The Piper Aerostar Seven Hundred P, the Turbocharged Pressurized Piston Twin That Rewrote the Speed Conversation, and What a Nineteen Eighty-Four Survivor Tells Us About Buying Fast

The Piper PA-60 Aerostar 700P is arguably the fastest piston twin ever produced for the civilian market, capable of 260 knots true airspeed at altitude with a pressurized cabin and two turbocharged Lycoming engines. Flying Magazine recently flagged a 1984 example as an AircraftForSale top pick - a designation that warrants examination, not just of the listing, but of what this airplane is and what owning one actually requires.

The Engineer Behind the Airplane

To understand why the Aerostar performs the way it does, you need to understand its designer. Ted Smith was not a household name outside aviation circles, but within the industry he carried the kind of credibility that comes from having already built one successful airplane before attempting to build a better one.

Smith designed the Aero Commander twin in the early 1950s, a high-wing executive aircraft that sold well and earned a solid reputation. He then spent years looking at the piston twin world and concluding that it could be faster, cleaner, and more efficient at altitude. He left to start Ted Smith Aircraft and went to work.

The result, introduced in the late 1960s, was the Aerostar 600 - a design that looked like it had arrived from a different decade.

Why This Airplane Is Aerodynamically Different From Every Other Twin

The defining characteristic of Smith’s design is engine placement. Most piston twins of the era - the Piper Seneca, the Cessna 310, the Beechcraft Baron - mounted engines in outboard wing nacelles and accepted the aerodynamic and handling penalties that came with it. Smith mounted his engines as close to the fuselage centerline as the structure allowed, essentially at the wing roots.

The consequences were significant. Nacelles stayed short and tight. The asymmetric thrust problem on single-engine failure was reduced because the thrust lines were closer together. And total drag dropped dramatically, allowing the airplane to cruise at speeds that embarrassed twins with more horsepower.

The original Aerostar 600 used naturally aspirated Lycoming IO-540 engines producing 390 horsepower each and cruised at roughly 230 knots true airspeed. For its era, that was a conversation ender.

What the 700P Designation Actually Means

The 700 in the Aerostar 700P is a type designation, not a horsepower figure. The P stands for pressurized. The 700P represents the highest-specification variant of the production Aerostar, equipped with Lycoming TIO-540-U2A engines - turbocharged, intercooled, producing 350 horsepower each.

Paired with the pressurization system, the 700P can climb to 25,000 feet while holding a cabin altitude of approximately 8,000 feet. Published maximum cruise figures place it at around 260 knots true airspeed at altitude.

That performance figure has a specific meaning in context: there are turboprop aircraft that cannot match it.

Why Pressurization Changes the Mission Entirely

Most piston twins reach their practical operational ceiling somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000 feet. Turbocharging helps, but without pressurization, pilots are subject to hypoxia risks they are often the last to recognize, and meaningful convective weather still sits in their altitude band.

The 700P was designed to operate above that environment - at 22,000 to 24,000 feet, above most convective activity and significant turbulence. At those altitudes, the aerodynamic efficiency of Smith’s original design pays the largest dividends. A clean fuselage and tight nacelles that reduce drag modestly at low altitude reduce it dramatically in thin air.

Pressurization on this airplane is not a comfort feature. At its operating altitudes, it is a physiological requirement.

Why 1984 Matters: The Last Chapter of American Piston Ambition

Piper Aircraft acquired the Aerostar line in 1978, after Ted Smith Aircraft ran into the financial difficulties that have claimed most independent aircraft manufacturers. Piper continued production and refinement for several more years. A 1984 model is near the end of that run.

The broader general aviation market collapsed in the 1980s under product liability legislation that created enormous legal exposure for manufacturers. Piper, Cessna, and Beechcraft all cut production sharply or discontinued specific models. The Aerostar line did not survive the period.

This means the 1984 examples are not simply old airplanes. They are among the last produced. The supply of well-maintained survivors has been declining for decades and will not be replenished.

What a Pre-Purchase Inspection Must Cover

Pressurization System

Any pre-purchase inspection on a 700P should treat the pressurization system as a primary focus, not a secondary item. Seals age. Controllers develop drift. Differential pressure testing must confirm the system performs to specification - not close to specification.

Engines

A borescope inspection and oil analysis are non-negotiable. Time since overhaul matters, but operational history matters more. A TIO-540-U2A that has been flown regularly, kept warm, and maintained in a dry climate tells a different story than an engine that has sat in a coastal hangar between annual inspections. Hours are a data point; condition is the actual story.

Intercoolers

The intercoolers on these engines deserve specific attention. Turbocharger-compressed air passes through the intercooler before entering the engine, dropping intake temperature and increasing charge density. Intercooler cores can crack with age. A leaking intercooler degrades performance and, under certain conditions, can introduce exhaust gases into the induction system. This is not a routine squawk to defer.

Airframe-Specific Components

The Lycoming TIO-540 family is well-supported in the field and shares architecture with other Lycoming 540 variants. The Aerostar-specific airframe components - pressurization hardware, specific fittings, structural pieces unique to the type - require more sourcing effort than equivalent parts for a Cessna 310 or Beechcraft Baron. Budget accordingly and confirm parts availability for any flagged squawks before closing.

The Aerostar Community as a Hidden Asset

The Aerostar Owners Association exists because the pilots who fly these airplanes tend to care about them with specific intensity. A small, discontinued fleet creates exactly the conditions where owner communities become genuinely valuable: accumulated institutional knowledge, a network of mechanics who know the type, and documented solutions to the known issues.

For a buyer entering the Aerostar world for the first time, that community is not a footnote - it is part of the asset being purchased.

The Value Case: Performance at a Discount

The Aerostar 700P has historically traded at a significant discount relative to its performance compared with more common pressurized piston twins. The reasons are identifiable: complexity premium, parts availability perception, and limited market awareness of what the airplane actually does.

When Flying Magazine designates a 1984 example as a top pick, part of what they are doing is correcting that information asymmetry. A pilot who is multi-engine rated, comfortable with pressurized operations, and willing to learn the specific systems is looking at cruise performance that would have cost substantially more new - in an airframe that remains flyable, repairable, and fully capable of the mission it was designed for.

The low single-engine minimum control speed is a practical advantage worth naming directly. Because the engine thrust lines are close to the fuselage centerline, the asymmetric thrust situation on engine failure is less severe than on a conventional twin. Lower Vmc means more usable runway options on departure if an engine fails. That is not a specification to skim past.

Key Takeaways

• The Piper Aerostar PA-60 700P achieves approximately 260 knots true airspeed at altitude - performance that rivals some turboprops - due to Ted Smith’s unconventional engine placement at the wing roots rather than outboard nacelles.
• The 700P’s pressurization system enables cruise altitudes of 22,000–25,000 feet with a cabin altitude near 8,000 feet, placing it above most convective weather and making it a genuine cross-country instrument platform.
• Piper ceased Aerostar production in the 1980s following the general aviation market collapse; a 1984 model is one of the last ever built, making well-maintained survivors increasingly rare.
• Any pre-purchase inspection must treat the pressurization system, intercoolers, and individual engine condition as primary inspection items, not secondary ones.
• The Aerostar Owners Association represents meaningful institutional knowledge about the type - buying into this fleet means buying into that community.