The aviation parts industry uses abbreviations and terminology to designate and describe the status or condition for a component. They usually apply to finished goods or complete assemblies.

It should be noted that these conditions and descriptions can be misused at times and parts misrepresented for sales and marketing purposes. There are legitimate, documentable methods for properly representing the condition of a part in the aviation industry. Many descriptions follow specific regulatory agency guidelines. Therefore, this article is not intended to address every condition scenario or status for describing a part. However, it will describe the following condition codes - NE, AR, SV, OH - which are more or less universally accepted by legitimate entities in the aviation industry.

NE

Abbreviation for "New". The word "new" can carry different meanings and implications. In sales, statements such as "looks like new" or "like new" may be used to describe something. However, in aviation, truly "New" parts will be accompanied with substantiating documents such as Certificate of Conformance or FAA Form 8130 in addition to the item appearing to be unused. The abbreviation "FN" or Factory New is used by some in the industry. Ultimately, it should imply the same details as condition NE. That is, the part is in the same condition as it was manufactured, packaged, shipped and received from the original manufacturer (i.e. factory).

New Surplus or "NS" condition is used by some to represent what they believe to be New, unused parts. For the most part, New Surplus is a trade term that is not officially recognized by most if not all regulatory agencies. Likewise, New Surplus is a loosely used term by some parts suppliers to describe items that may visually appear to be new and unused but have no documentation or certification to support the claim. Therefore, in most cases where items do not have traceability or proof of condition, such items should be considered "As Removed" (more to follow in relation to this condition).

OH

The FAA describes OH as "Overhauled". This describes an airframe, engine, or component part using methods, techniques, and practices which has undergone the following: (1) disassembled, cleaned, inspected, repaired when necessary, and reassembled to the extent possible, (2) tested in accordance with approved standards and technical data (i.e., manufacturer's data). This is a condensed description of the FAA guidelines relating to "Overhauled".

OH, Overhauled, OHC and Overhauled Condition are widely used and are defined in different ways depending on the sector of aviation. Most broadly, overhauling a part refers to the inspection and cleaning as defined by Federal Air Regulation Part 43.2. The FAA mandates that certified repair stations not only follow any prescribed overhaul procedures specified in a component maintenance manual but also inspect and verify that all mandatory service bulletins and airworthiness directives are complied with if applicable. In addition, when certifying a unit as overhauled, the repair station must verify and validate that all modifications and/or service bulletins marked on the mod chart or dataplate of the unit are incorporated in the unit. Likewise, most repair stations improve cosmetics and overall appearances of unit they may be certifying as overhauled since this is often included in the cleaning and inspection procedures.

Like other conditions, OH is sometimes used as a means to enhance a parts advertisement's sales or marketing potential. That is, someone may simply make a unit appear to be overhauled by cosmetically improving the outside of the unit while the aspects of a true overhaul (inspection, disassembly, cleaning, etc.) may have not been performed internally.

SV

SV or SVC is an abbreviation for "Serviceable". Over the years, the aviation industry adapted the trade term Serviceable to imply the general functional condition of a unit. For sales purposes, Serviceable, more or less, differentiates between Overhauled parts and all other non-New parts that still include a Return to Service or Maintenance Release. The most common are the FAA Form 8130 and EASA Form 1. On these forms, Serviceable is usually indicated as "Inspected", "Repaired", or "Modified". All of these terms imply that some type of inspection or test was performed at the very least. In addition, the work was performed according to a documented, up-to-date procedure in regulatory agency approved technical publication(s) or data. The approved publication or data is indicated on the Return to Service or Release document.

Other statements may be encountered that imply serviceability such as "Serviceable When Removed", "Removed Serviceable" and "Working When Removed". These are trade terms not recognized by most regulatory agencies. They should simply be considered a general statement of opinion until specific test and inspection procedures are performed by an approved source.

Special Note: In reference to NE, OH and SV certified parts, other factors should be considered such as the date of certification, storage environment, and shelf life. These factors can ultimately affect the serviceability and functionality of a part also.)

AR

An abbreviation for "As Removed". Most likely, the introduction and usage of this term was meant to describe the condition of a component at the time it was removed from the aircraft for a certain reason. Over the years, AR condition has become a catch-all status for any used part that does not include a Maintenance Release or Return to Service document. This could include parts represented as Repairable (RP), parts known to be defective at time of removal from the aircraft, parts that were partially or unsuccessfully repaired, parts not able to be economically repaired and even cannibalized parts in some cases. However, most legitimate parts sources use the AR term to describe a part that was removed from an airworthy aircraft in an economically repairable condition. When a part has been deemed uneconomical to repair compared to the cost of a functional replacement then the term "Beyond Economical Repair" (BER) is often used. Ultimately, it is recommended that buyers of parts should consider the term As Removed to represent a part with an unknown condition or functional status.

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