Aerial NDT · Province-wide
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) by drone.
Contact UT wall-thickness measurement delivered by drone — corrosion mapping on tanks, stacks, and structures at height without scaffolding, rope access, or shutdown.
Instrument standards: EN 12668-1 · ISO 16831:2012
Free phone consult · No pressure · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm PT
Why clients choose it
- Eliminates scaffolding costs
- Removes confined-space and work-at-height exposure
- Faster corrosion mapping with minimal downtime
- Digital, repeatable thickness records
Typical assets
How it works
- 1
Survey plan
Asset drawings and prior thickness data define the measurement grid — courses, CMLs, and suspect zones.
- 2
Aerial contact
The drone presses the dual-element 4 MHz probe against the surface; the onboard dispenser applies couplant automatically at every point.
- 3
Live readings
Thickness values stream to the ground station in real time — questionable points are re-shot on the spot.
- 4
Corrosion report
GPS-tagged readings mapped onto the asset, trended against any historical data, delivered in an inspection-grade report.
Frequently asked
How does a drone take a contact ultrasonic reading?
The aircraft carries a stabilised probe arm that presses a dual-element transducer against the asset surface, dispenses couplant automatically, and holds contact until a stable A-scan is captured. The pilot and NDT analyst watch live readings from the ground — the same measurement a rope-access technician would take, minus the ropes.
Is aerial UT as accurate as manual UT?
The instrument class is the same — EN 12668-1 / ISO 16831:2012-compliant UT electronics with dual 4 MHz transducers. Reading quality is verified live, and unstable readings are re-taken immediately. What changes is access cost and exposure hours, not measurement physics.
How many thickness points can you capture in a day?
Typically 150–400 points per flight day depending on asset geometry and wind — several times what scaffolding-based crews achieve once you include rig-up and rig-down time. Large tank programs that took weeks compress into days.
What surfaces can be measured?
Metals, plastics, and composites within the instrument's range. Heavily scaled or coated surfaces may suit our aerial EMAT service instead — no couplant and high lift-off tolerance. We pick the right probe for the surface during scoping.
Related aerial services
Aerial High-Temperature UT
Wall-thickness measurement on hot, in-service assets — 0 to 260 °C (32–500 °F) — without shutdown, by drone. Echo-to-echo and pulsed-echo modes with live A-scan.
View serviceAerial EMAT Inspection
Electromagnetic acoustic transducer thickness testing by drone — no couplant, up to 4 mm lift-off, made for corroded, dirty, or coated steel where conventional UT struggles.
View serviceAerial Pulsed Eddy Current (CUI)
Corrosion-under-insulation screening through cladding — pulsed eddy current by drone reads wall thickness through up to 100 mm of insulation and weather jacket. No stripping.
View serviceAerial Coating Thickness (DFT)
Dry-film thickness verification at height by drone — magnetic-induction and eddy-current measurement on tanks, stacks, bridges, and structural steel. No lifts, no ropes.
View service← All aerial inspection services·Drone specialist hub
Aerial Ultrasonic Testing (UT) across BC
Dedicated local pages for every city we serve:
Scope your NDT campaign in one call
Free phone consult — asset, access, airspace, and a firm quote, usually in five minutes.