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PAMA/SAE Institute Calls for Subject Matter Experts: Composites, Rotorcraft, Avionics

Everything is looking up in the world of PAMA/SAE Certifications these days. Our first certification, the AMS/AME, has over 125 Honored Colleagues in its ranks and we have been working very hard to establish a significant customer that will tip the scales for a number of organizations evaluating our program. Look for a major announcement within the next month or so. Please visit us online for information on the PAMA/SAE Institute Aviation Maintenance and Production Certification Program.

In the meantime, we have been consumed with filling out our portfolio of certifications in concert with the Professional Certification plan we laid out some two years ago. We have completed the program design for a three-tier Composite/Bonded Structures Technician program in concert with the members of the SAE Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC). Sometime this fall we hope to begin formalizing that program with a Job Task Analysis and Test Blueprints. To execute those projects, we need Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to volunteer their time.

If you are interested in participating as a Composites SME, please send your resume to Laura Blanchard, our Certification Coordinator . We'll be distributing more info on this opportunity shortly.

Also, we just announced last Friday the formation of a joint Military/Industry Master Rotorcraft Technician Stakeholders gathering during the last week of October. At this senior stakeholders meeting we will be determing the depth and breadth of the industry's desire for such credentialing - or if it even exists on a broad scale. Our sense is that it does as the Army wants raise the bar for its civil servants and to provide its rotorcraft technicians with transportable credentials when they separate from the service - something most other separating servicemembers have when they enter the civilian workforce. Industry has indicated a passion for growing their rotorcraft technican workforce and we believe our blueprint for a series of increasingly skilled certifications is the ticket to a long term plan. Even though we are not as far along as we are with Composites, we are starting to solicit Rotorcraft SME's also.

If you are interested in participating as a Rotorcraft SME, please send your resume to Laura Blanchard, our Certification Coordinator. We'll also be distributing more info on this opportunity shortly, too.

ATSB urges review of accident procedures - Hazards of Composites cited

Emergency services need to review procedures for dealing with crashes of aircraft made from the new generation of composites, Australia's national transport safety watchdog has warned.

In a report released on Monday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said these materials could pose long-term and even fatal health hazards if not handled correctly.

It said fire, ambulance and other emergency services needed to have the correct equipment and their members had to be trained in the proper response methods and be aware of the risks unique to accidents involving aircraft with composite materials.

"It would be timely for first responders to review their aircraft emergency and hazardous material handling guidelines, and training in handling fibre composite debris for a number of reasons," it said.

"Fibre composite materials are heavily used in general aviation and amateur-built aircraft, which are the most common aircraft accidents that state emergency services respond to.

"Fibre composite usage in airliners will continue to increase in the next decade, especially with the introduction of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner."

U.S. probe accuses aircraft parts supplier of fraud

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Army investigation accuses a major supplier of providing bogus materials to "every aircraft manufacturer in the world" for nearly a decade, an independent government watchdog said on Thursday, citing an Army memo obtained by the group.

The September 2006 memo alleged that in addition to selling sub-standard materials, Airtech International Inc paid bribes and kickbacks and threatened the safety of both civilian and military aviation, according to the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

A four-year investigation found that from January 1997 through December 2005, Airtech knowingly supplied nonconforming products to Defense Department prime contractors, POGO said, quoting the memo written by investigators.

Composites Edged Aluminum In 2007

When composites first arrived on the light aircraft scene many pilots greeted them with skepticism -- but a recent review of General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) records by CompositesWorld.com shows that more than half of 2,675 piston-engine aircraft produced in 2007 (1,376) were built with composite airframes.

"A decade ago, less than five percent were," Jens Hennig, vice president for GAMA, told the publication. New manufacturers (with their roots in the kit airplane market) have embraced the technology and employed it in innovative and very popular designs, notably Cirrus, Diamond, Columbia, and Liberty aircraft, which together account for most of that market saturation. Cirrus Design, alone, accounted for 26 percent (710 aircraft) of the total piston deliveries in 2007.

Epic Aircraft may add to the tally in the future. The company produces numerous very high-performance composite kit aircraft (some of which are slated for certification), and in 2007 set a record during the Sun 'n Fun airshow by recording the most sales logged ($23 million) by any exhibitor. Said Dieter Koehler, vice president of engineering and certification for Epic, "Composite airplanes are stronger and safer than metal planes because of the worst-case hypothetical test conditions that are imposed by the certifying bodies."

PAMA/SAE Institute Announces Composites Program Design Workshop

Dear Industry Stakeholder,

In preparation for the PAMA/SAE Institute Composite Bonded Structures Certification Program Design Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Athens, Greece, a Webex telecon has been scheduled to initiate discussion on the appropriate certification tracks that should be developed. This concurrent online telecon will set the stage for the content of the one-day Athens Workshop. Participation is open to all interested stakeholders, subject matter experts, and other industry professionals.

Note: This Webex telecon is particularly important for those unable to attend the Athens meeting.

If you are interested in participating in this initial (and future) Webinar(s) on Monday, March 31, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT, please contact me and we will forward the details in the next couple days.

Thank you for your support!

Laura Blanchard
Certification Coordinator
PAMA/SAE Institute Professional Certifications

PAMA/SAE Institute Announces Composites Program Design Workshop

Dear Industry Stakeholder,

In preparation for the PAMA/SAE Institute Composite Bonded Structures Certification Program Design Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Athens, Greece, a Webex telecon has been scheduled to initiate discussion on the appropriate certification tracks that should be developed. This concurrent online telecon will set the stage for the content of the one-day Athens Workshop. Participation is open to all interested stakeholders, subject matter experts, and other industry professionals. Note: This Webex telecon is particularly important for those unable to attend the Athens meeting.

If you are interested in participating in this initial (and future) Webinar(s) on Monday, March 31, 2008 - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. EDT, please contact me and we will forward the details in the next couple days.

Thank you for your support!

Laura Blanchard
Certification Coordinator
PAMA/SAE Institute Professional Certifications

Chunk Falls Off Jet Over Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- A piece of composite material fell off of a plane flying over Baltimore on Saturday.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said US Airways flight 1250 landed safely in Philadelphia after a piece of the jet's wing broke away and struck a passenger window. The flight was en route to Philadelphia from Orlando.

There were no injuries reported among the 180 people on board. The plane has been taken out of service while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates what happened. http://www.wbaltv.com/news/15682476/detail.html

PAMA/SAE Institute is Seeking Subject Matter Experts for Composite Repair Certification Efforts

Following successful meetings in Amsterdam and Wichita last year, the SAE International Standards Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC) and PAMA/SAE Institute have agreed to take the next step toward certification development. That step is a Program Design Workshop whereby industry stakeholders gather to develop and organize a series of certification tracks around specific bodies of knowledge.

PAMA/SAE Institute has reviewed the four CACRC-developed standards and has developed a “strawman” composite track matrix draft from which to begin our discussions. This matrix draft is not intended to be a recommended program, but rather a point from which to begin our discussions. Download composite_track_matrix_draft_022108.doc

The program development process will take place with a series of two-hour Webex telecons during the last two weeks of March and the first two weeks of April and will include two to four Webex telecons, depending on what the team feels is necessary. Following these Webex telecons, there will be a facilitated one-day live Workshop during the next CACRC meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, in Athens, Greece.