JOSHUA SPYCHALLA
Advanced NDT Specialist, HSI Group Inc.
SANTA ANA, CA
HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME
INVOLVED IN NDT?
I was coming out of the US Army,
and one of the counselors in a
transition program connected
me to the founder of American
Aerospace Technical Academy
(AATA) in Los Angeles. He recog-
nized I enjoyed working with my
hands and had a scientific mindset.
I packed my guitar and a suitcase,
flew to LA, and met with AATA,
which started my journey.
The job I got as I was
completing my
classroom
instruction
tossed me
into the
deep end
with phased
array,
working for a small company that
does almost exclusively that. That
was the technology I thought
was the most exciting. I scanned
plates nonstop, eight hours a day,
and assisted on jobs for a few
months. Later, I moved to another
company, continuing in UT (ultra-
sonic testing) and phased array,
earning my Level IIs in UT, phased
array, and PT (liquid penetrant
testing). I also got my Industry
Sector Qualification – Oil &Gas in
UT thickness.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A
TYPICAL DAY ON THE JOB?
I don’t have a normal day—it’s
either very boring or very exciting.
Between phased array and UT, I
do a lot of automated ultrasound
inspections using crawlers and
scanners, calibrating and analyzing
the data.
I do rope access work as well
I’m a Level I in that. I had very inter-
esting experiences in the Army,
and in the matter of a few years,
NDT has already come close to
matching them. I’ve traveled to
Alaska, West Virginia, and Ohio.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING
THE NDT INDUSTRY?
It sounds like a broken record,
but the fact that most people
don’t know what NDT is. I’m
campaigning for 2028 to
be the year we no longer
joke about that and it’s
just something taught in
schools, and everybody’s
at least as familiar with it
as they are with other construction
or mechanical fields like welding.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE
AN INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERING
A CAREER IN NDT?
When you’re at work, be turned on
and focus on what you’re doing.
Especially when you’re just starting
out as an assistant but aren’t the
one responsible for anything—it’s
really easy to take a back seat
and stop focusing. But both assis-
tants and technicians must take
the relationship seriously. In this
industry, especially in oil and gas,
most companies are happy to let
you continue being an assistant
for as long as you’re willing or until
somebody else hires you. And
as the technician, everybody’s
pushing you to produce results
and get to the next job. So, it takes
a concerted effort. You have to
think, “How is what I’m doing today
building my career and my skills?”
or “How am I building the techni-
cian of tomorrow who’s going to
take my place?”
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE
OR WORDS THAT YOU LIVE BY?
There is a quote I came
across recently, from Sun Tzu:
“Opportunities multiply as they are
seized.” I’m blessed to have had
some opportunities presented
to me I took a chance and took
some risks. And from the small
choices I made, the number of
other amazing opportunities that
have presented themselves is
countless.
SCOPE
|
ATWORK
66
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5
2502 ME Feb.indd 66 1/23/25 1:21 PM
Advanced NDT Specialist, HSI Group Inc.
SANTA ANA, CA
HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME
INVOLVED IN NDT?
I was coming out of the US Army,
and one of the counselors in a
transition program connected
me to the founder of American
Aerospace Technical Academy
(AATA) in Los Angeles. He recog-
nized I enjoyed working with my
hands and had a scientific mindset.
I packed my guitar and a suitcase,
flew to LA, and met with AATA,
which started my journey.
The job I got as I was
completing my
classroom
instruction
tossed me
into the
deep end
with phased
array,
working for a small company that
does almost exclusively that. That
was the technology I thought
was the most exciting. I scanned
plates nonstop, eight hours a day,
and assisted on jobs for a few
months. Later, I moved to another
company, continuing in UT (ultra-
sonic testing) and phased array,
earning my Level IIs in UT, phased
array, and PT (liquid penetrant
testing). I also got my Industry
Sector Qualification – Oil &Gas in
UT thickness.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A
TYPICAL DAY ON THE JOB?
I don’t have a normal day—it’s
either very boring or very exciting.
Between phased array and UT, I
do a lot of automated ultrasound
inspections using crawlers and
scanners, calibrating and analyzing
the data.
I do rope access work as well
I’m a Level I in that. I had very inter-
esting experiences in the Army,
and in the matter of a few years,
NDT has already come close to
matching them. I’ve traveled to
Alaska, West Virginia, and Ohio.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING
THE NDT INDUSTRY?
It sounds like a broken record,
but the fact that most people
don’t know what NDT is. I’m
campaigning for 2028 to
be the year we no longer
joke about that and it’s
just something taught in
schools, and everybody’s
at least as familiar with it
as they are with other construction
or mechanical fields like welding.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE
AN INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERING
A CAREER IN NDT?
When you’re at work, be turned on
and focus on what you’re doing.
Especially when you’re just starting
out as an assistant but aren’t the
one responsible for anything—it’s
really easy to take a back seat
and stop focusing. But both assis-
tants and technicians must take
the relationship seriously. In this
industry, especially in oil and gas,
most companies are happy to let
you continue being an assistant
for as long as you’re willing or until
somebody else hires you. And
as the technician, everybody’s
pushing you to produce results
and get to the next job. So, it takes
a concerted effort. You have to
think, “How is what I’m doing today
building my career and my skills?”
or “How am I building the techni-
cian of tomorrow who’s going to
take my place?”
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE
OR WORDS THAT YOU LIVE BY?
There is a quote I came
across recently, from Sun Tzu:
“Opportunities multiply as they are
seized.” I’m blessed to have had
some opportunities presented
to me I took a chance and took
some risks. And from the small
choices I made, the number of
other amazing opportunities that
have presented themselves is
countless.
SCOPE
|
ATWORK
66
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5
2502 ME Feb.indd 66 1/23/25 1:21 PM
