Donor Gifts 1964 Piper Cherokee to ISU Aircraft Maintenance Program, Bringing Familiar Plane Home

A generous donor who asked to remain anonymous contacted ISU directly to offer the plane as a gift. Tyler Sprague, the program's coordinator and clinical instructor, said students will use it to learn annual inspections. These are the in-depth checks that confirm an aircraft meets federal airworthiness standards.

Unlike the rest of the program's aircraft, the Cherokee can still fly.

"It gives our students the most realistic experience possible when performing an in-depth inspection like an annual, something they can't get from a non-flying airframe," Sprague said.

The Cherokee is also in better condition than anything else in the fleet. Students can carry an inspection through from start to finish without getting stalled by major repairs.

Each inspection moves through five phases. Students begin with the plane's paperwork. They audit logbooks, research applicable airworthiness directives and check FAA Form 337s.

Next, they remove the cowling and inspection plates and clean the aircraft. That gives them a clear look at every component.

The third phase is the most detailed. Students examine the fuselage and cabin, engine and propeller, landing gear, wings and tail, and the electronics and avionics.

From there, students compile a list of any problems they find and make the necessary repairs. The process ends with an engine run-up and a logbook entry that signs the plane off and returns it to service.

"Annual inspections are a required part of keeping any aircraft airworthy, so hands-on experience with a real, flyable aircraft gives students direct, practical preparation for the inspections and certifications they'll be responsible for as working A&P mechanics," Sprague said.

The donation carries extra meaning for the program. ISU students worked on the Cherokee several times through live-work projects many years ago. Instructor Barry Everett Jr. painted the plane in 2004, when he was a newly certified airframe and powerplant mechanic.

More than two decades later, the same aircraft is back in the program's hangar. This time it is training the next group of mechanics.

"Having it return to us now and become part of our fleet feels like it's come full circle, and it's a gift that will shape the training and careers of our students for years to come," Sprague said. "We're deeply grateful to the donor for making that possible.”

To learn more about the aircraft maintenance programs at Idaho State University's College of Technology, visit isu.edu/aircraft.