Overwhelmed starting a new aviation related business

[Newcomer1]

Folks please be patient with me! I will try my best to make a long story short. I am a newly retired from the private aviation business. I used to be pilot, safety pilot, chief pilot then the last 10 years was in different management positions within the aviation industry.
Out of boredom but unfortunately not out of necessity, I started an LLC and registered with the Fed database as aircraft parts & accessories suppliers among a few other things.

My problem is that I am overwhelmed!
I am working from home for now but I?ve been asked if and when will I be ISO 9001:2008, AS9100 certified and whether I can perform First Article Test (AS9102, I believe).

I don?t know now whether I need a hanger with all the testing machines and operated by experts or only paperwork is all I need.

I am still learning the new business and hopefully with the help from this forum, Google search and finally professionals, will get right!:

Thank you,

 

[Jen Kirley]

Welcome to the Cove!

You are in good hands. However, in order to provide meaningful input we will need specifics that we can draw upon requirements in applicable standards for answers. I have some questions to get the conversation started.

1) Will you be manufacturing aircraft parts, or reselling them?

2) Will you be supplier to government? What are your target markets?

3) Will you be offering any service (beyond warranty) for what you sell?

4) Will you involve any customer supplied equipment or specifications?

5) Will you be hiring anyone with any involvement in product or service directly supplied to the customers? If so, what are the positions?

This should get us started. I am sure there will be more questions along the way.

 

[Newcomer1]

Welcome to the Cove!

You are in good hands. However, in order to provide meaningful input we will need specifics that we can draw upon requirements in applicable standards for answers. I have some questions to get the conversation started.

1) Will you be manufacturing aircraft parts, or reselling them? Will be reselling them

2) Will you be supplier to government? What are your target markets? Yes, End-user will be the government

3) Will you be offering any service (beyond warranty) for what you sell? No plan for that yet.

4) Will you involve any customer supplied equipment or specifications? Not beyond the specs that are needed by the Gov

5) Will you be hiring anyone with any involvement in product or service directly supplied to the customers? If so, what are the positions? Not at this time.

This should get us started. I am sure there will be more questions along the way.

Comments in blue above, thanks for your reply,

 

[Jen Kirley]

Okay, so we can start with your contracts, government or otherwise. Do they stipulate registration to any standards?

As a reseller, AS 9120 applies. For what it's worth, I found online links to quality manuals from Aerospace Specification Metals, Inc. and ASC Industries.

Here is also Boeing Quality Management System Requirements for Suppliers - caution, this may be an old link, I saw it dated at 2009.

Again, we start with contracted requirements and whatever specification they cite - are there any ASTM etc. specifications involved? I understand the Mil-STDs of old are being replaced by industry standards.

 

[Newcomer1]

Appreciate the info and I will investigate further. Some of the parts that the government soliciting need to be inspected. Such as First Article Test should be performed by supplier(s).
Where I got that inquiry about ISO 9001 and AS9100? or could be AS9120 is from a major company that works in the aerospace industry and I was presenting the capability trying to get some sub-contract with that particular co. I met the representative at a business meeting and I was asked if I have these certifications.

Thank you,

 

[Wes Bucey]

Appreciate the info and I will investigate further. Some of the parts that the government soliciting need to be inspected. Such as First Article Test should be performed by supplier(s).
Where I got that inquiry about ISO 9001 and AS9100? or could be AS9120 is from a major company that works in the aerospace industry and I was presenting the capability trying to get some sub-contract with that particular co. I met the representative at a business meeting and I was asked if I have these certifications.

Thank you,

Sometimes, definitions of suppliers and dealers get confused with manufacturers. In most usage, ONLY manufacturers are required to conduct a First Article Inspection (FAI). If you are supplying off-the-shelf products from manufacturers, that's been done by them. It is hardly ever a requirement to request or require a copy of the FAI for an off-the-shelf item, BUT it may require a copy of the FAA approval for that particular manufacturer to make it. If you are contracting with manufacturers to make "custom" parts to specifications from you or your customers, THEN you might require that manufacturer to supply an FAI.

