To accommodate these changes, the report concluded, the repair and maintenance process needs a major overhaul on the part of the industry, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other bodies. Four experts interviewed by the report's authors suggested that the FAA or industry members should consider implementing certification requirements (similar to those for welders) for technicians who work with composite structures.
Several maintenance and repair organizations (MROs) already provide training for composite aircraft, though few of them offer certification. One exception is the Advanced Composites Training Institute in Canada. The institute provides certified courses on composite repair and manufacturing technologies for aircraft, and it has full accreditation from the FAA and the Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace. It is the training division of Renaissance Aeronautics Associates, which performs structural repair on aircraft structures.
Meanwhile, the FAA recently updated its guidance on composites and proposed additional guidance to address concerns related to training and awareness. For example, it updated guidance on quality systems for composite manufacturing and composite aircraft structures. It has also drafted guidance for developing training or qualification programs for composite maintenance technicians.
The agency is updating guidance on composite and bonded aircraft structures, which will target all facilities that conduct composite repairs and alterations. It offers a composite materials training course for its aviation safety inspectors, and it is incorporating new terminology and industry input for a new composite awareness course for designers.
@Ann: The title of this article seems to be out of step with its contents, to say the least. Obviously Bombardier doesn't think composite aircraft repair is advancing enough to justify using composites in the CSeries fuselage.
Which aluminum-lithium alloys is Bombardier using? There was an article on this website a few months ago about Alcoa's new third-generation aluminum-lithium alloys, which were developed cooperatively with Bombardier.
@Beth.The government gets involved because the private sector tends to gloss over problems in order to maintain market share. That being said too much government involvement stifles progress. The Bombardier decision is more likely based around deHavilland's experience over the years where their tough aircraft stood up to some primitive operating conditions...dings and dents being the standard operating experience. Also the flight cycle time for the Dash 8 on the west coast averages 58 minutes which is rough on a structure where fatigue is concerned. Aluminum-Lithium is a difficult material to work with but (again) Fleet Industries in Ontario has had long experience in building (and repairing) such structures.It will be interesting to see where Bombardier goes with this since the C series is a big change from the smaller aircraft built previously.
I would think it goes without saying that there should be new standards and certifications for technicians charged with the responsibility for vetting out and orchestrating the fix of composite structures in need of repair. Composite materials are very different that what's required to repair metal and steel structures. I don't know why we need a government report to tell us an heavy investment in training and skills building is necessary!
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