Mark Lawler

Our interviewee this month is Mark Lawler, who has over 20 years’ experience in NDE and began his career with the
Royal Navy… 

Describe your current role
My current role is two-fold. I am the Manager for Anglia NDT Limited, which 
provides non-destructive testing (NDT) equipment and consumables. I am also the Responsible Level 3 and NDTManager for Kearsley Airways Limited,
Stansted Airport. Prior to this, I served for 14 years in the Royal Navy, then worked at Morgan-Ward NDT Limited for 18 years and then briefly at Applus UK.


What education or training route did you follow?
My specific NDE-related training started during my service in the Royal Navy. When I left school, I joined the Royal Navy and became an aircraft engineer (artificer apprentice), working on the Sea King Mk4 helicopter with the Commando Helicopter Force. Once I became a non-commissioned officer, a small part of my role was to conduct ultrasonic and eddy current inspections on the aircraft during line maintenance. When I left the Royal Navy (to start a family) in 2001, I joined a civilian aerospace non-destructive testing company, where I completed PCN Level 2 approvals in magnetic testing (MT), penetrant testing (PT), eddy current testing (ET), ultrasonic testing (UT) and radiographic testing (RT). As time progressed, and EN 4179 became more applicable in the industry, I became qualified in MT, PT, ET, UT, RT and infrared thermography (IRT) to Level 2 and Level 3. This led me to where I am now.


What would you consider to be your biggest NDE achievements and challenges to date?
I have performed NDE inspections on many types of aircraft over the years. I completed a large amount of NDE on the last airworthy Vulcan, XH558. This is something that I enjoyed very much and am proud to have been a part of. I also spent many years at BAe Woodford, where the Mk2 Nimrod was being converted to Mk4; this project was eventually cancelled by the government. I ran the NDE department and had a team of up to eight engineers assisting me to complete the vast amount of NDE work required on these ageing aircraft. I also set up and ran a new NDE site office for Morgan Ward in 2010. This office is still going well at Stansted and the engineers complete a vast amount of NDE inspections on the Ryanair fleet of aircraft. I am proud to say that the seed I planted is growing into a fine tree!


What do you think are the pressing challenges for the NDE industry?

The aerospace sector is progressing rapidly with the introduction of complex composite materials and exotic alloys. These materials will require specific NDE inspections, each of which will have to be backed up by approved specifications. These specifications will have to be compiled, approved and tested before the on-wing NDE inspections can be carried out. This all takes time. 


What changes, if any, do you foresee for NDE in the future?

The technological advances of NDE equipment in the future mean that equipment, such as flaw detectors, will become smaller, smarter and be capable of achieving so much more. I do feel that equipment needs to be reliable, effective and cost-efficient, but any reduction in cost should not affect its integrity and longevity; something I have seen with cheap X-ray equipment, for example. 


How would you describe NDE to someone who has not heard of it before?

The way I have described my job to someone that knows nothing of aircraft and/or engineering is: “We use tools, equipment and technology to find flaws and defects in critical material parts, before these defects became a major problem”. I use the car maintenance analogy in that aircraft require regular maintenance checks, and as a part of these checks, certain components and structural parts require routine inspections to ensure that they are sound and that the aircraft will be safe for flight.


Outside of NDE, what are your interests and hobbies?

Spending time with my family and exercising – I am particularly keen on callisthenics, as it keeps me feeling young!



Please get in touch if you have any recommendations for future interviewees or would like to be interviewed yourself. Contact the editor at ndtnews@bindt.org or email Maria Felice direct at mvfelice@gmail.com

Comments by members

This forum post has no comments, be the first to leave a comment.

Submit your comment

You need to log in to submit a Comment. Please click here to log in or register.

<< Back