Aerospace Award

Award criteria

Purpose: The purpose of this award is to recognise a significant contribution over a period of at least 2-5 years to the NDT/CM/SHM community within the aerospace sector.

Eligibility: Nominees can be individuals or groups who have made a significant contribution to the NDT/CM/SHM community, either through R&D, through technology innovation development or transfer, or by developing strategy leading to new technology development and exploitation, or by contribution to standards, or by facilitating significant change within the aerospace sector. Nominations can relate to a specific technology innovation or for contributions to a number of innovations, including those providing significant contributions in a support role. 

This is intended to recognise a contribution over a period of at least 2-5 years.

The proposer of the award should be a voting member of the Institute. If they are not, they will need to ensure the application is endorsed by an Institute voting member.

Details of the award: The award will consist of a certificate and free of charge registration at the Aerospace Event of that year, where the award will be presented. (For groups, only one person will be free of charge.)

Frequency: This award will be issued no more than once per year, but is not required to be issued should no one have been nominated or the Aerospace Committee does not feel any nomination meets the eligibility of the award. The award will be discussed at the final meeting of the year of the Aerospace Committee and finalised at the March meeting before the Aerospace Event.

Nomination arrangements: Nominations should be submitted by email to: karen.cambridge@bindt.org

Nominations for the award will be reviewed by the Aerospace Committee. If there is only one nomination, then the Aerospace Committee should vote to confirm whether the nomination is eligible and, if so, approve the award. 

If there is more than one nomination, then the entries should be sent for judging by a panel set up for the purpose. Four members of the panel are to be appointed by the Aerospace Committee. Each judge will be invited to score the entries on a point scale of 0 to 3 and send the scores to Karen Cambridge, who will total the scores, and the entry receiving the most points will be declared the winner. 
 
Awarding arrangements: The award will be made at the Aerospace Event (usually held in April) and will be awarded by the Chair of the Aerospace Committee. The winner will also be asked to issue a plenary-style short paper on the content of the award.

Committee: Aerospace Committee.

Winners

2025 winner: Todd Parsons

The Aerospace Award for 2025 is awarded to Todd Parsons.

Todd started his career in non-destructive testing (NDT) back in 1999 at the age of 18 (like most others by complete accident) while completing a Higher National Diploma (HND) in aeronautical engineering. 

A local NDT company by the name of Material Measurements – Trutest NDT was approaching colleges for trainees and although Todd had every intention to continue his studies at university, he had always planned to take a year of employment to secure the funds needed for a life away from home, so applied and was successful.

After just a few months, he was bitten by the NDT bug and it was clear this was something he was going to remain in and commit to full time.

Todd spent the first three years of his career working within numerous industry sectors (aerospace (Nadcap), aviation (Part 145), rail, nuclear, ship hull gauging, etc) until he finally settled into the company’s Aviation and Aerospace division full time supporting the Nadcap test houses and Part 145 D1 site teams at local facilities and customer facilities all over the world.

Todd spent the next three years working through the two departments securing five Level 2 (PT, ET, MT, RT and UT) qualifications to EN 4179/NAS 410.

After six years developing internal procedures and carrying out inspections in all methods on components and structures, in 2005 Todd became involved with the Level 3 Graham McCully.

Very quickly Todd had found a new love for NDT and this is when he began his journey to support training of new staff internally and customers externally. 

It was around this point that thermography had been introduced as an NDT method as a new technology, so Todd jumped on it immediately, working rigorously with Graham to meet the requirements of the UK National Aerospace NDT (UKNANDT) Board for new technologies, securing his sixth Level 2 and adding it to the company’s approval scope under Part 145 D1.

With Graham as his mentor, Todd spent most of his first year with him supporting the company’s outside agency and his training courses at prime facilities within the UK before he was seconded to Poland where he was delegated to train and assist local inspectors at a reputable prime facility in the inspection of composite production parts.

Secondments were ever coming and Todd found himself at prime facilities such as GKN, Bombardier, Airbus, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, etc, assisting in inspections and the support, development and validation of new techniques and technologies and experiencing numerous inspection methods from the start of production to the final assembly line and then on to teardown.

One of Todd’s many highlights was developing eddy current testing and ultrasonic testing techniques for Bombardier Canada and demonstrating them to its Level 3 teams before introduction into the aircraft NTM.

Todd continued as a Level 2, carrying out new production and in-service inspections all over the world and supporting hands-on training in six methods for all new team members and external outside agencies until 2018 (nearly two decades), when he finally took the plunge to secure his first Level 3, which was in ultrasonics.

As a delegated Level 3, Todd took ownership on supporting the technical requirements of one of the Nadcap facilities again opening a new scope to NDT and he began an additional journey supporting the quality teams with compliance to prime customers and regulatory requirements.

The company, which started out as Material Measurements, has changed names a couple of times and has been Applus UK Ltd for the past ten years.

The Aviation and Aerospace division was a completely new industrial sector for Applus and with efforts from Todd and his team Applus has excelled in remaining committed to maintaining compliance with industry standards and regulations leading the way to upholding the integrity of the aerospace sector.

Becoming the Operations Manager for the site Part 145 team and Nadcap test house in Reigate in 2019, Todd found himself in a strategic position to command the excellence required for such a department to perform, allowing himself to impart his knowledge and experience to team members, trainees and apprentices.

Over a period of two decades, Todd progressed from a trainee to a Level 2 in six methods, Level 3 in one method and Operations Manager, where he spent his days training staff, planning work and auditing the facilities.

Graham left the company quite suddenly in December 2022 and Todd was employed as the company’s Responsible Level 3 to support the Aviation and Aerospace division.

With only UT Level 3, he spent most of 2023 and 2024, with the assistance of the Southwest School of NDT, securing the remaining five Level 3 qualifications to support the vast operations that Applus supports, including primes such as Rolls-Royce, Eaton and Leonardo supplier requirements. 

With the ongoing changes in the Part 145 industry and the huge shortage of certifying staff, the continued focus is on supporting the aerospace sector in developing new technicians who not only meet the requirements of EN 4179 but also the additional requirements issued by the regulator for them to become certifying staff. 

Todd is honoured that Applus has recognised the efforts he has made and the determination he has shown in just ten short years with the company, built on his commitment to train and guide new technicians through the rigorous quality requirements and standards from as far back as 2005.

For this acknowledgement to be supported by other members of the aerospace industry leaves Todd speechless and his gratitude goes out to all who have supported the application.