Definition
A one-time fee billed for a specific service, setup, or product, as opposed to an ongoing or repeating charge. In aviation contexts, NRCs typically appear on invoices for things like initial equipment installation, certification setup, database loading, or one-off administrative services associated with avionics, training, or facility access.
Plain English
A charge you pay once, not every month or every flight. It covers the cost of getting something started or set up.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation acronym lists, airport paperwork, service agreements, or billing documents; it is not normally a cockpit or radio term.
Derivation
‘Non-recurring’ comes from Latin recurrere, meaning ‘to run back’ or ‘happen again.’ Adding ‘non-’ flips the meaning: it does not happen again. So a non-recurring charge is one that runs only once.
Why Pilots Care
When budgeting for avionics upgrades, training programs, or database subscriptions, knowing which costs are one-time and which repeat helps you forecast the true cost of ownership or operation.
Intuition Check
Do not read NRC here as another organization or a flight operation code. In this context, it simply means a one-time charge.
Example Sentence 1
The avionics shop quoted a $1,200 NRC for the initial setup of the new transponder, plus a monthly subscription for database updates.
Example Sentence 2
The FBO applied an NRC when setting up the new fuel contract.