First Article Inspection Report Example for Aerospace CNC Machining

I have trained quality engineers who understood the AS9102 standard perfectly in theory but froze when they sat down to build their first real FAI package. They knew Form 1 was product accountability. They knew Form 3 was characteristics. They knew the theory. But they had never seen a complete, populated example from start to finish on a real aerospace part. This first article inspection report example for aerospace CNC machining walks through a complete FAI on a representative aluminum bracket: Form 1 header, Form 2 material and process documentation, and Form 3 with 38 characteristics including dimensions, GD&T, threads, surface finish, and blanket tolerances. Every field is populated. Every decision is explained.

This is not a blank template. We covered the blank template in AS9102 Form 3 Excel template for aerospace. This is the filled-in version with reasoning behind every entry.

First Article Inspection Report Example Aerospace: What We Are Inspecting

For this example, the part is a representative aerospace bracket with these characteristics:

Material: Al 7075-T6 per AMS 4050 (plate)

Drawing standard: ISO 2768mk general tolerances, ISO 1101 GD&T

Sheets: 3 sheets (Sheet 1: general notes and title block. Sheet 2: main geometry with GD&T. Sheet 3: detail views and surface designation.)

Key features: 4 mounting holes (M6x1.0-6H tapped, through), 2 precision bores (8.0 H7), 1 pocket (depth 12.0 +/-0.1), overall dimensions 185 x 92 x 28mm, 3 GD&T callouts (perpendicularity, position, flatness), Class 1 surface designation on mating face.

Drawing general notes: "General tolerances per ISO 2768mk. GD&T per ISO 1101. Break all sharp edges 0.3 to 0.5mm. Surface finish Ra 3.2 unless otherwise specified."

Purchase order requirements: Full AS9102 FAI required. NADCAP-accredited special processing. First article quantity: 3 parts, serial numbers FA-001 through FA-003.

This bracket generates 38 Form 3 characteristics. Here is exactly how to build each form.

BUILDING YOUR FIRST FAIR?

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Form 1: Part Number Accountability

Form 1 is the header. It establishes what part is being inspected and connects the FAI to the drawing, purchase order, and production records.

Common Form 1 mistakes:

Using the wrong drawing revision. If the drawing was revised between quoting and manufacturing, the FAI must reference the revision you actually built the part to.

Not identifying whether it is a detail part or assembly. A bracket machined from a single billet is a detail part. A bracket with press-fit bushings is an assembly and requires additional documentation. We covered the form structure in AS9102 Form 1 vs Form 2 vs Form 3 explained.

Form 2: Material and Special Process Accountability

Form 2 traces the material and every special process back to certifications.

Raw Material Entry

Special Process Entries

Key point: Both surface processes are at the same vendor (common for shops that bundle chemical conversion and anodise). The same NADCAP certificate covers both because they fall under the same "Chemical Processing" commodity. But each process gets its own Form 2 row with its own batch report reference.

We covered Form 2 documentation in detail in AS9102 Form 2 material and process documentation guide and NADCAP requirements in NADCAP special process requirements for AS9102 FAI.

Form 3: Dimensional and Characteristic Accountability

This is where the 38 characteristics live. Here is the complete Form 3, organized by category.

Characteristics 1-4: General Notes (Sheet 1)

Why these matter: Characteristics 1 through 4 are the governing standards. They tell the reviewer which rules were applied to every subsequent characteristic. Omitting them is a common rejection reason. The reviewer sees a tolerance on characteristic 12 and asks: "Where did +/-0.3mm come from?" If characteristic 1 says "ISO 2768mk applied," the answer is instant. We covered this in common AS9102 Form 3 rejection reasons.

Characteristics 5-18: Linear Dimensions (Sheet 2)

Here is a representative selection showing how different dimension sizes get different ISO 2768-m tolerances:

Notice: Characteristics 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 are untoleranced on the drawing. Their tolerances come from ISO 2768-m by size range. The notes column documents the source. Characteristic 8 has an explicit tolerance on the drawing (+/-0.1), so the notes column says "Explicit tolerance." We covered the size-dependent table in ISO 2768mk tolerance table for CNC machining and Form 3 documentation in AS9102 Form 3 for ISO 2768mk drawings.

Most of this example can be generated rather than typed; here is an honest comparison of the first article inspection software that does it.

Characteristics 19-22: Precision Bores (Sheet 2)

Key point: H7 on 8mm nominal means the bore must be between 8.000 and 8.015mm (IT7 = 15 micrometers for the 6-10mm range, fundamental deviation H = 0). The Form 3 shows the expanded limits, not just "H7." We covered fit class expansion in AS9102 Form 3 tolerance source for untoleranced dimensions.

Characteristics 23-26: Tapped Holes (Sheet 2)

Thread expansion: Each tapped hole generates at minimum 2 Form 3 rows: go/no-go verification and thread depth. With 4 identical tapped holes, reporting the worst case across all 4 keeps the Form 3 manageable (2 rows instead of 8) while still verifying all holes. We covered thread expansion in thread callouts on aerospace drawings for FAI.

Characteristics 25-30: GD&T (Sheet 2)

Critical designator on precision bore position: The precision bores (H7 fit class) with positional tolerance are the most functionally critical features on the bracket. They control the mounting alignment. These get "Critical" designator because out-of-tolerance position directly affects the assembly function. We covered true position calculation in true position calculation for aerospace FAI and designator rules in how to assign designators in AS9102 Form 3.

Characteristics 31-35: Sheet 3 Details

Characteristics 31-32: Chamfers and radii use ISO 2768-m Table 2 (looser tolerances than the linear table). A C1 chamfer gets +/-0.2mm (0.8 to 1.2mm range), not +/-0.1mm from the linear table. We covered this in edge break and chamfer requirements on aerospace drawings.

Characteristics 34-35: These come from Sheet 3 only. If the quality engineer stopped at Sheet 2, these would be missing. The surface class designation on the last sheet is the single most commonly missed spec on multi-sheet drawings. We covered this in AS9102 Form 3 for multi-sheet drawings.

Characteristics 36-38: Implied Geometrical Tolerances (ISO 2768-K)

These characteristics exist because the drawing says "ISO 2768mk." The "K" creates implied geometrical tolerances on every feature without an explicit GD&T callout. Whether to include them depends on customer requirements. When in doubt, include them. Over-documenting is always safer. We covered the K-class table (with corrected values) in AS9102 Form 3 for ISO 2768mk drawings.

The Complete Package: What You Submit

The final FAI package for this bracket contains:

Form 1: 1 page (part identification and accountability)

Form 2: 1 page (1 material entry, 2 process entries, with attached mill certificate, NADCAP certificate, and process batch reports)

Form 3: 38 characteristics across 2-3 pages

Ballooned drawing: 3 sheets with balloons 1-38 placed on corresponding features

Supporting documents: Mill certificate, NADCAP certificate copies, process batch reports, CMM report

Total preparation time (estimated): Form 1 (15 min) + Form 2 (45 min including document collection) + Form 3 (3-4 hours including measurement) + Ballooning (45 min) = approximately 5 to 6 hours. We covered the time breakdown in how long does FAI preparation take in aerospace.

Mavlon Pre-Populates the Hardest Part

The most time-consuming step is building the 38-row Form 3 from the drawing: identifying each characteristic, determining the tolerance source, expanding fit classes, applying blanket tolerances by size range, and assigning designators. Mavlon does this automatically. You upload the drawing and receive a pre-populated Form 3 with all 38 characteristics identified, numbered, sourced, and ready for your inspector to fill in the actual measurement values.

Bring Your Drawing to a Demo to get your Form 3 pre-populated like this example.