Serious question, has anyone else seen the shift in composite repair training?

When I started at a regional carrier in 2010, we had maybe two guys certified for basic fiberglass patches. Now, after the 787 and A350 fleets have grown, our shop in Phoenix requires composite-specific training for half the crew. The change happened over about five years, pushed by the new airframes coming in. What's the biggest new skill you've had to pick up in the last decade?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella12119d ago

Totally see that shift everywhere, not just in aviation. Feels like every skilled trade now needs some kind of advanced material training to keep up.

xenas1619d ago

You're right, @stella121. My brother's a welder and he's always taking new classes for different composites. It's a whole new skill set now.

derekhunt19d ago

Tell me about it. I tried to help my buddy fix a carbon fiber bike frame last year and it was a whole different world from steel. Like @stella121 said, it's everywhere now. My uncle's a carpenter and even he's taking classes on gluing up these new fancy laminates. Feels like you need a chemistry degree just to pick up a tool these days.