An aircraft part are articles or components approved for installation on certificated aircraft. Approval for these parts is derived from the jurisdictions of the countries that an aircraft is based. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration oversees the approval for these parts under Federal Aviation Regulation Part 21.
Aircraft parts are produced by manufacturers. FAA approved aircraft and aircraft parts manufacturers are represented by the Aerospace Industries Association (commercial aircraft), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (general aviation aircraft) and Modification and Replacement Parts Association (aircraft parts).
Aircraft parts are sold by distributors. Distributors of aircraft parts are represented by the Aviation Suppliers Association.
Most airlines allow private use of ordinary GPS units on their flights, except during landing and take-off, like all other electronic devices. Portable GPS units do not transmit radio signals like mobile phones; however there is some concern that the local oscillator, used to match the GPS frequency to the internal receiver could cause interference to communications equipment on the aircraft. This is a concern, as stray emissions from GPS units in the aircraft are electronically shielded to prevent the energy from the oscillator from leaking into the equipment. Additionally, some airline companies disallow use of hand-held receivers for security reasons, such as unwillingness to let ordinary passengers track the flight route. On the other extreme, some airlines integrate GPS tracking of the aircraft into their aircraft's seat-back television entertainment systems, available even during takeoff and landing to all passengers..
