Table of Content
- Introduction
- Ed’s Career Takes Flight as an NDT Level III
- Eddy Current Inspections for Aircraft
- Aircraft Inspection Using the NORTEC 600 Eddy Current Flaw Detector
- Hiring and Outsourcing an NDT Level III for Aircraft Inspection and Skills Training
Introduction
Edward “Ed” P. Dukich is an NDT Level III with over 40 years of experience in the aviation industry.
When it comes to aircraft inspections and certification training, his instrument of choice is our NORTEC™ 600 eddy current flaw detector.
Read on to learn more about his impressive NDT Career and why he favors the flaw detector for aircraft inspections and skills training.
Ed’s Career Takes Flight as an NDT Level III
Ed is an American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) and NAS-410 NDT Level III.
He is a certified Level III in Magnetic Particle Testing, liquid penetrant testing, eddy current testing, and ultrasonic testing.
Ed has also received American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Mechanical Inspector (CMI) and Quality Inspector Certifications (CQT) and has a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe and Powerplant (A) license.
He’s been involved for many years as an active member of ASNT, ASQ, ASTM International, and the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA).
Ed got his start in the Aviation Industry after enlisting in the US Air Force in early 1974, toward the end of the Vietnam War, as an aircraft mechanic on a KC-135A tanker aircraft.
He later worked as a final inspector in the major assembly division at the Grumman Aerospace factory in the late-80s. By 1990, Ed had shifted from the defense aircraft industry to work in corporate aviation at Garrett Aviation in Long Island, New York.
Following an economic downturn, Ed went to work for Lockheed Commercial Aircraft where he did NDT Inspections on Boeing 747 C and D checks and Section 41 modifications.
From there, he went off to Saudi Arabia for three years to a multinational workforce for the Saudi Aramco Oil Company.
He returned to Long Island in 1995, and after a year with Tower Air inspecting 747s, started his consulting firm: NDT Level III Resources.
The firm provides services of inspections, auditing, NDT Training and Certification testing.
Specializing in the aviation industry and assisting aviation companies in manufacturing, overhaul, and in-service operation, Ed performs an extensive amount of Eddy Current Inspections on aircraft, the vast majority of which involve localized damage evaluation.
The NORTECTM 600 eddy current flaw detector is Ed’s go-to instrument for both his inspection and certification training.
Ed explained, “The NORTEC 600, as well as the previous generation models (NORTEC 500, NORTEC 2000, NDT-24, NDT-19eII), were and still are the most user-friendly instruments on the market. Additionally, they have always incorporated full authority variable controls.”
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Ed to learn more about his journey as an NDT Level III specializing in aviation and how he uses the NORTEC 600 flaw detector.
He also has recently incorporated inspecting Welds with the Olympus Welding probe kit with the NORTEC 600 instrument in his eddy current training curriculum.
Eddy Current Inspections for Aircraft
Over the years, Ed has logged over 700 hours of technical training. Aircraft on the frontline is typically maintained after a set number of flying hours or landings to ensure pilot safety, and mission success, and to keep the aircraft in the air.
A typical heavy inspection is broken up into phases and can involve:
- Removing hundreds of aircraft panels, flight controls, and components
- Changing out numerous parts
- Fixing critical items and findings
- Performing quality assurance
- A post-engine run