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Over 80 percent of the inspections done to an aircraft are visual inspections. At regular intervals inspectors look at various component of the aircraft for signs of damage. During heavy maintenance work, much of the interior of the aircraft is stripped out so inspectors can look for damage on the inside surface of the fuselage. However, not all areas of the aircraft can be accessed for visual inspection and not all damage can be detected by visual means. This is were NDT plays a critical role in thoroughly inspecting airplanes.

NDT methods allow inspectors to inspect areas of the plane that would otherwise be uninspectable without disassembling structure to gain access to the internal areas. NDT methods also allow inspectors to detect damage that is too small to be detected by visual means. Eddy current and ultrasonic inspection methods are used extensively to locate tiny cracks that would otherwise be undetectable. These techniques are also used to measure the thickness of the aircraft skin from the outside and detect metal thinning from corrosion on the inside surface of the skin. X-ray techniques are used to find defects buried deep within the structure and to locate areas were water has penetrated into certain structure. Obviously, this task requires trained professionals who are capable of performing a variety of different NDT techniques to get a complete and accurate status of the airplane.

There is no question that the success of the airplane industry is dependent on NDT. Without NDT, the cost of maintaining and flying in airplanes would increase dramatically, while the safety of flying would decrease. When people step into an airplane they trust that it will get them to their destination with as little turbulence as possible. NDT plays a vital role in keeping air travel one of the safest modes of transportation.