Northwest Aerospace News June | July Issue No. 15 | Page 46

The Coronavirus took the United
States by surprise, and one of
the greatest impacts was in lack of
healthcare resources like ventilators,
face masks and face shields.
Innovation was rapid by many
regional manufacturers who kicked
into gear to offer solutions. One
innovator was Commercial Aircraft
Interiors (CAI) of Arlington, Washington
who looked at used interior
window shields from commercial
airplanes and how to make them
into face shields.
The company is owned by a father
and son team, Jerry (64) and Dustin
Welch (32) and provides refurbishment
for commercial aircraft. They
complete work on aircraft interiors
within their 180,000-square-foot
facility, which is the largest repair-stations
building in Arlington.
By next year they expect to have
220,000 square feet in their facility.
Their work also takes them to
maintenance, repair, and overhaul
(MRO) facilities around the region.
They have also been called on-site
around the world for “aircraft on
the ground” (AOG) repairs, which
can often be urgent. An example
was when a commercial airline
called them to Washington D.C.
to repair a broken bin. Business
Strategist for CAI, Carlos Veliz
said, “They paid for three days of
Dustin’s time to go there quickly
and fix the bin.”
They will do a complete interior
overhaul on a commercial plane
from bins, to seats, interior panels,
lavatories, galleys and more. Or
in some cases, they are machining
new parts that are going into a
seat assembly for another supplier
company.
Because the company is certified both FAA Part 145 (repair station) and Part 21
(parts manufacturer), and EASA Certified, they can conduct repairs around the
world or on-site for a variety of scopes.
When the COVID-19 virus hit, they knew they had to help. Veliz said, “It’s devastating.
We can only look to history with the Spanish flu of 1918 to know what
it might be like.”
Both Veliz and Welch knew they needed to do something immediately and
looked to their massive inventory for an answer. They realized quickly that the
interior window shields could be modified to make a face shield, much needed
by healthcare professionals.
46 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS