Midwest Aerostar .40

by Dave Carroll
(Hampton, Iowa)

Midewest Aerostar .40

This may well be the best overall trainer plane I have ever taught students on. A well built kit built plane will be there for years vs. the disposable ARFS on todays market.

The Aerostar .40 will fly well under any weather conditions, builds easily, and looks good at the field. The plane will accept almost any reasonable engine and radio combination you can come up with.

It handles well on the ground and flies wonderful at all speeds. Anyone from beginner to expert can enjoy it. Mild or wild the Aerostar .40 is a winner.

Midwest makes some of the finest wood on today's market, and the Aerostar is no exception. Parts fit like a glove and a child could build it if he had the desire.

The Aerostar .40 has stood the test of time.
It may well be the best overall .40 size trainer available. I hope you try one and enjoy it as much as my many students pilots have.

Thanks and enjoy the hobby,
Dave

Comments for Midwest Aerostar .40

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Rating

Can you say... Bright!
by: Matt

Nice lookin bird Dave,

Did you build that yourself? You definitely had the beginner in mind when covering that plane! Should be no problem tracking that bird through the sky...unless you're blind :0)

What engine do you have pulling that bird?

I really appreciate you taking the time to submit your plane.

Matt

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Still going strong
by: Dave

Yes I built it several years ago for a students first plane.
It's covered in Neon orange, white and black Ultracote.
Engine is a Saito 65.

That student has moved on to warbirds, etc.

This Aerostar has been crashed several times, flown through a tree and has had 4 different engines. It now flies a camera around and still trains more new guys.

It may never die.

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midwest aerostar
by: cr80motocross

this is the best trainer i have ever flown. its cheap too.but mine is red and white guess they come in diff colors?? im in the middle of puting lights on it working very well

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Lights? Cool!
by: Matt

What kind of lights are you putting on it?

Do you have any pictures?

I just picked up a couple boxes of those battery operated Christmas lights (the ones made for your car) when they went on sale at Walmart after Christmas.

I was toying with the idea of putting them in a plane...

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The best ever
by: Dan

I built my Aerostar 40 in 1993 and it still is in great flying shape. I've flown it in winds where the plane hung still in flight and it was very syable. It just keeps on flying...I love it!

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Instruction Manual
by: Mr. Bill

Where can I get a copy of the instruction manual for the aerostar 40. I have the full size drawings and plan to scratch build with floats and a magnum 52 4-stroke

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Manual
by: Dee

My late husband had the Midwest Aerostar 40 kit, my son and grandson are going to build it , but the instruction manual is missing. can you give me any clue as to where we can get one. Thnx Dee

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Manual
by: Donna

OK I have the same problem as others . I have no instruction manual. Did anyone find where you can get one? My kit is also missing wheels and some parts. How do you get in touch with the manufacturer?
grtdane03@yahoo.com
Thanks

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I own a Midwest Aerostar 40
by: Aunt Betty

I love my Midwest Aerostar plane. Flew it many times and it's fun. I can do pattern flying and just land, take off, circle, approach, and repeat over and over.

I also can do loops, rolls, inverted flight, and as I get more experience will do other more tricky moves. Right now I'm working on trying to flatten out my turns by using rudder and countering with opposite aileron.

Been flying this same trainer on and off for ten years and eventually (maybe) I'll get another plane.

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My First RC
by: Ken

I bought my Aerostar 40 used in 1994. It came with an ASP .40 engine and it flew great. I have been through 3 engines and now it has an Evolution .46 pulling it. It flies great, still fly this one most of the time when I go to the field. I have a Hanger 9 150 P-51 but enjoy flying the Aerostar more. It is very forgiving and flyes great in any weather. I have actually flown it in 20 MPH winds.

I love mine and will never give it up.

Great trainer and fun for all skill levels.

Ken

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Midwest Aerostar
by: nate

I got a Midwest Aerostar that's not in perfect condition, but i really don't have the money to fix it I am wondering on how much I can get for the body by it's self.

The wing has a few holes in it, it is not broken. I was just wondering how much I could get for it because I have a more important thing that I have to do.

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Help with part for Aero-star .40
by: Anonymous

I have one with a broken body and tail fin. What do you want for the body? Where can I get replacement parts to replace body and tail fin?

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aero star
by: Anonymous

Hi Where can I get a set of building instructions? I see where this question has been asked, but I could not find the responce. Thanks Tim

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Aerostar Parts
by: Whitey

Ii bought this kit for my dad when he retired 30 years ago, we are building it now but the Aileron Torque Rods are missing. Does anyone know where I can find them or the dimensions of them so I can have them made. My dad is going to be 91 July 30th and this is important to me.

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Will get another if any are still around.
by: Paul

I have been out of the hobby for quite some time and recently have considered getting back into it. Although it will be next year when that happens, I'm hoping I can find one still available. There is one on ebay right now, just can't spare the funds to snag it right at the moment or I would.

I learned on this plane and would love to build another to use to shake all the rust off. I think I heard a saying once, with enough power you can fly a barn door. I remember putting a piped webra speed .40 (I still have the engine) on this for fun and no one at the field could believe it was a trainer, LOL.

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manuel instruction
by: michel

aimerais savoir ou je peut avoir un manuel d`instruction pour fabriquer ( AERO-star .40 ) mon courriel est mini.m32@outlook.com merci

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Love the Aerostar 40
by: Bob

I am currently flying a Aerostar 40 with a OS Max 46 La. It has enough power to get off the ground and fly at a reasonable speed, but not overpowered. I soloed on a Tower 40 trainer, but I like the Aerostar much better as I built it myself from a kit and is a very stable flyer. It will do a loop easily but does not want to roll. Right now it's the perfect plane for me.

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Need Aerostar plans
by: Baldowl

Great looking plane, Dave. I trained many students with one in the distant past. After several years of laying off flying, I'm getting back into it. I've been looking for an Aerostar, but it is out of production. Does anyone have an extra set of plans that I can build from?

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I love this plane.
by: Anonymous

I too soloed on a Tower 40 trainer, but I had been saving my Aerostar 40 that I had built from a kit. It also has OS MAX 46LA with a 11x5 prop. It's not over powered and it will loop easily. It doesn't like to roll. It flys great!

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The best trainer ever
by: Anonymous

This trainer is the best, and even if you have experienceion rc flying...this trainer is still a lot of fun to have in your collection. This was my first, and i still like to fly it!

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I love this plane
by: Eric

I built one in 1988 and flew it 3x. Bright yellow with a checkerboard on one wing to let me know which side was which. Life ( and the fear of destroying it) had me put it away until last year (2018). I converted it from a .45 Enya to an electric and flew it 5 more times until... This past September when I hit myself in the leg with it. Had to fix the left side wing and wait for my leg to heal from the prop shaft hitting me(always use a spinner);-). Fixed and healed, on the next outing I caught the landing gear on the very top of a tree and it went straight it the ground like a lawn dart. Much more damage this time but going to fly again as soon as I finish the skis for it. Also, I am making a new set of wings for it with flaps. I do have a book for it, so if anyone needs a copy, e mail me at EricN13@aol.com and we can get together on it. Happy flying!

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Help please
by: Anonymous

I need a full sized plan (template) to build the rear stabilizer (wing). Any help is appreciated.

quadsport222@gmail.com

Fred

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Got this from an Estate!
by: EDWARD WALDROP

A friend called and said he had 3 planes I may be interested in and he needed them gone out of his garage. He was helping with an Estate and these were in the trash, thought I would like them! Oh yes sir I do!
Dirty and dusty, but looked new, engine was new but locked up, carb was plugged with a bit of oily rag. Someone tried to turn it with a starter as you can see. Didn’t know better I guess.
Got it home, oil on top of the piston and a few drops on the throttle barrel. Used my heat gun to warm it up and it freed up almost instantly! No bearing problems at all, nice and smooth. Futaba 3001 servos, and 72mghz RX.
Cleaned and polished! Like new, excellent building job, covering is excellent. Added my RX and battery, everything is great. Found a treasure and waiting for the weather to get better for a maiden!
Does anyone know the correct CG? That would take out the guess work!

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Help?
by: Damian

Hey Everyone,

Just came into a Midwest Aerostar .40 and was wondering if it was worth anything. Found it in the crawlspace and seems to be intact. No idea what it would need to be operational or if it even can be. If anyone can help me out it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Damian

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Built one in 1989, still here today
by: Johan son of Erik

I built my Aerostar .40 kit in the late 80's. People laughed when they heard I used 5 minute epoxy for the ENTIRE build. It turned out to be tail heavy, so I added 9 grams of lead to the nose.

I bolted an old K&B .60 to it and it flew like a bat out of hell. I caught a crosswind on final one time and I cartwheeled it wing tip to wing tip and broke the prop. But who's laughing now? Replaced the prop and continued to fly the whole rest of the day, with no damage at all. This plane can do everything well except knife-edge because of the dihedral in the wing.

As of 2020 I'm planing on maybe converting it over to electric with LiPo batteries and lighten it up a bit more and make it a park slow flyer. My old K&B is just way too loud for where I live. I used to fly it at the old Fort Belvoir model airstrip which is long gone.

I sure loved hanging out with the guys drinking beer and flying all the way in to the night, as we used to tape florescent glow sticks and mini flashlights on the nose gear. I'm looking for plans so I can make another Aerostar out of foam board. Model flying is such a fun hobby and I plan to do it just like the old-timers did back when I was growing up. Minus the drinking beer part, well only because I don't drink beer anymore.

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EL MEJOR AVION QUE HETENIDO
by: CARLOS

Siento no hablar su idioma.
Fue mi primer avión y el mejor que he tenido, lo construí todo con epoxi 5 minutos y ala forrada de tela y novavia. Estuvo casi 15 años volando, incluyendo combates aéreos. Mi zona es el Estrecho de Gibraltar con mucho viento.
Puede que me construya otro, tengo los planos y el manual.
Tuve que traducir letra a letra el manual completo, para poder construir este avión.
Gracias Midwest por todo lo que me enseño, su construcción era una escuela de aeromodelismo.
Desafortunadamente un día lo tiré, cuando ahora pienso que se podía haber arreglado, como otras veces antes. El fuselage lo forré, de un plancha de madera de barco muy costosa, y estaba pintado con pintura sintética muy duradera.
GRAN AVION. Lo echo de menos.

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Conversion of Aero Star to Electric?
by: AnoNormannymous

Can the Aero Star 40 be converted to electric?

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Wing Rubberbands
by: Anonymous

What are the best rubber bands for attaching the wing on my Midwest Aero-Star Trainer kit# 159 ,,,

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Aero star 2?
by: Anonymous

I have an aero star .20
Is there a significant difference between it and .40?

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Aero star 2?
by: Anonymous

I have an aero star .20
Is there a significant difference between it and .40?

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