Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) and Honda Aircraft have announced the development of the industry’s first certification for aerospace coatings applicators. Jason O’Neal, Michael Garza, Eliot Ewald and Jeffrey Varner, all Honda Aircraft employees, are the first four recipients of the new certification. The training, which was conducted by SSPC and Embry-Riddle, was the first professional training and certification of individuals involved in aerospace coatings application. The three organizations worked together to create the standards for the credential and the curriculum for the training program. “In our role as a leader in aviation and aerospace education, it was logical for Embry-Riddle to take the lead in developing a training program for aerospace coatings applicators as part of our mission to the industry,” said Al Astbury, director of Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Office of Professional Education. “Aircraft coatings are extremely important in preventing corrosion and cracking, as seen in the structural failure that occurred in Hawaii in 1988. Coatings are the first line of defense in preventing such structural failures, and certified applicators are the vanguard in such an effort,” said SSPC executive director William Shoup.