A part is only as good as the paper that releases it. This page says plainly what we state on a
quote, what travels with a shipment, and how to verify any parts supplier — including us. If you
would rather read the buyer's version first, our
guide to verifying a supplier covers the
same ground in more detail.
The documents buyers ask for
01
FAA Form 8130-3
Either a production release for a new article, or a return to service after maintenance —
never both on one form. Which blocks to read, and what a forged one looks like, is in our
guide to 8130-3 and EASA Form 1.
02
EASA Form 1
The same two functions under EU rules. Where an installer needs both sides, the document to
ask for is a dual release, and it can only come from an organisation holding both approvals.
03
Certificate of Conformity
For standard parts and materials, a C of C from the producer or the seller. It is not a
release certificate and does not replace one.
04
Trace
A trace to the last certificated source — the manufacturer if new, the repair station if
overhauled — with the later transfers documented. Back-to-birth is not required by any
regulation; ask for it when the part's history is what you are buying.
What a quote from us states
Every line we answer carries the part number, the description, the condition code, the
certification the supplier has stated, the quantity, the unit price in US dollars, the lead time,
the minimum order and — where the supplier says it — the country the part ships from. Conditions
are the standard codes; what NE, NS, OH, SV and AR actually mean is in
this guide.
One honest number, because it is the reason this page exists: across about 112,000 priced offer
lines we received from suppliers between June and September 2026, 46.6% named no release
certificate at all, and a trace was stated on 44.3%. That is what supplier quotes look
like across the market. So if a certificate is a condition of the purchase, say so on the RFQ —
we will ask the supplier before we quote you, rather than after the box arrives.
What it looks like on our shelf
Each unit stays in its bag with its own label — part number, serial number, lot.Incoming units on the bench: what is in the bag is checked against what is on the label.Packed, marked and lettered by position — the paperwork travels with the box.
How we handle the paperwork
We pass on what the supplier states, as stated. If a line says nothing about a certificate, our quote says nothing about it either — we do not fill that blank with an assumption.
We ask when it matters. Tell us the paperwork the installer requires and we put that question to the supplier before the order, not after.
The release document travels with the part. It reaches you with the shipment, together with the packing list.
In the portal, mark the lines that need a certificate.RFQ Radar lets your buyer flag them on the order, and that flag reaches our desk with it.
We will not promise a document we have not seen. An AOG is exactly when that promise gets made lightly, and exactly when it costs the most.
Our ASA membership — and what it does not mean
MG AVIATION TECH is a member of the Aviation Suppliers Association (member #21334): type the
company name into the
ASA member directory
and the entry comes up.
Membership is not accreditation, and ASA says so in its own words: it does not require an audit
and does not mean a company is accredited to ASA-100. We would rather write that here than let
you discover it. The databases that do record an audit are ASA's
ASA-100 list,
the FAA's AC 00-56 list and the IAQG's OASIS for the AS9100 family — and they are worth checking
on every supplier you buy from.
Send the RFQ with your paperwork requirement on it
Write to [email protected] in the file you already
have, and name the documents the installer needs. Aircraft on ground?
Our AOG desk takes it at any hour.