Welcome to the world of business! It can seem overwhelming, but it really is like "eating a whole elephant" - one bite at a time! Don't panic. If push comes to shove, the SBA (Small Business Administration) can steer you to an appropriate member of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) to help you out.

 

[Jen Kirley]

Wes makes good points. I am not familiar enough with the AS 9120 standard to know details about who is responsible for which inspection and at what point. I do expect a government contract to include requirements like inspection. Have you had a chance to review any contract solicitations yet?

At this early stage I do not want to rush forward into an AS 9120 certification (is it really required?) but AS9120.info has some guidance. I am not affiliated with the site's owner, Electronic Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. Buyer beware! There are shady outfits who claim to certify a company without a visit and are not accredited with industry accepted bodies. If you ask, we may be able to help you steer clear of them.

If you need in-person help there may be a Cover in your area who can assist. I agree with the SCORE idea, and your state's Department of Labor may have additional help available.

 

[dsanabria]

Folks please be patient with me! I will try my best to make a long story short. <snip>

Each one of the suggestions given are excellent...

I wish I had such excellent guiidance when I started.

Anyway to your excellent situation... Not sure where you are located but a good source to talk to is (This is not an endorsement or a selling a company) NIST - they are located in every state in USA not sure if you are located in USA or another country. NIST is usually affiliated with local organizations and they are a great asset.

As far as registering for AS9120 (which you do qualify) and FAIR per AS9120 - the company that is manufacturing the product should be able to provide that for you or you could contract that out to a qualified individual to do so... there are a lot of seasoned veterans in the field that would love to see you succeed.

Let us know if you need additional information.


Welcome...

 

[Big Jim]

Folks please be patient with me! I will try my best to make a long story short. I am a newly retired from the private aviation business. I used to be pilot, safety pilot, chief pilot then the last 10 years was in different management positions within the aviation industry.
Out of boredom but unfortunately not out of necessity, I started an LLC and registered with the Fed database as aircraft parts & accessories suppliers among a few other things.

My problem is that I am overwhelmed!
I am working from home for now but I?ve been asked if and when will I be ISO 9001:2008, AS9100 certified and whether I can perform First Article Test (AS9102, I believe).

I don?t know now whether I need a hanger with all the testing machines and operated by experts or only paperwork is all I need.

I am still learning the new business and hopefully with the help from this forum, Google search and finally professionals, will get right!:

Thank you,

You have had excellent advice. I wish to comment only on a couple of topics. First is about First Article. AS9100 requires that you do first article inspection on a representative sample of the first production run. What is required in AS9100 is not as deeply detailed as what is required in AS9102. Make sure you are aware of what your customer is asking for. If they are after first article per AS9100, you don't need to jump in with the rest of what AS9102 requires.

I agree with others that AS9120 is probably the standard you want to pursue as an aerospace distributorship. You should be aware the first article is excluded from AS9120. If a customer wants first article, since you are not the manufacturer, you will probably need to seek it from the manufacturer.

May I suggest you get a copy of AS9120A (the current version) and become familiar with it. It would not hurt to get a copy of AS9100C as well for comparison. Distributorships can seek registration to either standard, but it seldom makes sense to go after AS9100.

 

[Newcomer1]

Thank you all for the excellent advices/comments. Yes the company is registered in the US and seeking to supply aircraft parts to the US government such as DLA, Navy and Air force.

I remember a couple months ago that DLA wanted a quantity of 400 of xyz that should be shipped to them within 260 days after the contract was signed. Then they required a separate quote for the First Article Test (qyt.=1) within 90 days.

The manufacturer gave a quote for 401 and informed me that I should perform the test in our facility. That when I realized things are not as easy as I thought. I spoke with one supplier about FAT and she told me," we outsource it" and she sells only parts from 2 particular companies.

I am going to seek some help from the organizations that you guys provided and I believe that more study and investigation are needed before submitting any bid to the Gov.

Thank you all for the support and I am sure that I will be back asking questions