Build AS9102 Rev C FAIRs for aerospace programs with auto-ballooning, GD&T capture, CMM import, and validation that catches rejections before your customer does.
The hard part is keeping the drawing, the characteristics, the results, and the objective evidence aligned through every revision, every special process, and every customer template. GroundControl keeps all four in one workflow.
Everything a first article package needs, from the ballooned print to the export your customer accepts.
Generate part, product, and characteristic accountability for Forms 1-3 without retyping anything twice. Forms stay linked to the drawing revision they were built from.
Upload a 2D PDF and extract dimensions, notes, and callouts automatically. Balloon numbering holds when a drawing revises, so you are not rebuilding a FAIR from scratch every ECN.
Capture ASME Y14.5 feature control frames, datum references, and limit tolerances as structured GD&T characteristics rather than free text.
Map results from PC-DMIS, Calypso, Verisurf, PolyWorks, and CSV or Excel exports directly onto ballooned features. Hardware from Hexagon, Zeiss, and Mitutoyo is supported through the same import path.
and more...
Attach material certs, special process certs, and test reports to the records they support. Export to AS9102, Net-Inspect, Excel, or a customer-specific template.
AS9102 is the SAE standard that defines first article inspection requirements for aerospace. The current revision is AS9102C, which specifies three forms that together prove every design characteristic on a part was verified against released engineering data, with objective evidence linked to each result.
Identifies the part, ties the FAIR to a specific drawing revision, records whether the FAI is full or partial and why, and accounts for every item on the bill of material including sub-assemblies and standard catalog hardware.
Covers raw material with heat and lot traceability, special processes performed by approved sources, standard catalog and COTS items, and functional testing. This is where Nadcap-accredited special process evidence lands.
Lists every ballooned characteristic with its requirement, the measured result, the method or gauge used, the inspector, and any nonconformance reference.
If you want the field-by-field walkthrough, we wrote one: how to actually fill out an AS9102.
There is also a free AS9102C Excel template and FAI checklist with no form fill.
A new or partial first article inspection is required whenever a change could invalidate the results of the original FAI. AS9102 frames this as characteristics being invalidated or not represented by the previous inspection, and it requires a documented change management process to make that call.
A full FAI covers every characteristic. A partial FAI covers only the characteristics affected by the change, and you document which ones and why. Some primes restrict this so be sure to read the clause on the purchase order before you decide.
New to the purchase order side of this? Start with our introduction to aerospace ordering and PO review.
GroundControl removes the transcription work and keeps every requirement linked to the evidence that satisfies it. Your engineers still decide what is critical and how to interpret intent.
For the mechanics of the ballooning engine, see first article inspection software. For flowdown and SCAR workflows across your sub-tiers, see supplier quality management software.
Documentation failures
Most FAI rejections are documentation failures, not part failures. The part is usually good. The package cannot prove it.
Missing characteristics or unballooned drawing notes
Incorrect or missing special process documentation, or a process performed by a source the customer has not approved
Wrong revision level or a configuration mismatch between the FAIR and the released drawing
Form errors: wrong part numbers, missing signatures, transposed tolerances
Missing supporting evidence such as material certs, CMM reports, or test results
We broke these down with examples in the top five reasons for an FAI rejection. If ballooning is where things go wrong for your team, title block red flags is the one to read first.
Mass Precision · precision metal fabrication, multi-site across the US, Mexico, and Malaysia
Mass Precision moved off software that produced enough errors to trigger a formal corrective action. After switching, they onboarded 40 users across two languages, more than doubled monthly FAIR output, and have had zero rejections.
“GroundControl is a very easy to use software! The implementation has been great, and the whole team has had no issues using GroundControl and we really appreciate the product. It's really helped us out.”
See how GroundControl reduces rework and improves first-pass acceptance.
Common questions from aerospace quality teams evaluating AS9102 FAIR workflows.
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