EP 90: Building Test Capability That Lasts with Todd Meredith

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of building reliable and supportable test capabilities in aerospace testing with insights from Todd Meredith.

A system can work today and still become a liability tomorrow. In aerospace testing, capability is not just about whether a test stand can run. It is about whether that system can stay reliable, supportable, and useful through upgrades, turnover, changing aircraft platforms, and long aircraft lifecycles. In this episode of Nose to Tail, Patrick Kraus sits down with Todd Meredith, Senior Vice President at Testek Solutions, for a behind-the-scenes look at the test benches and test stands that support aerospace repair, production, and return-to-service decisions. Todd breaks down what test equipment actually does in real-world workflows, why “no fault found” is still an important result, how older aircraft create long-term support challenges, and why commercial off-the-shelf components can be critical when a system needs to last for decades. The conversation also explores the make-or-buy decision behind test capability: what happens when a custom system depends too heavily on one person, why documentation and support networks matter, and how teams can design test systems that survive upgrades instead of requiring full replacement. In this conversation, we cover: + What test benches…

People in this episode

Host: Patrick Kraus

Guest: Todd Meredith

Topics covered

• aerospace testing
• test capability
• long-term support
• test equipment
• commercial off-the-shelf components
• make-or-buy decision

Keywords

• test capability
• aerospace repair
• test stands
• legacy technology
• support challenges
• return-to-service decisions
• commercial components

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Testek Solutions

Places: aerospace

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