Aérospatiale As 16 Frégate

Single Piston

The Aérospatiale AS 16 Frégate is a French four-seat touring aircraft that emerged in the early 1960s as part of France's effort to develop a modern light aircraft industry. Built by what was then Sud-Aviation (later Aérospatiale), the Frégate featured a low-wing configuration with retractable tricycle landing gear and was powered by a single Lycoming O-360 engine producing 180 horsepower. The type was designed to compete in the European touring and club flying market, offering comfortable cross-country performance with a cruise speed around 140 knots and a range exceeding 600 nautical miles. While the Frégate never achieved the commercial success of American contemporaries like the Piper Arrow or Cessna Cardinal, it represented French engineering ambitions during an era when European manufacturers were attempting to establish themselves in the general aviation sector. The aircraft's relatively clean aerodynamic design and retractable gear gave it respectable performance for its class, though production remained limited with only a few dozen examples built before the program ended in the late 1960s. Today the AS 16 is a rare sight, with most surviving examples in private hands across Europe. SkyMeter has tracked 7 flights across 3 airframes and 1 operators, with distinct routes observed.