20. Aero Stores (Materials) Inspection and Quality Assurance

Quality assurance (QA) encompassing inspection, testing, evaluation and certification of an aero store provides the guarantee for reliable performance during its operational usage. QA agencies shoulder the prime responsibility for flight safety. Military aircraft are often required to operate in harsher environments than their civilian counterparts. Hence the quality requirements for military aero stores are stringent. In the development phase the primary role of QA is to detect design deficiencies during qualification testing as part of the airworthiness certification. Further, this Chapter discusses (i) the importance of process control during manufacturing of aero stores and (ii) the critical inspection stages and important check points, spot/surprise checks and quality audits for various materials (aluminium, titanium, nickel-based alloys, special steels and composites).