4 minute read
Going Complex
By Savanna “Thunder” Hunter, Member of the Tango Thirty One Aero Clube
The Tango Thirty One Aero Clube is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based out of Aero Country Airport (T31) in McKinney, TX. We are a youth aviation club created to get teenagers inside the fence of their local airport and give them the ability to gain hands-on experience turning wrenches and flying airplanes under the mentorship of experienced pilots and mechanics. We are a club that restores, refurbishes, and maintains our aircraft exclusively through our teenage members. In return for their sweat equity, our club members get to fly our club airplanes at a discounted price.
Since returning home from the 50th Annual Sun N’ Fun Aerospace Expo, the Tango Thirty One Aero Clube members have been hard at work on their newest project: a 1980 Piper Arrow IV. This is a step up for the Aero Clube as it is our first complex aircraft, providing new opportunities for learning not only maintenance on a complex airplane but also the chance for our members to earn their complex endorsements.
The Arrow was donated to the Aero Clube by Mr. Garry Ackerman in December of 2023. Significant progress has been made since we received the plane last winter. The Arrow is currently undergoing an extensive annual inspection, where our members get the opportunity to perform new inspections such as the Airworthiness Directive AD 2020-26-16 for the wing spar bolts. To comply with this AD, Apex Inspections Incorporated sent out their inspector, Malachi, to teach our members how to perform the Eddy Current inspection using their Eddy Current NDT inspection equipment in February of this year. Since then, we have installed a new windshield and windows sent to us from LP Aero, serviced the nose strut, completed the 500-hour magneto inspection, fuel strainer inspection, and many more tasks. Despite significant progress, the plane could still use a new paint job and interior, as it has been sitting in a field for four years. The Clube is looking forward to “getting this old bird fired up in order to make it to many aviation-related events in the future,” said Matthew “Brainiac” Bervig, a current member of the Clube.
Our members are “looking forward to being able to earn our complex endorsements,” Bervig says, “it’s a really exciting opportunity to be able to earn your endorsement in an airplane you played a part in fixing up.”
As always, we cannot do what we do without the support of our amazing sponsors. If you want to follow along with everything going on around the hangar, the progress on our projects, and our members’ successes, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram (@t31_aeroclube), and our website www.t31areoclube.com.
M E M B E R S P O T L I G H T : Nicholas “ Swiggles” Heilman
Hello, my name is Nicholas “Swiggles” Heilman. I joined the Tango Thirty One Aero Clube in June of 2021 while I was a sophomore in high school. The Aero Clube opened my eyes to the world of aviation and the future job opportunities I could pursue. I learned valuable maintenance skills like changing oil, performing inspections, and even building an engine. I earned my Private Pilot Certificate through the club in aircraft which I helped maintain while working on multiple restoration projects. Now, I attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where I am continuing my education and flight ratings. I received various scholarships to attend Embry-Riddle to aid in the cost of attendance. This past semester, I earned my Instrument Rating, and I plan to earn the rest of my ratings to become a flight instructor. Without the Tango Thirty One Aero Clube, I would not have been able to get into aviation in high school and gain the valuable maintenance and flying experience that I can now expand on as I continue my training.
