An ISU professor spoke Tuesday night about developing a new means of inspecting commercial aircraft before they ever leave the runway.

R. Bruce Thompson, director of the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, spoke to a half-filled Great Hall of the Memorial Union about new methods, which he compared to ultra-sound technology, to find flaws in airplanes before they become a problem.

Thompson, professor of material science and engineering, aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, said individual planes are not inspected at this level of detail before each flight because the airplane may need to be disassembled for such a thorough search.

“Because of lack of visual access, airlines can’t afford to do any more inspection than is necessary,” he said.

Thompson said the specific type of inspection varies according to the two types of manufacturers – Boeing and Airbus – and the individual airline.

“Some planes are used for a very long time,” Thompson said. “The designer has to decide how long they want the plane to last. We want to investigate how to fix them. If you can tell the flaw size, you can tell how long the thing will live.”

Major airline officials said planes are investigated thoroughly depending on the use of the plane.

“Each airline inspects more frequently depending on the environment,” said Lee Clements, manager of training and classification at Delta Airlines Technical Operation facility in Atlanta, Ga.

If planes have more take-offs and landings, maintenance is adjusted depending on the use and climate differences, Thompson said. He said inspecting commercial airplanes is a difficult and tedious task for airlines.

“If they charged more for tickets, there would be more focus on it,” he said.

Clements said every 18 months a progressive maintenance visit is completed on the airplanes at Delta Airlines, taking 130 hours to complete. A heavy maintenance visit is completed every six to eight years requiring 600 to 700 hours to complete.

Safety has improved since 1959 and accidents have decreased while more travelers are taking advantage of the safety features offered by airlines, Thompson said.

Joseph Petrzelka, sophomore in industrial engineering, said the speech was an interesting way to see what happens at Iowa State outside of lecture.

“It lets you see what the university is working on out of class,” Petrzelka said. “It gives a practical application for using technology.”