Development milestones
Designer: Ted R. Smith
First flight: 1967
Aircraft libraryAerostar 600
No machine-readable author provided. CommonsHelper2 Bot assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain · Piper Aerostar — real-aircraft reference photograph.Aerostar 600
Ted Smith's piston twin, later produced by Piper as the Aerostar.
General aviation6 profile choices
Know the plane
The Aerostar began as a Ted Smith design for executive travel and light transport. Piper acquired the design in 1978 and continued production as the PA-60. That change of ownership explains the different manufacturer names found in references. The simulator entry represents the Aerostar 600; the specification tables identify the family models they describe.
Piper Aerostar · Specifications (700P) · real aircraft; source units retained
- Length
- 34 ft 9.75 in (10.61 m)↗
- Wingspan
- 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)↗
- Height
- 12 ft 1 in (3.68 m)↗
- Wing area
- 178.2 sq ft (16.56 m² )↗
- Empty weight
- 4,275 lb (1,939 kg)↗
- Gross weight
- 6,315 lb (2,864 kg)↗
- Powerplant
- 2 × Avco Lycoming TIO-540-U2A flat six counter-rotating piston , 350 hp (261 kW) each↗
- Maximum speed
- 306 mph (492 km/h, 266 kn)↗
- Cruise speed
- 242 mph (390 km/h, 210 kn)↗
- Range
- 1,024 mi (1,648 km, 890 nmi)↗
- Service ceiling
- 25,000 ft (7,620 m)↗
- Rate of climb
- 1,840 ft/min (9.4 m/s)↗
More about this aircraft on AirframeDB
Push-pull controls and electric trim
The A2A manual describes primary controls operated through push-pull tubes and bellcranks. Electric motors move the elevator and rudder trim tabs, with their positions shown in the cockpit. Its Fowler flaps use hydraulic actuators. This description is scoped to the 600 represented in the manual.
An owner’s experience behind the simulated 600
Gentile chose a normally aspirated Aerostar when buying his own aircraft, preferring its combination of solidity and responsiveness to the balance he perceived in the turbocharged version. He operated it for several years, and that direct experience later helped motivate A2A's choice to develop a simulated 600. His introduction is both an owner's recollection and a developer's explanation of a product in which he has a commercial interest.
One experience was especially memorable. A landing-gear failure during a test flight forced him and his son Jake to make a controlled gear-up landing. Gentile describes the aircraft settling onto its belly and both occupants getting out without incident. He presents the event as something that encouraged further curiosity and learning, alongside his continuing appreciation of the design.
A first launch in someone else’s family aircraft
Durden flew Stan Musick's modified 1977 Aerostar 601P with its owner in the right seat. The departure required him to think ahead as acceleration quickly carried the aircraft into a climb through low cloud. As speed increased, the initially unfamiliar control feel developed into a responsive, stable aeroplane. Once trimmed, it held its condition while he attended to radio calls and the climb toward 23,000 feet.
He later enjoyed steep turns, appreciated the extra overhead windows and found the cabin more spacious than its external appearance suggested. Musick had removed one middle-row seat to suit family travel. Durden also evaluated how a new Garmin display worked with the older autopilot, then returned to hand-flying for the enjoyment of it. The landing completed an enthusiastic report that still recognised the need to understand the aircraft's systems and maintain proficiency. This was a pressurised, turbocharged 601P with modifications, distinct from the normally aspirated 600 represented by A2A.
Decades of ferry flying leave a lasting attachment
Cox traces his affection for the Aerostar to a 1975 flight with Jim Miller in Texas. The view past the nearby spinner, the long nose and the rapidly passing landscape became a distinctive part of the experience for him. Over the following decades, ferrying roughly a dozen 700-series aircraft around the world gave him repeated opportunities to appreciate their speed and control response. He still hoped eventually to own one himself.
His recollections include working with Jim Christy on a television flying segment and delivering the specially prepared Spirit of Kai Tak to Britain before its London-to-Sydney race. Those experiences concerned higher-powered, modified Aerostars rather than the original 600. Cox's enthusiasm also acknowledges the fuel consumed when using their full cruising capability. He enjoyed the way the aircraft looked, responded and carried him over long distances, even while his own aeroplane remained a Mooney.
