Replacement Parts

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Why should I use factory original parts? 

The quick answer is FAA regulations.  Ok, the regulations require that only FAA approved parts may be used to repair FAA type certificate aircraft.  If you do not use FAA approved parts your aircraft would technically be “UNAIRWORTHY”.

But let’s look at the rest of the story!
There are also regulations that the aircraft manufacturer must comply with in order to produce their product, components and replacement parts.  These regulations involve the design of, engineering of, manufacture of, and inspection of the items that they produce and sell as replacement parts.  A part cannot be signed off and sold as an FAA approved part unless every regulation that pertains to each of the steps listed above is met.  The ultimate goal of all these regulations is the safety of the persons on board the aircraft and persons and property of the ground.  This is not just the purpose of the FAA it is also one of our goals as a manufacturer.  Over the last 40+ years we have striven to build the highest quality and safest hot air balloons available, and that continues with the replacement parts we supply for your balloon.

One of the best examples of our dedication to producing the best part for the application is one of our smallest parts, the blast valve o-ring.  In the early days of hot air ballooning into the early 1980’s every pilot was familiar with a leaking blast valve.  Flights in colder weather or other conditions regularly produced this event that often resulted in a leaking valve stem.  Raven now Aerostar was not satisfied with possibility.  Our engineers spent countless hours looking at the composition, sizing, manufacturing and quality control of this one small piece of our systems and ultimately redesigned this item.  The problem of blast valve o-ring failure was virtually eliminated with the new improved o-ring.  That o-ring is still produced and inspected to those tight tolerances.  Less than 1% of the blast valve o-rings that we receive are discarded because they do not meet our standards.  Each o-ring is weighed and inspected individually to insure that it meets our strict standards. 

The same commitment and dedication go into each part that we produce, certify and sell as a replacement part for your Aerostar/Raven hot air balloon.  Why would you want to settle for anything less then factory parts?  The safety of you, your crew and your passengers is paramount to us, shouldn’t it to you as well.  Make sure that your Aerostar/Raven balloon is serviced with original factory parts.