The billowing cloud of volcanic ash spewing from Iceland may have been a major pain for air travel, but it also had a positive side. It served up a gentle reminder for me to find out what the heck is going on with AS9100 certification.

Faster than I could say Eyjafjallajökull, I was on the phone with Timothy Lee of Boeing Co. for the latest details on when an estimated 10,000 AS9100 certificate holders may begin upgrading their certifications to the latest edition of the space, defense, and aviation quality requirements.

Third-party certification to Revision “C” of the standard was initially anticipated to get underway last fall, but was subsequently delayed until April 30 as a companion checklist intended for third-party auditors took longer to publish than expected. Lee says he considers the new document to be a companion assessment standard since it addresses quality management system requirements in addition to containing significantly revised reporting requirements. The launch was delayed a little longer to complete a third-party auditor “reauthentication” initiative.

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