Piper Aerostar (N7541S)

I am fairly sure that if she was built in 1974, then she was not part of Piper production. I think that started in about '78 (in Santa Maria CA)...just saying! Can anyone confirm??

Chris, I totally understand why you would think that, but the Aerostar aircraft started production in 1968 and the company was later bought by Piper in 1978.

Nice photo too Chris!!

Hey Chris, has anyone ever accused you of taking dirty pictures? Just wondering, eh! ;-) (Seriously though, it is a pretty good shot of a sad looking airplane.)

Haha no not yet Greg, but I sure do have a few especially from KRHV! Chris Robey you are partially correct. Notice how I didn't write Piper Aerostar in the description, this is actually a 1974 Smith Aerostar. This was built before Piper bought out the Smith aircraft company.

It's a Ted Smith and Associates Inc.(Santa Maria, CA) aircraft - June 1974.
The aircraft is currently embroiled in a ownership issue

Wow that's interesting. Is there any chance you could send me an email on the information you know about the plane? I'd love to know more abou its status. [email protected]

I flew 41S five nights a week, MKC-STL-ORD-IND-STL-MKC, for more than three years in the early 1980's, 6.5 flight hrs per night. Many wild and priceless experiences in that plane. I continued a 40 year career, flying everthing fron SE Cessnas to G-Vs, but that Ted Smith Aerostar 600 is my all time favorite. It was a blast to fly. All pushrod controls, light instant response, as close to a fighter plane as a civilian can get. I am sickened and saddened to see it in its current state.

Well, this is just criminal! Yup, pun, err, inference intended! Tom, hey, Tom is this the one you lost track of, hmm?! Jokes aside, this really is rotten form and to Chris's question Piper took them over in 1978 but I think their first one came off the Piper Assembly line in 1979. And oh, my, my, my, my, my, mercy me oh my, my, me! It's not Tom's airplane but what I can say with 100% certainty is the AW was renewed on 07/23/2013 and it expired on 02/28/2018. I would love to know more about it and being the Stupid A V 8 N hillbilly I am, I may just git Ms. Microsoft Moneypenny to pop off a postal memo and ASK! Especially since it could be a viable salvage, do not know. I just hope the fellow that owns/owned it is not flying a lot higher in the sky! Be sad he passed on and had nobody to leave it too and there it sits, bummer!