Cessna Citation Mustang). With the Aerostar’s nice cabin and great flying manners, the combination could be a winner, Christy said.
