If you’re a Dash 8 operator, aircraft MRO, or lessor, this post is for you.
This is your go-to resource for the current major Dash 8 components we have available now or in the near term.
Bookmark this page as it’ll be updated often.
Do you have surplus aircraft part inventory?
This unnecessary buildup occurs when you order inventory in preparation for near term consumption.
When that consumption never occurs. Voila! Surplus inventory builds up.
Here’s the impact that this causes to your operation.
It’s not the price you pay, how business savvy you are, or how excellent your negotiation skills are. This is the MOST IMPORTANT skill you need when purchasing aircraft parts.
Your surplus aircraft material was sitting. Rotting. Wasting away on your shelves.
Slowly eating away at your operational results. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
Cash was being sucked down the surplus drain. And the only thing you could do was…
Price. How important is it to you? How often do you try and get the lowest price? I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “It’s incredibly important.” and “Every chance I get.” And that’s fair. It’s also common to ask how much something costs. Or to reduce the cost of something. We often use price and cost interchangeably. That’s a mistake.
At 18 years old, Anthony Grieco saw an opportunity to help companies save money in the expanding aviation industry through logistics.
He earned his degree in Transport Management and Logistics and without wasting any time he immediately began working as a Supply Chain Planner for TAP Portugal.
You can’t decide. Do you need a vendor consignment or a vendor managed inventory for your aircraft material? These terms get thrown around interchangeably but they’re actually quite different. We wouldn’t call a zebra a lion now would we? Let’s take a look at the relationship of these two inventory strategies…
This is series 2 of our aircraft part conditions defined. In our last post we talked about FN, NE, and NS. From the feedback we got, this cleared up much confusion.
aircraft-parts
Now, were talking about unserviceable and airworthy conditions.
These conditions are looked at vastly different in various parts of the world.
Some people will never use a "SV" component while others prefer it. On both ends of the spectrum you have AR which is removed from the aircraft and deemed unserviceable and OH which is the closest thing you get to NE. We'll explain this a little more as we get into each condition.
When you think of these conditions you first must determine your primary objective, is it price or quality? Answering this will help guide you to the right condition for your maintenance goals.
[Tweet "With aircraft part conditions, first determine your primary objective #avgeek"]
Skylink: As Removed Aircraft Part
This is a component that was pulled off an aircraft. Spoiler alert, that's where "as removed" comes from.
Sometimes she'll come with a reason for removal but often times in the part out world she'll come with nothing, just a removal tag and trace. It could be repairable or beyond economical repair (BER) for all you know.
These items must go to a certified MRO for functional test or repair.
Skylink: Serviceable Aircraft Part
This condition is intertwined with the repaired condition but there's minor differences depending on who you're talking to.
For a SV unit you'll know that the unit has been functional tested in accordance with OEM specifications and that it'll come with an airworthiness certification depending on what region you're in. Here as you know it's the FAA 8130.
Typically these units will not come with a teardown but only an airworthiness certification stating it passed functional test and it's able to be installed. This varies depending on MRO.
Skylink: Repaired Aircraft Part
The repaired condition is a serviceable unit that requires a little more work.
With repaired units minor piece parts are used to bring the unit into serviceable condition to meet the functional test requirements. Gaskets, bolts, and small expendables are the normal piece parts used in repairs.
This condition will come with an airworthiness certification and teardown detailing what was done and what piece parts were used in the repair.
Skylink: overhauled aircraft part
This is the most work an aircraft rotable can go through.
Skylink: overhauled aircraft part
This is the "best" of all conditions and requires the most work. With an OH unit you'll be sure that your units will receive the 100% OH kit according to the CMM and any other components to bring it to such a condition. Overhauled units can also be painted and cosmetically pleasing so you know you're not getting a hunk of metal.
Warning: In some situations, MROs will tag certain components as OH despite the CMM not having proper OH specification and they should be deemed RP. It's primarily used for marketing to sell a higher priced unit based on it's classification. We use to see this a lot with pitot tubes and other accessories.
That's it. Those are your 4 rotable condition classifications.
Depending on your operation, make the choices that best fits your needs.
It's shocking how many companies have different definitions for aircraft part conditions. From FN, NE, NS to RP, AR...oh my!
Right now, at this moment, I'm giving you the all time, go to resource for three commonly used conditions for NEW components.
Skylink-Factory-New-Aircraft-Part
According to the ATA Spec 106 “Sources and Approved Parts Qualifications Guidelines” FN and NS (more to come on this) have no regulatory definition.
Generally speaking, FN is commonly used directly from the Original Equipment Manufacture. It hasn't passed through many hands to get to the end user.
A standard industry practice is that if it's more than 2 years old, it's no longer FN.
[Tweet "A standard #aviation component practice is if it's more than 2 years old, it's no longer FN"]
At Skylink we tend to think of it in terms of 6 months to a year. For certain components, 2 years on any shelf is way too long.
For FN items, they'll always come with a manufacture's material cert.
Here's an example of the FN supply chain cycle:
FN part (OEM) > End User
Skylink-New-Aircraft-Part
New is a regulatory definition for "...a product, assembly, accessory, component, part or material produced on conformity with approved data that is accompanied by a manufacturer’s material certification at the time of sale, and has no operating time or cycles."
With NE items, the manufacture date can vary. If you need a DOM, it's best to ask when given NE conditions.
New Part > Sold to a Distributor > Sold to another Distributor > The part is still represented as New
Skylink-New-Surplus-Aircraft-Part
New surplus parts can vary from how many people who have had it in there stock to how old they are. There's no definitive guideline.
Typically they're the least costly condition but again, this condition isn't a regulatory definition. NS is great for obsolete items and is a great way to service aging aircraft.
The few guidelines for NS components are:
New Part > Sold to an Airline > Sold to a Distributor > The Part is now represented to the market as New Surplus (NS)
These three classifications are used often. Save this link and refer back to it often. ;)
