Moline, Ill.-based Elliott Aviation has been named a Cessna Certified Non Destructive Testing (NDT) facility, helping owners of Cessna airframes reduce downtime during routine inspections by providing eddy current (ET), ultra sound (UT), liquid penetrate (PT) and magnetic particle (MT) NDT component testing.
Elliott Aviation is also a Hawker Beechcraft NDT-certified facility, and has invested in equipment that enables the company to conduct non destructive testing on complete airframes as well as individual aircraft components, company officials said.
“This certification helps our Cessna and Citation owners save a great deal of time and expense during routine maintenance, as we can now quickly detect any cracks or other irregularities in the airframe structure and engine components that are obviously not visible to the naked eye,” said Brian McKenzie, Elliott Aviation quality control inspector, who is also a Level II NDT-certified technician. “We also are able to conduct NDT on individual components, enabling owners to ship individual parts to us for fast and accurate testing.”
Non destructive testing involves the use of noninvasive techniques to determine the integrity of a material, component or structure, enabling technicians to identify potential problems with an airframe or aircraft components in a timely, cost-effective manner.
Eddy current testing is particularly well suited for detecting surface cracks but can also be used to measure paint thickness on the airframe.
Ultrasound testing directs high frequency sound waves against a surface, which allows inspectors to detect flaws by plotting signal strength or time-of-flight using a computer-controlled scanning system.
Liquid penetrant testing involves wetting the surface of the tested component or surface and then applying a powder to pull the trapped penetrant out of any defects in the component. These defects can then be observed using ultraviolet light.
Magnetic particle testing involves applying finely milled iron particles coated with a dye pigment to a magnetized part of surface, and will cluster over any discontinuity at or near the surface, allowing these imperfections to be quickly spotted by an inspector.
For more information: ElliottAviation.com
