Embry-Riddle Becomes First Part 147 School to Implement dentCHECK

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has become the first Part 147 school to integrate 8tree’s dentCHECK technology into its aviation maintenance curriculum. ERAU and 8tree say training with the damage mapping tool will give students a leg up as they prepare for employment in the MRO industry.

According to Kris Hammer, associate chair of ERAU’s Aviation Maintenance Science (AMS) Department, part of preparing graduates to work in the industry “is incorporating cutting-edge technology in our curriculum, especially when that technology is already being used by leading aviation and aerospace maintenance facilities.” She adds: “Advanced aircraft require advanced inspection methods, and 8tree’s dentCHECK is a perfect example of this type of technology. Our students getting hands-on experience with dentCHECK equipment gives them an additional edge over graduates from other Part 147 schools.”

ERAU will be incorporating dentCHECK into three of its AMS Department classes that cover damage limitations, inspection techniques, and repair of aircraft skin surfaces and related structures. Hammer says the incorporation of dentCHECK into ERAU’s curriculum enables its faculty to add more depth to courses through the ability to demonstrate and simulate various skin mapping scenarios that were not previously possible due to time restrictions, such as hail damage and reduced vertical separation minimum aircraft inspections.

The technology is currently being used at ERAU’s Daytona Beach Campus, but Hammer notes that it also has potential applications in the university’s research collaborations and for advanced training opportunities in other areas, such as the College of Engineering and its Flight Department’s Fleet Maintenance Center.

According to Arun Chhabra, CEO of 8tree, ERAU is the launch partner for its Academic Initiative in the aviation industry, which it started developing in 2021.

“This is a major step in our journey to help prepare students for the technologies and practices that await them in the aviation maintenance workplace,” says Chhabra. “By engaging the technical curiosity of today’s students, tools like dentCHECK help increase their interest in aviation maintenance careers. This strengthens their employment prospects with airlines, MROs and OEMs who already use such technologies in increasing numbers.”

8tree first exposed aviation maintenance students to its technology in 2019 when it co-sponsored an airframe damage inspection event with Alaska Airlines at the Aerospace Maintenance Competition. AMC competitors, including student teams, used dentCHECK to perform dent evaluations alongside manual dent-mapping methods. 8tree leveraged the event to conduct what it says was “the world’s most comprehensive study of aviation dent-mapping measurements.” It says the study showed that dentCHECK helped participating technicians complete inspections eight times faster than using traditional manual methods.