ASNT NDT Level III
Certificate #180940, first certified 2012.
- ET since Nov 2013
- MT since Jul 2012
- PT since Feb 2013
- UT since Aug 2025
Verify with ASNT record number 180940, last name Gardner
NDT Level III · Nadcap auditor · Navy-trained
Mike Gardner
NDT Level III ET, MT, PT, RT, UT, VT · AWS CWI · Nadcap Auditor
NDT engineer. I build inspection programs, write the procedures behind them, and audit them. In engineering, math and science since joining the Navy in 1999, and in nondestructive testing since 2008.
About
My career in engineering, math and science started in 1999, when I joined the Navy. I got my start in its nuclear power training pipeline, learning electrical and nuclear engineering at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command. That taught me to respect procedure, and to want to know why a procedure says what it says.
I've worked in nondestructive testing since 2008: first as a Level II technician, then as a Level III, an engineering lead, and now an auditor. I've run inspection teams across ET, MT, PT, RT, UT and VT, written specialty procedures, built NDT programs and FAA repair station programs from scratch, and led the NDT engineering team at Virgin Galactic.
Today I audit aerospace NDT for Nadcap, consult and teach as a Level III, and run NDT LLC, my own consulting firm. I also build TRACE, software that keeps NDT certifications and compliance from slipping through the cracks, because I spent too many years watching that happen on spreadsheets.
Outside work, I enjoy spending time with my family. I'm also a biker who enjoys riding motorcycles and supporting charity events.
Credentials
Employer-Based Certifications
NAS410 and SNT-TC-1A, Level III in ET, MT, PT, RT, UT and VT.
SNT-TC-1A Level II Radiographic Film Interpreter.
AWS QC1 Certified Welding Inspector
Certificate #13061331, since 2013.
Verify with AWS certification number 13061331, last name Gardner
Nadcap Auditor
Aerospace NDT audits for the Performance Review Institute.
What I do
- Inspection team management
- NDT engineering
- Responsible Level 3
- NDT program development
- Eddy current tube analysis
- NQA-1 lead auditor training
- Specialty NDT procedures
- Weld inspection
- Nadcap program development
- FAA repair station programs
Career
- 2025–now
Nadcap Auditor PRI (Performance Review Institute)
Aerospace NDT audits.
- 2025–now
NDT Level 3 Applied Technical Services
Consulting, teaching and technical writing, remote.
- 2024–2025
NDT Engineering Manager Baron NDT, Jacksonville FL
FAA repair station, NDT program, ISO 17025 quality system, training and procedures.
- 2021–2023
Specialist / Senior NDT Engineer Virgin Galactic, Mojave CA
Led the NDT engineering team (2022–2023). Before that: procedure writing and approvals, inspection-capability SME, and the personnel certification and qualification program.
- 2021
NDT Sales Manager, East Dolphitech (contract)
- 2017–2019
Northeast Regional Manager UniWest (United Western Technologies)
- 2017
Weld Inspection Specialist, NDT/Quality SpaceX (contract)
- 2014–2025
Founder / Responsible Level 3 Midgard Scientific
Inspection teams in ET, MT, PT, RT, UT and VT; training; procedures; welder and welding-procedure certification; business development.
- 2011–2014
Vice President Aqualified.com
- 2008–2011
NDT Level II Applied Technical Services
Education
- Naval Nuclear Power Training Command Electrical and nuclear engineering, 1999–2001
- Howard College Residential/commercial electrician certificate, 2004–2005
Military Service
I served in the U.S. Navy from 1999 to 2004 as a Nuclear Electrician's Mate, and I'm a wartime veteran: my service spanned the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Enduring Freedom.
- 2001–2004
Nuclear Electrician's Mate U.S. Navy, shipboard
Maintenance, inspection and testing of a naval nuclear power plant's electrical systems.
- 1999–2001
Nuclear engineering student Naval Nuclear Power Training Command and Nuclear Power Training Unit, Charleston SC
Electrical and nuclear engineering, atomic and nuclear physics, and radiation protection.
