--- title: "First-Article Inspection: What Buyers Expect | TEK Precision" url: https://tekprecision.com/blog/first-article-inspection-flight-critical-hardware description: "What a complete first-article inspection package contains, and what separates a real FAI from a checkbox exercise on flight-critical hardware." lang: en --- Image: TEK Precision inspection station: a blue rolling inspection cart holding a machined aluminium bracket fixtured on a black granite-style checking fixture, with an indicator stand alongside, and a lower shelf laid out with pin gauges, plug gauges, gauge blocks and cylindrical setting standards (https://tekprecision.com/assets/inspection-station-Cb9Uo3Gs.webp) All Articles (https://tekprecision.com/blog) Quality # First-Article Inspection: What Buyers Should Actually Expect TEK Precision August 6, 2026 7 min read An FAI is not a dimensional report. It is evidence that a production process — not a one-off part — will reliably produce conforming hardware. First-article inspection is one of the most commonly misunderstood requirements in aerospace procurement. It is frequently treated as a dimensional report on the first part off the line. It isn't. An FAI is evidence that the _process_ used to make that part will reliably produce conforming hardware for the duration of the programme. The distinction matters. A part can be brought into conformance by hand-fitting, selective assembly or rework and pass a dimensional check. The FAI exists to demonstrate that no such intervention was needed. ## What a complete package contains **A ballooned drawing.** Every dimension, note, tolerance and specification callout on the engineering drawing is numbered. Nothing is exempt — not surface finish notes, not material callouts, not process specifications, not marking requirements. **A characteristic-by-characteristic report.** Each ballooned characteristic is recorded with its specified value, its actual measured value, and the method or gauge used. Missing entries are the most common deficiency in submitted FAI packages. **Material certification.** Full traceability from the raw stock to the finished part, tying the material to its certificate and the certificate to the heat or lot. Our material traceability guide (https://tekprecision.com/blog/aerospace-material-traceability-buyers-guide) explains how the full document trail fits together. **Special process certification.** Every process the drawing invokes — heat treatment, plating, bonding, etch inspection, stress relief — with evidence the source was approved for it and the process ran within specification. **Functional and acceptance test data** where the drawing requires it. **A record of the production configuration** used: which machines, which tooling, which programme revision, which operators. This is the part that makes the FAI about the process rather than the part. The industry-standard format for organising this is AS9102, which defines the forms and content structure. TEK performs first-article inspection to AS9102 format. It is worth being precise about what that means: AS9102 is a _reporting standard_, not a certification. Suppliers work to it; nobody is certified in it. ## The measurement question An FAI is only as credible as the measurements in it, which makes the metrology behind it worth examining. Dimensional characteristics on complex geometry generally require a coordinate measuring machine. TEK's inspection lab operates a Brown and Sharpe CMM Model 7.6.3 Excel with a 42 by 42 by 18 inch envelope, supported by Mitutoyo 12-inch height masters accurate to 0.00002 inches, indicator micrometers reading to 0.0001, and lab-grade surface plates for datum establishment — three Ottavino plates at 3 by 6 feet and two Starrett pink plates. Threaded features need dedicated gauging. TEK operates a complete Johnson thread gaging system covering #10 through 2.500, qualified for Method "C" and safety-critical thread inspection, backed by more than 300 thread plug gauges and more than 300 thread ring gauges from 4-40 through 7.000, each with a matched setting plug. Every one of these instruments is on a documented calibration schedule traceable to NIST. An uncalibrated gauge produces a number, not a measurement — and an FAI built on uncalibrated data is worthless regardless of how complete the paperwork looks. ## Independence There is a structural question buyers should ask that has nothing to do with equipment: **who can overrule the inspector?** If quality reports through operations, there is pressure — sometimes explicit, more often ambient — to accept marginal conditions when a shipment is due. If quality reports independently, the inspector can reject without a conflict of interest. TEK's quality organisation reports directly to leadership, with a Director of Quality above a Quality Control Manager and Chief Inspector, and independent authority over source inspection, in-process inspection, calibration of measuring and test equipment, first-piece inspection and facility surveys. That structure is more predictive of long-term supplier performance than any single piece of inspection equipment. ## When FAI must be repeated A common gap in supplier management. FAI is not once-and-done. It must be repeated when: - The drawing or specification is revised - Manufacturing moves to a different machine, facility or location - A special process source changes - Tooling is replaced or significantly modified - Production lapses for an extended period — typically two years - A previous FAI is found to be deficient Each condition represents a change to the process the original FAI validated. TEK performs 100% first-article inspection on new part numbers. ## What to ask a supplier - Is FAI performed on 100% of new part numbers, or sampled? - Which characteristics are CMM-verified versus hand-gauged? - Is calibration traceable to NIST, and can the certificates be produced? - Does the quality organisation report independently of operations? - What triggers a re-FAI, and how is that tracked? - Are special process certifications included in the package or referenced? **Related capabilities:** Inspection and test equipment (https://tekprecision.com/quality#inspection-lab) · Quality system approvals (https://tekprecision.com/quality#approvals) · Flight safety components (https://tekprecision.com/products#flight-safety-components) _TEK Precision performs 100% first-article inspection on new part numbers under an independently audited quality management system. Request our quality documentation (https://tekprecision.com/contact)._ TP Written by TEK Precision Related Articles ## More from Quality Quality ### Full Material Traceability: From Mill Cert to Shipped Flight Part October 9, 2026 https://tekprecision.com/blog/aerospace-material-traceability-buyers-guide Quality ### Calibration and Temperature Control: Keeping Measurements True Through Winter October 9, 2026 https://tekprecision.com/blog/aerospace-calibration-temperature-control Quality ### Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers or Microhardness: Choosing the Right Test September 30, 2026 https://tekprecision.com/blog/hardness-testing-methods-aerospace-parts ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://tekprecision.com/#organization", "name": "TEK Precision Co., Ltd.", "alternateName": "TEK Precision", "url": "https://tekprecision.com/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://tekprecision.com/brand/tek-logo.webp" }, "foundingDate": "1968", "description": "Precision aerospace manufacturer of flight safety-critical components, hydraulic assemblies and mechanical assemblies for rotorcraft and fixed-wing platforms.", "email": "teksales@tekprecision.com", "telephone": "+1-631-242-0330", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "205 West Industry Court", "addressLocality": "Deer Park", "addressRegion": "NY", "postalCode": "11729", "addressCountry": "US" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/tek-precision/" ], "hasCredential": { "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential", "credentialCategory": "certification", "name": "AS9100D / ISO 9001:2015", "identifier": "275724", "description": "AS9100D / ISO 9001:2015 certified. 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