Guides for aircraft parts buyers
Practical answers to the questions that slow an order down: how to write an RFQ that comes back complete, what to do in the first hours of an AOG, what condition codes and release certificates really tell you, and how to read a lead time. Where it helps, we add numbers from the supplier quotes our own desk receives.
How to write an aircraft parts RFQ that gets complete, comparable quotes
What to put on each line of an aircraft parts RFQ — condition, certificate, trace, need-by date, AOG flag — so quotes come back complete. Free Excel template.
AOG parts sourcing: a buyer's checklist for the first two hours
An AOG buyer's checklist: what to gather before the RFQ, how to send one request to several sources, compare offers fast and check documents before you pay.
Aircraft part condition codes: what NE, NS, OH, SV and AR mean, and what paperwork backs them
What NE, NS, FN, OH, SV, RP and AR mean, which release paperwork backs each code, and how condition moved price across 112,000 supplier quote lines.
Same part number, very different prices: how to compare aircraft part quotes
Same part number, same condition, quotes typically 3.6× apart. Why aircraft part prices vary — certs, trace, exchange, freight, units — and how to compare.
FAA 8130-3 vs EASA Form 1 vs dual release: which certificate to ask for
What FAA 8130-3, EASA Form 1, dual release, UK CAA Form 1 and a CoC each certify, when the EU and FAA accept each other's tags, and what to put in your RFQ.
Aircraft parts lead time: from “stock” on the quote to the part at your hangar
What stock, ex-stock, ARO and TBA mean on an aircraft parts quote, and how to add ships-from, EXW, freight, customs and DG time to find the real arrival date.
Export control for US aircraft parts: what a buyer outside the US should prepare
EAR99, 9A991 or ITAR? What decides whether a US aircraft part needs an export license, why suppliers ask for end-user statements, and what to prepare.
PMA parts vs OEM: what the FAA approval covers and when a PMA part is the right buy
What FAA-PMA approval covers, how PMA parts are marked and released, when EASA accepts them, when leases rule them out, and how to ask for them on an RFQ.
Alternate, superseded and interchangeable part numbers: what a buyer can accept
Where aircraft part interchangeability is really stated: IPC notations, SBs and ADs, one-way vs two-way, dash numbers, NSNs, and alternates in an RFQ.
Aircraft parts shelf life: cure dates, sealants and how to ask for remaining life
Only 2.2% of seal quote lines we received gave any date or lot. How O-ring cure dates, AS5316 and sealant shelf life work, and what to ask for.
Have a list to price?
Send it as it is — Excel, PDF, a scan or the body of an email — to [email protected]. Customers can also upload RFQs and follow every quote and order in our client portal, RFQ Radar.