The Navy taught me that a procedure exists for a reason, that you inspect what you expect, and that the record matters as much as the work. I've built my NDT career on all three. NDT LLC and TRACE are veteran-owned.
What I run and work on
Founder
NDT LLC
My veteran-owned NDT Level III consulting firm: program development, Nadcap audit readiness, training, weld inspection and field work.
ndt.llc BuilderTRACE
Compliance software for NDT programs. It tracks technicians, certifications and compliance items, flags expirations, and makes audits easier to prepare for. Built by NDT LLC.
tracendt.com Projectndt.events
One list of upcoming NDT conferences, trade shows and working groups, with links to each organizer and calendar files.
ndt.events Founder / Responsible Level 3Midgard Scientific
An NDT inspection, consulting and training company. I founded it and was its Responsible Level 3 from 2014 to 2025, and I maintain its website.
midgardscientific.com Projectndt.support
Free tools for NDT technicians: recert countdowns, experience-hour tallies, eye-exam dates, method calculators and a standards watch.
ndt.support Projectndt.games
Free daily puzzles for people who inspect things: quizzes, crosswords, word search and an NDT word of the day.
ndt.games ClubRegulators MC, Palm Bay
The Palm Bay chapter of the Regulators Motorcycle Club, riding Brevard County and Florida's Space Coast.
regulatorsmcpalmbay.comArticles across my sites
Guides and articles from the sites above. Each card opens the original article on its own site.
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TRACE
NAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271: nondestructive testing (NDT)
What NAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271 covers for nondestructive testing (NDT) on Navy ships, how it relates to MIL-STD-271, and what it asks of personnel.
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NDT LLC
Nondestructive Testing (NDT) in Upstream Oil and Gas: Drill Pipe, OCTG and Offshore Platforms
How nondestructive testing (NDT) is used in upstream oil and gas: drill pipe and drill stem inspection, OCTG inspection, wellhead and pressure-control equipment, and…
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Midgard Scientific
NDT Certification After Your Military Career – A Guide
For military NDI and NDT technicians: how civilian certification works under SNT-TC-1A (2024), NAS410 Rev 6 and ASNT 9712, hours, and records to gather.
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TRACE
Calibration tracking for nondestructive testing (NDT)
What needs calibrating in a nondestructive testing (NDT) shop, the checks beside it, custody, send-outs, and which jobs an out-of-tolerance item touched.
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NDT LLC
Nondestructive Testing (NDT) in Oil and Gas
What nondestructive testing (NDT) does in oil and gas, from wells and offshore platforms to pipelines, tanks and refineries: damage, methods and rules.
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Midgard Scientific
NAS410: What Changed in the Current Revision
NAS410 Rev 6 (December 2025) in plain English: the new Level 3 basic exam, the credit route to Level 3, vision, reinstatement and written practice updates.
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TRACE
Nadcap nondestructive testing (NDT) audit: how to prepare
How Nadcap accreditation for nondestructive testing (NDT) works: the audit cycle, findings and corrective action, merit, and the records auditors ask for.
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NDT LLC
Refinery NDT: Downstream Oil and Gas Inspection
Nondestructive testing (NDT) in refineries: sulfidation, HTHA, corrosion under insulation, API 510, 570 and 653, RBI, fitness-for-service and PSM.
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Midgard Scientific
Rope Access for NDT Technicians
Rope access for NDT technicians: what it is, why bridge and industrial inspection depends on it, and how SPRAT Level 1, 2 and 3 certification works.
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TRACE
Nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel standards compared
How NAS410, SNT-TC-1A, CP-189 and ISO 9712 differ for nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel: who certifies, levels, exams, vision, how long certs last.
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NDT LLC
API Inspector Certifications: 510, 570, 653, 1169
API 510, 570, 653, 1169, 577, 571, 580 and 936 explained: what each covers, who needs it, and how it differs from AWS CWI and NDT certification.
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Midgard Scientific
Batman vs Superman: Superhero Aerodynamics and Safety
Eric Nordstrom’s 2016 article on swept wings, winglets, the critical Mach number and superhero safety gear, kept as he wrote it in his memory.
