Panasonic Avionics and 8tree have announced an expansion of their relationship and availability of the ‘dentCHECK’ dent-mapping and reporting service.

The expanded service will now include support for large area dent mapping at customer locations.

This builds on the existing ad hoc dent-mapping services offered at Panasonic Technical Service (PTS) regional line stations at Los Angeles International Airport and London Heathrow airports.

The partners said that the introduction of the large area dent mapping service is particularly suited to hail damage scenarios and follows a series of successful service jobs completed by Panasonic Avionics and 8tree.

In the aftermath of an extreme hail event in Roswell, New Mexico late last year, several severely damaged widebody aircraft – as many as a thousand dents each – were inspected using dentCHECK’s large area panoramic mapping feature. A comprehensive itemised digital report, containing key damage metrics, was completed in days, as opposed to the months it would have taken with traditional manual methods, 8tree said.

“We are pleased to announce the expansion of our relationship with 8tree,” said Panasonic Technical Services’ SVP Sean Gavin. “Using the 8tree scanning technologies allows us to deliver highly accurate information much more quickly than previously possible using traditional methods. This allows our passenger and cargo airline customers to make very timely, data-driven, operational decisions. Our global network, combined with 8tree technology creates a high-value, cost-effective service for dent mapping and aircraft safety solutions.”

8tree’s CEO Arun Chhabra commented: “After the incredible results in Roswell last year, expanding the scope of our dentCHECK service relationship with Panasonic Avionics was a natural choice. Operators will benefit from the faster, more efficient mapping of catastrophic hail damage, allowing them to make more informed decisions about aircraft serviceability and return to service, while alongside building more robust aircraft records. Working with the Panasonic Avionics team to deliver this large area mapping service, we look forward to seeing operators return their aircraft to service faster and with greater confidence.”

Panasonic Avionics supplies and services in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems. The company’s customer base includes more than 300 airlines located across the globe. PTS provides spares and repairs, line maintenance, and technical services at more than 50 locations globally.