Import Components

In FlightLogger Maintenance, a component is more than a stock item. A component can represent an installed aircraft part, a tracked assembly, a sub-component, or a physical serialized item that moves between stock, workshop, and aircraft installation.

Because of this, component onboarding normally involves more than one step.

At the time of writing, component data is not imported through a single dedicated component import file. Instead, the relevant data is prepared through inventory and serialized item import first, and component installation or placement is then handled in the component workflow.

What a component is

A component in FlightLogger Maintenance represents something that can be tracked in relation to an aircraft, another component, stock, or workshop activity.

A component can be:

installed on an aircraft
installed on another component
kept on stock
moved to a location
removed to workshop
marked as approved or sent on
linked to a serialized inventory item
tracked with installation history

This makes components different from ordinary inventory items.

An inventory item describes what the part is.
A serialized item describes a specific physical unit.
A component describes how that unit is managed and placed in the maintenance structure.

Before importing component-related data

Before you prepare component data, make sure the basic records exist.

You should normally have:

aircraft created
aircraft models created, if relevant
inventory items created
serialized items created for serial-tracked parts
locations created
stock or serialized inventory validated
relevant part numbers and serial numbers cleaned
installation positions reviewed
ATA positions reviewed, if used by your organisation

If these records are missing, component setup becomes harder to validate.

Recommended onboarding approach

The recommended approach is:

Import or create inventory items.
Import or create serialized items.
Validate part numbers and serial numbers.
Validate locations and stock status.
Create components.
Link components to serialized items where relevant.
Install components on aircraft or on parent components.
Review component placement and installation history.

This approach helps separate physical inventory onboarding from maintenance structure setup.

Step 1: Prepare inventory items

Start by making sure the relevant inventory items exist.

An inventory item should include the core part information, such as:

part number
description
item type
unit of measure
category
serial tracking requirement
stock levels, if used
aircraft model compatibility, if relevant

If the part must be tracked individually by serial number, the inventory item must require serial tracking before serialized items can be imported correctly.

Step 2: Prepare serialized items

For physical components that must be tracked individually, import or create serialized items.

Serialized items can include:

part number
manufacturer serial number
location
condition
manufacturer batch number
manufacturing date
received date
current cost
notes
life tracking values such as TSN, TSO, CSN, and CSO

Serialized item import validates that the related inventory item exists and requires serial tracking. If the inventory item does not require serial tracking, the serialized item row will fail validation.

This is important because components are often linked to serialized items. The serialized item represents the physical unit, while the component represents its placement and maintenance context.

Step 3: Validate serial numbers

Before creating components, validate serial numbers carefully.

Manufacturer serial numbers must be unique within the account. Duplicate serial numbers can create confusion when linking components, recording installation history, or tracking removals.

Review:

missing serial numbers
duplicate serial numbers
placeholder serial numbers
inconsistent serial number formatting
serial numbers attached to the wrong part number

This step is especially important when data comes from an older system.

Step 4: Create components

Once inventory and serialized items are ready, components can be created.

A component can include:

name
component type
linked serialized item
state
placement
position
ATA position

The linked serialized item is optional. This allows a component to represent a structural position or assembly even when there is no specific serialized inventory unit linked yet.

For example, a component may represent an engine position, while installed serialized items or sub-components are tracked under it.

Step 5: Link components to serialized items

When a component represents a specific physical unit, link it to the relevant serialized item.

Only serialized items that belong to the account and are in a linkable status can be attached. FlightLogger Maintenance prevents invalid or cross-account serialized items from being linked.

This helps ensure that component records are tied to valid inventory records.

Step 6: Install components

Components can be installed on:

an aircraft
another component

When installing a component, you can record placement information such as position and ATA position.

For example:

Engine 1
Left main gear
Propeller
ATA 72-00-00

Installation creates installation history, which helps track where the component has been installed over time.

Components installed on other components

Components can be arranged in a hierarchy.

For example, an engine may be installed on an aircraft, and sub-components may be installed on the engine.

FlightLogger Maintenance prevents placement cycles, so a component cannot be installed on itself or on one of its own descendants.

This protects the component structure from invalid hierarchies.

Component states

Components can have different states, including:

serviceable
in maintenance
pending verification
scrapped

A component with sub-components can also have an effective state based on the state of its descendants.

For example, if a sub-component is not serviceable, the parent component’s effective state may reflect that condition.

Moving components on stock

A component that is not installed can be moved to a stock location.

If the component is linked to a serialized item, FlightLogger Maintenance can keep the component location and serialized item location aligned, unless the serialized item is in a restricted status such as scrapped or lost.

This helps keep physical stock location and component placement consistent.

Removing components

When a component is removed from an aircraft or another component, it can be moved to a new placement status.

A removed component can be:

returned to stock
moved to workshop
marked as approved or sent on

If the component is moved to workshop, it can be associated with a work order.

Removal also closes the current installation period, so the component history shows when the installation ended.

What should not be treated as component import

Do not treat a simple item import as a full component import.

Importing an inventory item does not automatically mean that the component is installed on an aircraft.

Importing a serialized item does not automatically mean that the component structure is complete.

A complete component setup may require additional review and placement after inventory import.

Best practice

Before creating or importing component-related data, prepare a component onboarding sheet outside the system.

The sheet should include:

aircraft registration
parent component, if relevant
component name
component type
part number
serial number
current location
current installation position
ATA position
current state
notes or historical references

Then use the relevant import tools to create inventory and serialized item data first.

After that, create and install components in FlightLogger Maintenance based on the validated structure.

Validation checklist

Before considering component onboarding complete, check that:

all relevant aircraft exist
all required inventory items exist
serial-tracked items are configured correctly
serialized items have valid serial numbers
serialized items are linked to the correct inventory items
component names are understandable
component types are consistent
installed components are placed on the correct aircraft or parent component
positions and ATA positions are correct
removed components have the correct stock or workshop placement
component history reflects the intended structure

Summary

Component onboarding is a staged process.

Inventory import creates the parts and serialized units. Component setup defines where those units belong in the aircraft and maintenance structure.

For accurate component tracking, import and validate inventory data first, then create, link, and install components through the component workflow.