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AS9102 glossary

AS9102, FAI, FAIR, and GD&T glossary

Short, review-focused definitions for the terms aerospace suppliers use while preparing AS9102 First Article Inspection Reports.

Updated July 3, 2026

Batch 1 publish scope

This first glossary batch publishes 25 entries covering AS9102 Forms 1-3, FAI scope, ballooned drawing traceability, Form 3 characteristic rows, product evidence, and common GD&T review terms. Future batches should continue in smaller dated releases rather than publishing the full 100-150 term target in one day.

A

AS9102 Form 1AS9102 Form 1 is the part number accountability form that identifies the part, drawing baseline, organization, FAI scope, assembly relationship, nonconformance status, and approvals.AS9102 Form 2AS9102 Form 2 is the product accountability form for material, special process, functional test, supplier, specification, and certificate evidence used in the FAIR.AS9102 Form 3AS9102 Form 3 is the characteristic accountability form that lists each drawing characteristic, requirement, inspection result, tooling note when applicable, and nonconformance reference when needed.

B

Ballooned DrawingA ballooned drawing is an engineering drawing marked with numbered callouts so each inspected requirement can be tied to a row in AS9102 Form 3.Baseline FAIRA baseline FAIR is the approved reference FAIR used to judge whether later changes can be handled through a partial or delta First Article Inspection.

C

Certificate of ConformanceA Certificate of Conformance is a supplier or processor record stating that delivered material, processing, or product conforms to specified requirements.Characteristic AccountabilityCharacteristic accountability is the Form 3 discipline of listing every design characteristic, its requirement, its inspection result, and any needed nonconformance reference.Characteristic DesignatorA characteristic designator is the Form 3 field used when a drawing or customer requirement assigns a special classification, key characteristic flag, or similar designator to a characteristic.Characteristic NumberA characteristic number is the Form 3 identifier that ties a drawing balloon or listed design characteristic to its requirement, result, and evidence.

D

Delta FAIDelta FAI is a common shop term for a partial First Article Inspection focused on the differences from a previously approved baseline FAIR.

F

FAIRFAIR stands for First Article Inspection Report, the controlled package of AS9102 forms, drawing evidence, certificates, results, approvals, and attachments used to document an FAI.First Article InspectionFirst Article Inspection is the planned verification that a first production-representative part was made from the released drawing, specifications, processes, and purchase order flowdowns.Full FAIA full FAI is an AS9102 First Article Inspection that accounts for the complete applicable design baseline, rather than only the changes from a previous approved FAIR.

G

GD&T FlatnessGD&T flatness is a form control that limits how much a surface or derived median plane may vary from an ideal flat condition.GD&T True PositionGD&T true position is a geometric control that defines the allowed location variation of a feature relative to specified datums and tolerance conditions.

I

Inspection ResultAn inspection result is the evidence value or acceptance statement entered on Form 3 to show how a characteristic was verified against its requirement.ISO 2768ISO 2768 is a general tolerance standard often referenced on drawings to define default tolerances for dimensions that do not carry an explicit tolerance.

M

Material CertificateA material certificate is objective evidence that material used for a part matches the specified material, grade, form, heat, lot, or other required traceability condition.

N

Nonconformance ReferenceA nonconformance reference is the identifier that ties a rejected or exception-based Form 3 result to the controlled nonconformance record and disposition.

P

Part Number AccountabilityPart number accountability is the Form 1 discipline of identifying the exact part, revision, drawing baseline, organization, assembly relationship, FAI type, and approval state for the FAIR.Partial FAIA partial FAI is an AS9102 First Article Inspection limited to the characteristics, material, process, or records affected by a qualifying change from an approved baseline FAIR.Product AccountabilityProduct accountability is the Form 2 discipline of recording the material, special process, functional test, supplier, specification, and certificate evidence required for the part.

R

Reference LocationReference location is the Form 3 field that points reviewers to where a characteristic appears on the drawing, specification, or other controlled source.RequirementA requirement is the design or flowed condition that a Form 3 row must verify, such as a dimension, tolerance, note, GD&T control, finish, material callout, or specification reference.

S

Special ProcessA special process is a manufacturing or treatment process whose output cannot be fully verified by later inspection alone, so qualification, approval, and certificate evidence matter.
AS9102 Forms 1-3 guideField-by-field hub for the complete FAIR packageHow to fill out Form 3Characteristic requirement, result, and nonconformance reviewFull vs partial FAIDecision flowchart for baseline and delta FAIR scopeBallooned drawing examplesSample prints paired with downloadable Form 3 rows

Changelog

July 3, 2026: Published glossary batch 1 with 25 AS9102, FAI, FAIR, Form 1/2/3, product-evidence, and GD&T entries plus DefinedTerm schema, FAQ schema on entry pages, internal links, sitemap entries, and crawler summary entries.

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