What Are FAA PMA Parts and Why Do They Matter for Aviation Maintenance?

The Basics of FAA PMA Parts 

In their most basic form, Parts Manufacturer Approval parts are components manufactured by a company that is not the original equipment manufacturer, such products having been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for installation of type-certified products and aircraft systems. To ensure their airworthiness, the FAA carefully reviews any product before approval, ensuring that it meets all form, fit, and function requirements to perform identically or better to their OEM equivalents. The purpose of PMA part production is often centered in expanding the available supply of various aviation components to combat market constraint and foster competition, all while maintaining the highest safety and regulatory standards. 

How the FAA PMA Approval Process Works 

The approval process for PMA parts is intentionally rigorous, ensuring that any proposed components fully meet or exceed established safety benchmarks set by the original product options. Therefore, such status is granted only after a manufacturer can demonstrate compliance with applicable regulations and quality standards. While processes may vary, the basic elements of PMA approval includes the review of: 

• Design Approval Methods: Manufacturers seeking approval will have to prove product equivalency with OEM products through identicality checks, licensing agreements, or test and computation methods that verify performance and structural integrity. 

• Production Quality Systems: Approved manufacturers will need to show that they maintain an FAA-audited quality system for governing manufacturing, inspection, testing, and corrective actions. 

• Airworthiness Compliance: Proposed parts will be verified against all applicable airworthiness requirements for the aircraft type, system, and installation environment they are to be used in. 

• Identification and Traceability: Every approved component must be properly marked and traceable back to its production source, being fully supported by compliant certification documentation. 

Once approved, these components can be listed and sold through any FAA PMA parts list or procurement platform, allowing buyers and maintenance professionals to secure products of need while having an easy means of verifying approval status and applicability. 

Why PMA Parts Are Quickly Gaining Market Adoption 

In recent years, PMA parts have transitioned from niche alternatives to widely accepted solutions across commercial, regional, and business aviation sectors alike. This shift has largely been driven by a range of emerging supply chain realistings and evolving market constraints, including: 

• Rising OEM Supply Constraints: An increased rate of global production delays, a discontinuance of legacy system parts, and extended lead times in the face of supply chain constraints have all made OEM-only sourcing more impractical for many maintenance needs. 

• Rising Cost Pressures: Aircraft operators are facing increasing pressure to control maintenance costs without compromising safety or compliance, driving the popularity of PMA parts as a cheaper alternative. 

• Fleet Aging Trends: Older aircraft platforms often experience reduced OEM support as manufacturing ceases or companies go defunct, often making PMA parts essential for long-term sustainment. 

• Regulatory Confidence: The strengthening of FAA oversight and transparent approval processes over decades has greatly improved industry trust in PMA options and bolstered their general desirability. 

The Benefits of Using PMA Parts for Maintenance 

PMA items offer a number of tangible benefits that can appeal to procurement professionals and maintenance planners alike, helping organizations remain agile in a highly competitive and resource-constrained environment. If you are considering whether or not to utilize PMA options for your procurement strategies, consider the following advantages: 

• Cost Efficiency: These items often provide substantial savings when compared to OEM pricing, potentially freeing up budget resources for other maintenance priorities. 

• Improved Availability: Multiple manufacturers may produce the same component with FAA approval, increasing market availability and reducing dependency on single-source supply chains. 

• Equivalent Performance: PMA components must demonstrate functional equivalence to their OEM alternatives for approval, with many manufacturers even going so far as to incorporate design improvements that address known wear or reliability issues. 

These advantages and others make PMA parts search activities a core element of modern aviation procurement strategies. 

How to Conduct an Effective Search 

Successfully sourcing PMA parts is a straightforward process that requires buyers to identify suitable OEM alternatives from a dependable source. As you are crafting your strategy for fulfillment, consider the following best practices: 

• Cross-Reference Part Numbers: Before making any purchase, always confirm that the PMA part numbers you are searching for align with the OEM options that are approved for the intended aircraft and system. 

• Verify Approval Scope: Ensure the approval for any item explicitly covers the type-certified product and application it will be used in, as this will guarantee that the PMA part can be installed and used. 

• Review Certification Documentation: It is important to validate any traceability records, certificates of conformity, and approval markings before an investment is made.

Buy Aircraft Avionics: Your Trusted Source for PMA Part Fulfillment 

For organizations seeking the most dependable procurement options for FAA PMA parts, there is no better option than Buy Aircraft Avionics, an ASAP Semiconductor purchasing platform for aviation fulfillment. On our website, we provide access to billions of unique product options that trace back to leading manufacturers across the globe, all featured items being ready for purchase today with competitive pricing and quality assurance. We understand that time is of the essence for maintenance, our industry experts working closely with each customer to streamline quotation and fulfillment. To get in touch and discuss PMA parts of need, simply give us a call or email, or you can utilize our convenient online Request for Quote (RFQ) service to kick off the purchasing process as you see fit.