Definition
The individual components that make up an aircraft, including the airframe, powerplant, propeller, landing gear, flight controls, instruments, and supporting systems. In FAA usage, the term refers to the physical items installed on or fitted to an aircraft, each of which is subject to certification, maintenance, and airworthiness requirements.
Plain English
All the physical pieces that an aircraft is built from — the body, engine, propeller, wheels, controls, instruments, and everything else attached to make it work.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA discussions about aircraft design, maintenance, approval, and safety oversight.
Why Pilots Care
Only approved parts may be installed on a certificated aircraft. Using unapproved or improperly documented parts can render the aircraft unairworthy, even if it appears to function normally. Pilots and owners share responsibility for ensuring parts installed on their aircraft meet FAA requirements.
Intuition Check
Do not read aircraft parts as just any loose item near an airplane. Here it means pieces that make up the aircraft or are allowed to be installed on it.
Example Sentence 1
Before signing off the annual inspection, the mechanic verified that all replacement aircraft parts had proper documentation.
Example Sentence 2
Before flight, the pilot verified that all installed aircraft parts had proper documentation and approval.