Key aerospace FAI term definitions — Clear definitions of key FAI aerospace terms: AS9102, Form 3, ballooning, Cpk, PPAP, NCM… Master aerospace quality vocabulary to succeed in your first article inspection.
AS9102 — Aerospace First Article Inspection Standard
AS9102 is the aerospace industry standard governing First Article Inspection (FAI). Published by SAE International and aligned with EN 9102, it defines the requirements for verifying that a production process can consistently produce parts conforming to design requirements.
FAI — First Article Inspection
A First Article Inspection (FAI) is a formal, documented verification that the first production unit of a new or revised part conforms fully to all design and engineering requirements.
AS9102 Form 1 — Design Documentation Accountability
AS9102 Form 1 (Design Documentation Accountability) identifies and records all engineering documents used to produce and inspect the first article. It creates a traceable link between the physical part and the specific revision of every controlling document.
AS9102 Form 2 — Product Accountability
AS9102 Form 2 (Product Accountability) identifies the first article itself — tracing the physical part through its materials, sub-components, raw material certifications, and manufacturing process records.
AS9102 Form 3 — Characteristic Accountability
AS9102 Form 3 (Characteristic Accountability) is the dimensional and functional measurement record at the core of the FAI. It lists every characteristic identified on the engineering drawing and records the actual measured value, the tolerance, and the conformance status.
Ballooning — Engineering Drawing Ballooning
Ballooning (or "drawing ballooning") is the process of annotating every characteristic on an engineering drawing with a sequentially numbered circle (balloon), so that each dimension and tolerance can be uniquely referenced in the FAI Form 3.
Characteristic Accountability — FAI AS9102
Characteristic Accountability is the AS9102 requirement that every characteristic on the design documentation is identified, measured on the first article, and its conformance status recorded — with no characteristic left unaddressed.
Cpk — Process Capability Index
Cpk (Process Capability Index) is a statistical measure of how well a manufacturing process is both capable and centered within its specification limits. Unlike Cp which only measures spread, Cpk also accounts for how far the process mean is from the center of the tolerance band.
PPAP — Production Part Approval Process
PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) is the automotive industry's equivalent of the aerospace FAI. Defined by the AIAG PPAP manual (4th edition) and required under IATF 16949, it is a formal process to demonstrate that a supplier can consistently manufacture parts to customer requirements.
Design Record — Engineering Design Documentation
The Design Record is the complete set of engineering documents that define the part: the drawing (or 3D model dataset), referenced specifications, material callouts, and any customer-specific requirements. It is the primary reference for all FAI activities.
First Article Inspection — Definition and Process
First Article Inspection (FAI) is the formal verification process confirming that the first production unit of a new or changed part meets all design and engineering requirements before serial production is authorized.
Nonconforming Material (NCM) — AS9100
Nonconforming Material (NCM) refers to any product, material, part, or subassembly that does not meet one or more specified requirements, whether discovered during incoming inspection, in-process inspection, or FAI.