About MTUG

MTUG is affiliated with the Experimental Aircraft Association as Ultralight Chapter 104.  The chapter, formed in 1999, is open to membership for all interested.  Membership in the EAA National is not strictly required, although to be a voting member you must also have an EAA National Membership.

MTUG also has a long-time relationship with the United States Ultralight Association and is affiliated as Club 510.

In addition to the club affiliations, many of our members are also members of EAA, USUA, or Aero Sports Council (ASC).

MTUG History

The club began as an idea of Keith Roberts (ultralight pilot since 1979) and Tom Graves (former WWII B-25 pilot) in mid-1992 when they agreed there was a need for a central location in the Nashville, TN area for an ultralight flying field.  The first gathering occurred in January 1993 at the Roberts home in Brentwood where 14 attended to discuss the formation of an ultralight flying club.

The club was formed in February 1993 when 15 attendees decided on the name Middle Tennessee Ultralight Group (MTUG).  A monthly newsletter, the Lite-wing News, was established and has been published each month since mid 1993.  Meetings were soon held in a central location at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville and then a year later at Signature Aviation at Nashville International Airport.  A flying field was located by our member Joe Hibbits when he contacted land owner Bill Newsom who soon granted free use of his 13 acre property in Pegram, TN on McCrory Lane at Hwy. 70 S.  The field was cleared of brush, trees and large quantities of scrap metal, then was scraped and seeded.  Much site preparation was accomplished by many club members, including Bob Miller, Jim Winchester and James Sloan.  In 1993, a 1300 ft. grass strip was established there as the MTUG club field and made available for flying, hangars and camping for club members and their families.

The club had grown to over 40 members in 1994.  Membership in USUA was applied for and MTUG became Club #510. In 1999 MTUG applied for membership in EAA and was granted Ultralight Chapter #104.  Flying activities and fly-ins occurred at the Pegram field in the early days and also at the Donald and Frances McDonald farm in Murfreesboro where USUA Regional ultralight competition occurred on several occasions.  The use of the Pegram field continued until the death of Mr. Newsom in 2002.  The property was later sold and the eight ultralight hangars at the field were removed and relocated to different areas of the Midstate.  This is a copy of a newsletter from the early days, provided by one of the original members.  Today, we are a thriving organization that is reaching out to those interested in sport aviation, but just don't know who to talk to or how to get started.