For the first time, Colombia hosted a training space for applicators in the aeronautical paints sector, called Trainair Plus.
By Juan Manuel Álvarez*
A special greeting to all readers, I am obliged to interrupt the continuity of the articles referring to the corrosion inspection with the purpose of socializing the following information regarding an achievement for Colombia in terms of Aeronautical Painting technology.
The development of the subject of paintings has been linked through the ages to the academy, particularly through research. Paints as we well know is a product that today is of daily use in all areas and applicable to most materials or surfaces.
At the commercial level it is classified by lines, such as:
- The industrial line.
- The architectural line.
- The marine line.
- The automotive line.
- And the aeronautical line.
Although in the generic and starting from its definition, these products called paints that are applied with the purpose of protecting surfaces, materials or structures when they form the coating, are much more necessary due to the increasingly aggressive environments.
From the point of view of their selection, the paints must comply with the compatibility with the surface materials and the so-called primers or primers, while the finishes are selected for their compatibility with the primers and for their chemical, physical or mechanical resistance against the onslaught of the environment that surrounds the surface that is required to be protected.
With regard to aeronautical coatings, these, in a short time, must resist thermal changes ranging between -20ºC and 60ºC, exposed up to speeds of 900 kilometers per hour, and must also chemically withstand fuel runoff, lubricating oils and the high incidences of ultraviolet rays in exterior coatings of this type of structures, due to the altitude at which the aircraft move.
To achieve this quality of coatings it is necessary that there is a synergy between the quality of the paints, good procedures, compliance with the standards and the recommendations of the manufacturer through applicators that have the competence that is required and with the commitment to protect the surfaces. They must also work to make this discipline part of the protection of the environment, achieving lasting protections, thus reducing the periodic consumption of chemicals that are used in the application or removal procedure.
Trainair Plus
The Trainair Plus programme is a cooperative system that aims to improve the safety and efficiency of air transport by establishing and maintaining a high level of training and skills for aeronautical personnel worldwide.
The history of the Trainair Plus program dates back to the 1960s when a telephone company called American Telephone and Telegraph, or better known as AT&T, decided to set standards for the educational materials of members of the organization. This would facilitate the exchange and standardization of knowledge to ensure that all its employees were trained under the same parameters.
Noting that these standards worked, the same methodology was further developed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1975. Around the 80's the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) took the methodology to create a program called Trinmar, which was and is one of the most important sources for port and shipping training among developing countries.
The Icao International Civil Aviation Organization, noting how efficient this training program could be for the aeronautical field, decided to develop a new program based on the success of the previous ones and taking into account the effectiveness generated by a standardized, specialized and productive education for all aeronautical personnel. This is how Trainair emerged in 1998.
The programme was strongly supported by the Global and Interregional Programmes Division (IMDP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through project INT/87/012, during which UNCTAD standards were adapted to meet the needs of particular application in civil aviation.
With the adoption of the new education policy, the implementation of initiatives related to the new generation of aeronautical professionals and ICAO's competency-based approach to instruction, the Organization has initiated the refinement and modernization of the Trainair Programme. The new enhanced program was called Trainair Plus and came into effect during the First Global Symposium held in September 2011.
Trainair Plus uses a methodology that is work-oriented and is based on an analysis of the requirements of each of the tasks to be carried out. It is designed to achieve specific objectives in terms of instruction and competence by conducting courses that use the teaching material available in the programme.
Both the material and the instruction process are subjected to a rigorous evaluation that allows to comply with the standards that govern the desired level of quality. The programme is also focused on updating the competencies of instructors and course trainers and is offered to all civil aviation training centres in the world, provided they have the ability to prepare and adapt course materials to conform to ICAO standards.
Almost all of the world's government aviation schools belong to the program. In South America, schools from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, among others, are linked; in Colombia, the only one that has this accreditation is the Indo-American Educational Corporation (CEI), which positions it in the global market and gives it high quality standards compared to other training centers in the country and the region.
In February 2013, the Indo-American Educational Corporation achieved acceptance as a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to begin the process of certifying academic programs using the Trainair Plus methodology.
The purpose of this management is that the graduates of the Aeronautical Instruction Center and in general all those Colombians are certified and are recognized and hired by the international aeronautical community.
The CIS received on February 6, 2013, during the development of the ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals & Trainair Plus Regional Symposium, developed in Montego Bay (Jamaica), the certificate (recognition that is represented by means of the silver plate) conferred by ICAO, as a member of the Trainair Plus Program, becoming the first private educational institution worldwide to obtain this recognition, being accepted after passing an arduous process of evaluations and audits as an associate member No. 42 in the world.
By obtaining ICAO acceptance, the CIS has access to trainair Plus documentation, course preparation units and the methodology used. Based on this information it is expected to take the next step in the process with obtaining the "golden plaque" that certifies the Institution as a full member of Trainair Plus.
To meet this objective, the CIS must prepare a course using the methodology of the program, work that is being carried out in the area of Aeronautical Painting. For this process, the CEI has the collaboration of Dr. Pedro Miguel Ravelo Pérez, who has been linked to the world of aviation for more than three decades, performing, among other tasks, as General Coordinator of the Center for Scientific-Technological Services of Cuba, as a quality specialist in the Cuban Aviation Corporation and as Coordinator of the Trainair Plus office in the Aeronautical Training Center in the Cuban Aviation Corporation. Currently, Ravelo is based in Colombia and serves as Coordinator of the Trainair Plus office of the Institution.
In the same way the CEI has the collaboration of my person, having recognized my trajectory of thirty years of experience in everything related to aeronautical painting, being a certified inspector in coatings of NACE International, designer for the control of corrosion, inspector in other related disciplines, aeronautical inspector with emphasis on quality control, lecturer, writer and columnist, member of the paintings committee of the A.S.T.M. and member of the paintings committee of Icontec (Colombian Institute of Technical Standards).
Once the course design has been completed, having passed the audit, developed the course and being recognized as a full member, the Institution may grant its students certificates of these courses (which have a duration of three to four months) with the endorsement of the ICAO, certification that will allow the graduate to perform in this specific field anywhere in the world by being certified as an aeronautical applicator.
The course was held from May 26 to 30 at the facilities of the Indo-American Educational Corporation, in the city of Bogotá – Colombia. In the future, this training can be given in Colombia and in other countries with the endorsement and certification of ICAO.
Colombia is very proud to have achieved this contribution to the development of technology and job opportunities for applicants of the aeronautical environment.
I appreciate the support of the CEI through Dr. Hernando Murcia Pulido and the Academic Director Dr. Joselyn Zarate Giraldo, as well as the support always received from the magazine Inpra Latina, of which I am very pleased to be a columnist for several years now; thanks to the evaluation of my work by Mr. Duván Chaverra, editor of the publication.
A special greeting wishing you a good aging.
* Juan Manuel Álvarez is a Consulting Member of the technical committees of NACE International, Member of A.S.T.M, of ACICOR (Colombian Association of Corrosion Engineers), of ASCOR (Colombian Association of Corrosion and Protection), of ACOSEND (Colombian Association of Welding and Non-Destructive Testing), of ICONTEC (Colombian Institute of Technical Standards), of the technical committees of END, Welding, Coatings, Fuels and others. He is also a university professor and lecturer. You can write to the e-mail: [email protected]
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