For those developing training material, the credibility of the training is crucial. Therefore MFN investigated different means to get endorsements and approvals from independent organizations. For MFN to be recognized by the FAA is certainly a milestone achievement and we have to thank MFN's Guest Trainer Ray Fontana from the USA, who invested a great deal of time to make this possible.

Ray Fontana has been working on this assignment for several months submitting all the necessary paper work to the authority. Without his help and dedication this project would not have succeeded. Finally in July 2004, MFN received official FAA acceptance for the basic, intermediate and advanced training courses under the following course numbers:

FAA Reg. No.: #AGL/0704/0001/8
“MFN Basic Shot Peen Course”
FAA Reg. No.: #AGL/0704/0002/8
“MFN Intermediate Shot Peen Course”
FAA Reg. No.: #AGL/0704/0003/8
“MFN Advanced Shot Peen Course”

This training course can be offered during workshops and as on-site training. Documentation for each person attending this training will consist of a certificate of training or similar document showing the name of the training, date of attendance, length of training, FAA course number and the instructor’s name and affiliation. Flight Standards Airworthiness Inspectors are admitted to any session being presented. MFN is expected to comply with the guidance contained in the Airworthiness Inspectors Handbook (FAA Order 8300.10) and FAA Order 8470.1D. Many aviation industry repair shops have to be FAA certified. Therefore it only makes sense to offer training courses that are recognized by the same authority, especially since shot peening is regarded as a critical process.

About the FAA:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the safety of civil aviation in the USA. The FAA’s major roles include: regulating civil aviation to promote safety; encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation technology; developing and operating a system of air traffic control and navigation for both civil and military aircraft; researching and developing the National Airspace System and civil aeronautics; developing and carrying out programs to control aircraft noise and other environmental effects of civil aviation regulating U.S. commercial space transportation. More information about FAA can be found at www.faa.gov

MFN Guest Trainer Ray Fontana

Ray Fontana was recruited as an MFN Guest Trainer in March 2004. He is qualified to do one- day "on-site" training courses in North America.  The two types of course he teaches are "Fundamental Knowledge in Shot Peening" and "Flap Peening".

Biography:
Ray was born in 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland. For 20+ years he has worked in the research and development of medical equipment for various companies: Curtain Scientific, Sherwood Medical, Bausch & Lomb, Corning, and New Brunswick Scientific. In 1983he was offered a position by McDonnell Douglas in the Medicine In Space Program as the Equipment Manager for the project. For over nine years he worked on various projects, unmanned vehicles, test equipment for aircraft, Harpoon and Tomahawk, UAV aerial vehicles, satellite communications, structural repair procedures, and ISO 9000 certification, as well as various other projects.

In 1992, RCF Inc. was started with the philosophy of ,“We find solutions for the customer”, working with long-term engineering projects for; Southwestern Bell Mobile, American Meter Corp., Roar Gas (Germany), Chlorox, 3M Corp., Flex-a-lite and others. The company set up and introduced the first FAA certified program for Roto Peening Training. They expanded the FAA Training Certification courses to include Corrosion Control, Structural Repair Advanced Training, Aircraft Plastic Welding, Aircraft Acrylic Window Restoration and Advanced Roto Peening Training. Customers include: American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Iceland Air, Erickson Helicopter Company, TACA Airlines and Boeing.