Public sources 7
- Piper AerostarResearch background · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Accu-Sim Aerostar 600Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12
- Accu-Sim Aerostar 600 ManualScott Gentile · 2025, page 4
- Family rocketRick Durden · September 2011
- Aerostar 702: Still The FastestBill Cox · 1 November 2007
- ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsPublic search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03
- FAA JO 7360.1K — aircraft type designatorsActive FAA order; checked 2026-09-14
How the profile models it
Aerostar 700P
Free + ProMSFS 2020MSFS 2024X-Plane 12
Ted Smith's piston twin, later produced by Piper as the Aerostar.
Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Pitch-trim relief is off. Autopilot following is off.
This exact revision has not been enabled for public installation.
Aircraft and configuration
Pressurized turbocharged piston twin, retractable wheels, wing flaps and the documented S-TEC installation.
Push-pull controls and electric trim
The A2A manual describes primary controls operated through push-pull tubes and bellcranks. Electric motors move the elevator and rudder trim tabs, with their positions shown in the cockpit. Its Fowler flaps use hydraulic actuators. This description is scoped to the 600 represented in the manual.
About the values
Strengths are normalized hardware-feel settings. They set the effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its limits. The IAS reference is a tuning value.
Master gain & control system
Master gain85%
The final overall output scale applied to everything the model produces, before the device cap.
More: everything (spring, loads, effects) gets stronger together.
Less: everything softens together.
Why here: Scales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits.
Forces
Spring strength74%
The base centring force that pulls the stick back to centre. Every other force stacks on it. Too low and the stick feels limp in normal flight; too high and it fights your hand and masks the smaller cues layered above it.
More: firmer centring that resists your hand at all times.
Less: a limper stick that leans on aerodynamic load alone.
Why here: The A2A manual describes primary controls operated through push-pull tubes and bellcranks. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 65 KIAS.
Accu-Sim Aerostar 600 ManualOverall aerodynamic load80%
A master scale over both sustained axis loads, applied before their independent balance. Profiles normally leave this alone and tune the two axis loads instead.
More: both axes load up harder.
Less: both axes lighten together.
Why here: The aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 200 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring.
Elevator load100%
The sustained pitch load from elevator deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of roll. This is the main lever behind a type's pitch weight. It does not touch aileron, spring, trim, or buffet forces.
More: heavier sustained pitch forces at speed.
Less: a lighter elevator that takes less muscle to hold.
Why here: Scales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings.
Aileron load72%
The sustained roll load from aileron deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of pitch. Together with the elevator load it sets the control-harmony ratio reviewers talk about.
More: heavier roll forces.
Less: lighter, quicker-feeling ailerons.
Why here: Roll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled.
Max output force55%
A cap on each steady pitch or roll force before it reaches the device, guarding against slamming or saturating the hardware in strong maneuvers.
More: stronger peak steady forces before clipping.
Less: a gentler ceiling; hard maneuvers flatten out sooner.
Why here: Caps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate.
Force tuning speed200
The indicated airspeed where aerodynamic load reaches its designed full level. It anchors the whole load curve to the aircraft's real speed range: a 172 loads up by 110 knots, a jet much later.
More: loads arrive later; the stick stays light up to a higher speed.
Less: loads arrive earlier and cruise feels heavier.
Why here: Sets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit.
Spring deadband4%
A small neutral zone around centre where the spring stays quiet, so tiny movements at rest don't chatter. Wider is calmer but looser; narrower is more precise but can twitch around centre.
More: a calmer but looser centre with more free play.
Less: a tighter centre that may chatter at rest.
Why here: Sets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner.
Airspeed blendingTrue
Enables the low-speed spring engagement window (start/full knots above). Off, the spring is constant at all speeds.
Why here: Allows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it.
Low-speed spring floor55%
How much of the spring survives at a standstill, before airspeed can build any aerodynamic force. A high floor keeps the parked stick firm; a low floor gives the loose, cable-slack feel of a parked light aircraft.
More: a firmer stick while parked and taxiing.
Less: a floppier parked stick that only wakes up with airspeed.
Why here: Sets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength.
Spring engagement start8 kt
The airspeed where the spring begins climbing from its low-speed floor toward full strength: the controls "coming alive" on the takeoff roll.
Why here: Sets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit.
Spring engagement full65 kt
The airspeed where the spring reaches full strength. Between the start and this point, centring firms up progressively as airflow builds over the controls.
