Anthony Arispe left the Coast Guard in 2004 telling himself he would never work on another boat. Instead, he worked as an apprentice mechanic under Bob Aiello, Aiello Aviation, in Marshall, TX, until he received his A&P. Aiello was an IA that held an active certificate for more than 50 years. Then Arispe focused on avionics installation and modification to be able to work with the military and contracted with L3 and Sierra Nevada working overseas to help support American troops and flight operations. He moved to Colorado in 2010 to work with military programs for a few years until he decided it was time to get back to his general aviation roots.
He started Airspeed & Attitude in 2014 in McKinney, TX, with the "goals of catering to the single engine legacy fleet and training the next generation of mechanics and pilots." He is the president/owner. The company has teamed with Master CFI Gary Reeves and purchased a Cessna 172 for demo and training purposes. "The aircraft can be used for our clients to get comfortable with new equipment while the airplanes are down for modification as well as teaching our new mechanics how to fly."
The company is a member of the Aircraft Electronics Association and Arispe continues his education both as a mechanic and a pilot through online courses, webinars, and live training.
He currently has three interns training to become A&Ps. "I believe though that our future technicians need to be more versatile and knowledgeable in full aviation systems. I want our future technicians to be able to not only maintain aircraft but to be able to recruit the numbers that we have lost over the last decade. That is why I train my mechanics how to remove an engine, wire in a complete new radio system, troubleshoot electrical issues, as well as how to fly.
"Our little company has grown over the last couple of years," Arispe says, "and I would love to see that growth welcomed by a city that we may be able to create school programs for students to experience aviation, college students to start their flying career, veterans to continue their education, and the industry receive the most versatile well-trained technician and pilots the industry has seen yet."