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TRACE
SNT-TC-1A: nondestructive testing (NDT) qualification
ASNT's SNT-TC-1A for nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel: the written practice, Levels I, II and III, training, exams, vision and recertification.
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NDT LLC
Heat Exchanger Tube Inspection: ECT, RFT, IRIS
Heat exchanger and boiler tube inspection with nondestructive testing (NDT): when to use eddy current, RFT, NFT, MFL or IRIS, and why analysis matters.
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TRACE
CP-189 vs SNT-TC-1A: nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel
How ANSI/ASNT CP-189 differs from SNT-TC-1A for nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel, where contracts invoke it, and what a program keeps on file.
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NDT LLC
NDT in the Automotive Industry
How nondestructive testing protects vehicle safety: spot welds, castings, forgings, EV batteries and leak-tight systems, from plant to supplier audit.
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TRACE
NAS410 explained: aerospace nondestructive testing (NDT)
NAS410 for aerospace nondestructive testing (NDT): the Responsible Level 3, Levels 1, 2 and 3, training, experience, exams, vision and records.
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NDT LLC
NDT in Construction and Infrastructure
How nondestructive testing verifies structural steel welds, concrete, bridges and buildings: the methods, where inspection fits, and codes like AWS D1.1.
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TRACE
Tracking nondestructive testing (NDT) certifications
What "current" means for a nondestructive testing (NDT) technician, why spreadsheets miss it, and how to track every date so nothing lapses before audit.
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NDT LLC
NDT in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
How nondestructive testing supports pharmaceutical manufacturing: hygienic welds, pressure vessels, heat exchangers, isolators and container closure.
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TRACE
Nondestructive testing (NDT) certification exams explained
How nondestructive testing (NDT) certification exams work under SNT-TC-1A and NAS410: general, specific and practical exams, grading, retakes and records.
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NDT LLC
NDT in the Space Industry
How nondestructive testing supports launch vehicles, spacecraft and satellites: fracture-critical parts, propellant tanks, composites and leak testing.
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TRACE
Writing a nondestructive testing (NDT) written practice
What a nondestructive testing (NDT) written practice must cover under SNT-TC-1A and NAS410, how to approve and revise it, and keep your records in step.
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NDT LLC
NDT in Aerospace Manufacturing
How nondestructive testing protects the aerospace supply chain: engine parts, forgings, castings, composites, NAS410, Nadcap and United Flight 232.
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NDT LLC
NDT in Aircraft Maintenance
How nondestructive testing keeps aircraft airworthy: fatigue cracks, corrosion, composite damage, airworthiness directives and Aloha Airlines Flight 243.
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NDT LLC
NDT and Robotics
Robots that perform nondestructive testing, and robotic systems that need inspecting: what changes, what does not, and how to qualify automated NDT.
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NDT LLC
NDT in Food and Beverage Processing
How nondestructive testing supports food safety: hygienic welds, heat exchangers, pressure vessels, ammonia refrigeration, X-ray and package leak testing.
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NDT LLC
NDT in Shipbuilding and Ship Repair
How nondestructive testing supports shipbuilding and repair: hull welds, thickness gauging, shafting, piping, class society surveys and NAVSEA rules.
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NDT LLC
NDT in the Defense Industry
How nondestructive testing supports defense: military aircraft, ground vehicles, naval systems, munitions, military standards, NAS410 and technical data.
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NDT LLC
NDT for Amusement Rides and Parks
How nondestructive testing keeps amusement rides safe: welds, axles, pins, wheel assemblies, restraints and wire ropes, and the ASTM F24 standards.
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NDT LLC
A&P Mechanics, IAs and NDT
How A&P mechanics and IA holders relate to nondestructive testing: who performs NDT and who signs, annual and 100-hour inspections, ADs and FAA rules.
31 articles. Every card opens the original on its own site. All articles: TRACE · NDT LLC · Midgard Scientific
Contact
The best way to reach me is email, or a message on LinkedIn.