Why here: Sets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it.
Centre firmness vs speed15%
How much the centring itself stiffens with speed, on top of the deflection loads. Zero keeps centre feel constant; more makes the stick centre harder at cruise and looser in the pattern.
More: a centre that hardens noticeably as you go faster.
Less: constant centre feel at every speed.
Why here: The high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0.15. It strengthens the permitted spring response above 65 KIAS, with the squared-speed ratio capped at 5.
Centre stiffening cap5
The upper limit on speed-driven centre stiffening, so very fast flight can't wind the spring up without bound.
More: more total stiffening allowed at high speed.
Less: stiffening clamps off sooner.
Why here: Limits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap.
Trim
Trim relief (elevator)0%
How strongly elevator trim relieves held pitch force and shifts where the stick settles. At 100%, a properly trimmed aircraft needs no held pressure, the trim-away-the-load workflow of real flying.
More: trim removes more of the held pitch force; at 100% full trim zeroes it.
Less: you keep holding force even when trimmed.
Why here: The A2A manual describes primary controls operated through push-pull tubes and bellcranks. Pitch relief is off, with stored authority 0; roll authority is 0.
Accu-Sim Aerostar 600 ManualTrim relief (aileron)0%
The same relief for roll trim. Most GA types have no real aileron trim, so this stays at zero; types with roll trim get a matching value.
More: roll trim removes more held roll force.
Less: roll trim does less.
Why here: Scales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response.
Effect gains · ground
Runway rumble40%
Rolling surface vibration from wheel speed and surface type: pavement, grass, or gravel under the gear.
More: louder surface texture through the stick.
Less: a smoother taxi.
Why here: Sets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration.
Gear bumps25%
Short discrete bumps from expansion joints, ruts, and rough surface, punctuating the continuous rumble.
More: sharper hits from joints and ruts.
Less: softer ground detail.
Why here: Sets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact.
Effect gains · airframe
Stall buffet35%
Airframe shake approaching the stall and while the stall warning is active: how loudly this wing announces it is unhappy. Types with a crisp break get modest buffet and let the horn carry the warning.
More: a louder pre-stall shake.
Less: a quieter wing; the horn carries the warning.
Why here: Sets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings.
Mach buffet0%
Transonic buffet approaching the Mach limit. Meaningful for jets near MMO, zero for pistons and turboprops that never get there.
More: stronger transonic buffet near the Mach limit.
Less: a smoother high-Mach ride.
Why here: Sets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate.
Flap buffet0%
Low-frequency airframe vibration with flaps extended into the airflow, in the speed window where they actually work the air.
More: a rougher ride with flaps working the air.
Less: smoother approach flap.
Why here: Sets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate.
Gear buffet0%
Airframe drumming from retractable gear hanging in the airstream. Zero for fixed-gear types, where the airframe never changes shape.
More: more drumming with the wheels hanging out.
Less: cleaner gear-down flight.
Why here: Sets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate.
Stick shaker50%
The dedicated stall stick-shaker buzz, fired by the aircraft's own stall-warning system. Only types with a real shaker get a value; everything else relies on aerodynamic buffet and the horn.
More: a harder stick-shaker buzz.
Less: a subtler shaker.
Why here: Sets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled.
Effect gains · engine, mechanical & drag
Touchdown thump65%
The one-shot kick when the wheels meet the runway, scaled by sink rate: a greaser whispers, a firm arrival thumps.
More: a harder kick at touchdown.
Less: softer arrivals.
Why here: Sets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse.
Reverse rumble0%
Rollout vibration while reverse thrust or beta-range props are working. Zero for types without reverse.
More: a rougher rollout under reverse.
Less: quieter reverse.
Why here: Sets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue.
Engine rumble12%
Continuous powerplant vibration following RPM between idle and full power, the ever-present reminder that something is burning fuel up front.
More: more engine through the stick.
Less: a quieter powerplant.
Why here: Sets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration.
Flap motion12%
Continuous vibration only while the sim reports the flap surfaces actually travelling. It follows real actuator motion and failures, not an estimated timer.
More: more vibration while the flap surfaces travel.
Less: quieter flap runs.
Why here: Sets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue.
Autopilot follow
AP follow authority10%
How far autopilot commands may physically move the stick. Kept tiny in MSFS, where a moved axis can read back as pilot input; zero disables following entirely.
