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Can we talk about the change in how we handle composite repairs now?
I was going through some old work orders from about five years back and found a repair I did on a rudder skin. Back then, the manual basically said 'sand it, slap on some filler, and paint it.' We got it done in maybe two hours. Fast forward to last week, same kind of damage on a different plane. Now it's a whole production: precise moisture checks, temperature-controlled curing for 24 hours, and a full NDT inspection after. The job took two full days. I get why the rules are tighter, the FAA bulletins on delamination were pretty clear, but man, the pace of work has really slowed down. It feels like every step needs a signature and a second pair of eyes now. Has anyone else felt this shift from quick fixes to drawn-out procedures on composite stuff?
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aarons369d ago
Tell me about it. My shop did a quick patch on a fairing a few years back, no big deal. Now for the same thing, it's like a full lab report. Gotta log every humidity reading, babysit the heat lamps, and wait for an inspector to okay it. The paperwork alone takes longer than the old repair did.
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felix_thomas739d ago
Reminds me of how everything feels more controlled now. I used to just replace a leaky faucet washer, but now I need a permit to look at my own home's plumbing. It's that same move from trusting a skilled person's judgment to needing a documented process for every little thing. We traded speed and flexibility for safety and proof, which is good in theory, but it makes simple tasks feel like a big project. You see it in medicine, in building codes, and clearly in our hangars. The goal is to stop every possible mistake, but the cost is that nothing gets done quickly anymore.
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