Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about careers involving airplane materials

Before you can work with airplane materials you'll have to get certified to do so. Common certifications include AMP (Aviation Maintenance Professional) and A & P (Airframe and Powerplant). Before you sign on at an aviation academy and learn to work with avionics, airframes or powerplants, do a bit of research to make sure you're entering the right field for you.

I recommend: Occupation Outlook from the U.S. Department of Labor discusses opportunities for aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and service technicians. EarnMyDegree.com also offers a realistic breakdown of the job market, career expectations and detailed work activities.

Measure your aptitude for working with commercial aircraft materials

When it comes to working with airplane materials, mechanical aptitude is a must. You can take practice mechanical aptitude tests to gauge how easily you may understand what you'll learn as part of your aircraft materials education and training. If you don't score well on the aptitude tests, that doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue a career working with airplane materials--it just means you may have to work harder than some of your colleagues.

I recommend: Test Prep Review offers free test preparation for the ASVAB, one test that measures mechanical aptitude. APR Testing Services can help you prepare for the Wiesen Test for Mechanical Aptitude (WTMA), another good metric for mechanical aptitude.

Find an FAA-approved school that offers aircraft materials education and training

If, after the two steps above, you know that you want to pursue aircraft materials education and training, then it's time to find a school that can get you on your way. FAA-certified programs exist across the country so you'll probably have no trouble finding one near you.

I recommend: The FAA lets you search for maintenance schools by area so you can find schools close to you. Look for a program description as thorough as the ones illustrated at the University of Washington.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Hands-on experience with airplane materials helps make your training make sense. Consider getting a job at a small airport working around aviation materials or working with aircraft material suppliers to foster a better understanding of what you're studying.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find aircraft supplies distributors

Locate distributors of aircraft supplies and aircraft development items.

I recommend: L&L Products offers interior panel edge closeout and local reinforcement. They are an ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certified manufacturer that can provide composite material design, engineering and development services to you. Diversified Composites offers carbon fiber and epoxy resin. The carbon fiber is particularly good for the aerospace industry because of its high stiffness to weight ratio. Fiber Dynamics offers a wide variety of items for your aircraft development. Those materials and items include: Interior components, Composite replacements for honeycomb panels, integrated structures, flight recorder boxes, radomes, flight control surfaces, nacelles, fire-retardant components and fairings. Check out the product list of Stephenson Pattern Supply, an aircraft and aerospace composite materials distributor.

Look for aviation materials manufacturers

Choose aviation materials manufacturers to custom develop your next aviation material need.

I recommend: Check out the industrial plastic services that Mica-Tron Products has to offer. They are an ISO 9001:2000 & AS9100B certified specialist in precision machined components that are used in the aerospace industry. Advanced Composite Industries is another manufacturer of aircraft composite materials. They look to help you meet your meet the cost constraints while keeping up to industry standards for your aircraft. Russell Plastics Technology processes a number of aviation materials including aramid, graphite fibers, glass, phenolic, epoxy, polyester, bismaleimide resins, PMR-15, Nomex, foam cores, aluminum and honeycomb. Matrix Composites offers composite materials for aerospace as well as composite materials testing for your business.

Use aircraft composite materials

Locate manufacturers of aircraft composite materials when building your next aircraft.

I recommend: Quantum Composites offers development and formulation capabilities for markets including the aerospace industry. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics provides the aerospace market engineered aircraft material polymers. Automated Dynamics manufactures fiber-reinforced aircraft composite materials for the aviation industry. Norplex-Micarta is an ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer that offers thermoset composite airplane material.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you are not an expert in the aircraft materials game, hire an expert or consultant to help walk you through the process.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the organization that regulates the airline industry. They are responsible for keeping people safe. The FAA creates minimum standards that manufacturers must meet when building airplanes.

I recommend: Learn more about the FAA and what they do directly from their website.

Polymer composites

Polymers are a type of plastic or resin that manufacturers use in the making of aircraft. It can typically be found in the interior trim and as electrical insulators.

I recommend: Charles Sturt University describes polymer composites and how they are used in aircraft construction. The site includes a diagram.

ISO 9000 and ISO 14000

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) creates various standards that all international businesses aim to follow. The ISO 9000 series of standards deals with management practices, while the ISO 14000 series deals with environmental concerns. Manufacturers should try to understand these standards or hire a consultant that can help ensure that their company is compliant.

I recommend: Learn about the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards through the International Organization for Standardization.

Fiber-reinforced

Aircraft manufacturers often use fiber-reinforced materials in the making of planes. In these materials, the fiber reinforcement is used to strengthen the material. Often, companies use this as a way to create lighter aircraft, which cost less to fly.

I recommend: Efunda.com offers a description of fiber-reinforced composites.

Interior components

As important as the outside of the plane is, aircraft manufacturers must also consider the interior components. These are things such as the seats and lavatory components.

I recommend: DASELL manufacturers interior components for airplanes and describes the possibilities, along with pictures.

Flight control surfaces

The flight control surfaces are the parts of a plane that the pilot uses to control flight. These are the ailerons on the wings and the rudder and elevator on the plane's tail.

I recommend: Visit The Aviation History Online Museum to see a sample diagram and to learn about each part.