Franco-Luxembourgish aviation company Vallair has augmented its MRO capability with the introduction of in-house NDT (non-destructive testing). The capability will not only be available at Vallair’s specialist MRO facility in Montpellier and the Aerostructure repair shop in Châteauroux, both in France, but also away from these locations worldwide, with both Form 1 and 8130 release available.
NDT techniques are necessary to determine whether an aircraft is airworthy. It is a broad category of inspection techniques, and is an important tool in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). NDT includes the inspection of an airframe structure and engine for surface and sub-surface cracks, impact damage, corrosion, and other irregularities. These inspections must be done without having to dismantle components therefore minimizing downtime.
Vallair’s NDT capability will comprise eddy current inspections, ultrasonics inspections, as well as penetrant testing and will be overseen by Renaud Chastel, NDT manager for Vallair. Renaud recently joined Vallair to head up the program and has accrued more than ten years’ NDT experience in companies all around the world including ATR, Airbus, and most recently G2 Metric.
