When is a full FAI required under AS9102 Rev C?

Under AS9102 Rev C, a full First Article Inspection (FAI) is required whenever you are establishing or re-establishing objective evidence that a part or assembly meets all engineering and specification requirements. The standard defines specific triggers, but customer and contract requirements can be more restrictive and always take precedence.

Situations that require a full FAI under AS9102 Rev C

Summarizing the key cases where a full FAI is required (per AS9102 Rev C, Section 4 and 5), subject to customer-specific flowdowns:

• First production run of a new part number manufactured for the first time by your organization, including:
  • New make-to-print customer part numbers
  • New internal part numbers where you are design responsible
  • First time you produce a legacy design at your facility or value stream
• Design change affecting fit, form, function, safety, or reliability, including:
  • Engineering drawing or model revisions that affect any characteristic, feature, or requirement being verified
  • Changes to specifications or material requirements that impact part performance

  AS9102 Rev C allows partial FAI in some design change scenarios, but a full FAI is required if the change affects previously verified characteristics in a way you cannot bound confidently, or if the customer requires a full FAI at any revision change.

• Change in manufacturing source, process, or method that can affect the part, such as:
  • Relocating production to a different facility, cell, or line
  • Moving to a different supplier or sub-tier for key operations
  • Changing manufacturing methods (for example: casting process changes, different machining technology, or new forming process)
  • Major programming or setup strategy changes on CNC or automated equipment when they affect how characteristics are produced
• Significant change in tooling, equipment, or software affecting the product definition or manufacturing process, such as:
  • New or significantly revised production tooling that can affect geometry, tolerances, or surface conditions
  • Changes to inspection methods or equipment that impact how you verify characteristics
  • Major CAD/CAM or CMM software changes that can alter how dimensions are interpreted or measured

  AS9102 allows partial FAI in some tooling or software-change cases. A full FAI is expected when the change is broad enough that local bounding is uncertain or when the customer specifies a full FAI on any new tooling.

• Lapse in production beyond the duration defined in AS9102 Rev C or agreed with the customer. The standard references a lapse (often 2 years) as a default need to re-establish the process. Many customers define their own lapse periods.
  • If production has been dormant long enough that process capability, materials, or supply base may be at risk, a full FAI is typically expected.
• Major nonconformance or systemic process issue indicating loss of control:
  • Serious escapes, repeated NCRs, or MRB actions showing the original FAI is no longer representative
  • Customer-directed re-FAI following quality issues, escape investigations, or audits

Full vs partial FAI under Rev C

AS9102 Rev C distinguishes between:

• Full FAI: All drawing and specification characteristics are ballooned and accounted for on Form 3, supported by applicable Forms 1 and 2 and objective evidence for all requirements.
• Partial FAI: Limited to the characteristics or affected areas impacted by a specific change (design, process, or tooling). You must reference the previous full FAI and clearly identify what has changed.

A full FAI is required whenever:

• The part is new to your organization, or
• The totality of changes (design, process, tooling, site, or lapse) is broad enough that you cannot credibly treat the previous FAI as representative, or
• The customer contract, PO, or quality clause mandates a full FAI at specified events (for example any drawing revision, any process change), regardless of what AS9102 would technically allow as partial.

Customer, contract, and regulatory dependencies

In practice, when a full FAI is required is not determined by AS9102 alone.

• Customer-specific requirements: Many primes and Tier 1s publish their own FAI/AS9102 supplements or work instructions that:
  • Mandate a full FAI at each revision change, regardless of impact
  • Shorten or lengthen the production lapse trigger
  • Define additional triggers (for example new sub-tier, special process change, material source change)
• Contract and PO clauses: These may require FAI at first delivery, after specific changes, or prior to shipment of particular lots.
• Regulated environments: For safety-critical assemblies or controlled configurations, internal QMS may set stricter rules than AS9102 to protect certification and traceability.

As a result, you should treat AS9102 Rev C as the baseline, then reconcile it with:

• Customer FAI/AS9102 procedures
• Internal QMS / procedure for FAI
• Each contract or PO

Considerations in brownfield and long-lifecycle environments

For existing programs with long-lived part numbers, legacy documentation, and mixed digital/legacy systems:

• Historical FAI packages may not be complete or easily traceable, especially if they predate current systems or used different forms. When you cannot demonstrate that a prior FAI fully covers the current configuration, a new full FAI is often the safest and sometimes required path.
• System changes (MES, ERP, PLM, QMS) alone do not automatically trigger a full FAI under AS9102, but if digital changes alter how requirements are flowed down, ballooned, or inspected, customers may require re-validation or new FAIs for risk control.
• Attempting a wholesale FAI re-baseline for all parts is usually impractical in aerospace-grade environments due to validation, resource load, and downtime. Most organizations apply a risk-based and trigger-based approach aligned to AS9102 Rev C plus customer direction.

Practical approach

To decide if a full FAI is required for a specific part under AS9102 Rev C:

1. Confirm the current part configuration (drawing/model revision, specs, and notes).
2. Review customer and contract/PO FAI clauses and any customer-specific AS9102 supplements.
3. Check your internal FAI procedure for how it interprets and possibly tightens AS9102 Rev C.
4. Identify any changes since the last accepted FAI: design, manufacturing source, processes, tools, software, inspection methods, and production lapse.
5. Determine whether the scope and risk of those changes can be confidently bounded. If not, treat it as a full FAI.
6. When in doubt, or where interpretation is ambiguous, escalate to customer quality for written confirmation to avoid assumptions during audits.

This approach aligns your decisions with AS9102 Rev C while recognizing the constraints of brownfield operations and customer-specific requirements.