More: the autopilot visibly moves your stick further.
Less: a barely perceptible follow.
Why here: Sets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply.
Stick feel
StickFeel · Trim feel enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Retained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement.
StickFeel · Trim relief enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Allows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount.
StickFeel · Force trim enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification.
StickFeel · G load enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Allows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it.
StickFeel · Rate damping enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law.
Autopilot
Autopilot · Follow enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Autopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel.
Autopilot · Neutral hold enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Permits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target.
Autopilot · Neutral hold strength0.6
Why here: Sets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled.
Aero
Aero · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions.
Aero · Max flap index3
Where this effect reaches full strength (or has fully faded, for washouts).
More: a more gradual build to a later peak.
Less: a quicker build.
Why here: Sets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3.
Aero · Min flap index2
Where this effect begins fading in.
More: the effect begins later.
Less: it begins earlier.
Why here: Sets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees.
Aero · Shaker enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Permits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment.
Ground
Ground · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry.
Engine
Engine · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry.
Mechanical
Mechanical · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement.
Mechanical · Gain0.12
The strength of this effect.
More: a stronger effect.
Less: a weaker one.
Why here: Sets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects.
All profile settings
| Parameter | Value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | 0.74 | The A2A manual describes primary controls operated through push-pull tubes and bellcranks. The baseline spring is 0.74. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 65 KIAS. |
| Force gain | 0.8 | The aerodynamic-load gain is 0.8 with an indicated-speed reference of 200 KIAS. This supplies speed-dependent loading alongside the spring. |
| Elevator force scale | 1 | Scales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Aileron force scale | 0.72 | Roll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.72 and 1, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Maximum output force | 0.55 | Caps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| StickFeel · Elevator authority | 0 | The A2A manual describes primary controls operated through push-pull tubes and bellcranks. Pitch relief is off, with stored authority 0; roll authority is 0. |
| StickFeel · Aileron authority | 0 | Scales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| Force tuning speed | 200.0 kt | Sets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Spring deadband | 0.04 | Sets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Master gain | 0.85 | Scales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Dynamic-pressure blend | True | Allows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| Minimum spring factor | 0.55 | Sets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| Spring wake-up speed | 8 kt | Sets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring full-strength speed | 65 kt | Sets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening | 0.15 | The high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0.15. It strengthens the permitted spring response above 65 KIAS, with the squared-speed ratio capped at 5. |
| Airspeed stiffening cap | 5 | Limits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| StickFeel · Trim feel enabled | False | Retained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| StickFeel · Trim relief enabled | False | Allows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| StickFeel · Force trim enabled | False | Enables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| StickFeel · G load enabled | True | Allows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| StickFeel · Rate damping enabled | True | Enables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot · Follow enabled | False | Autopilot following is off; the configured spring and load retain the hardware feel. |
| Autopilot · Follow authority | 0.1 | Sets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot · Neutral hold enabled | False | Permits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot · Neutral hold strength | 0.6 | Sets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Aero · Enabled | True | Enables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Aero · Gain | 0.35 | Sets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Aero · Gain | 0 | Sets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Aero · Gain | 0 | Sets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Aero · Max flap index | 3 | Sets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Aero · Min flap index | 2 | Sets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Aero · Gain | 0 | Sets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Aero · Shaker enabled | False | Permits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Aero · Amplitude | 0.5 | Sets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Ground · Enabled | True | Enables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.4 | Sets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.25 | Sets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.65 | Sets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Ground · Gain | 0 | Sets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Engine · Enabled | True | Enables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Engine · Gain | 0.12 | Sets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Mechanical · Enabled | True | Enables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Mechanical · Gain | 0.12 | Sets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Mechanical · Gain | 0.12 | Sets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Public sources 8
- Piper AerostarResearch background · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Accu-Sim Aerostar 600Official developer / designated store catalogue · checked 2026-09-12
- Accu-Sim Aerostar 600 ManualScott Gentile · 2025, page 4
- Family rocketRick Durden · September 2011
- Aerostar 702: Still The FastestBill Cox · 1 November 2007
- ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsPublic search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03
- FAA JO 7360.1K — aircraft type designatorsActive FAA order; checked 2026-09-14
- piper aerostar 700p.htmlAerostar 700P
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