The term "As Removed" or "AR" may seem to indicate that an aircraft component is in the same condition as it was when it was removed from an aircraft but, this is not always the case. In addition, it appears that some people in the aviation industry have altered the term "As Removed" to include some sort of implication that a particular unit was "working when removed". Obviously, there is a distinct difference in the definition and meaning of the actual statements "As Removed" and "working when removed".

The FAA describes parts of an unknown condition as "As Is". (Advisory Circular 20-62E). At some point in time, "As Removed" became an industry standard term in place of "As Is". Although the exact origin of the term "AR" is unknown, it may have originated from the fact that "As Is" implies some sort of "take it or leave it" or "you get what you get" situation. In some cases, units represented as "AR" may include documentation stating that the parts were removed from a particular aircraft and that they were not subject to an incident related aircraft. Although parts form these sources may be more reliable in some way or represented otherwise, they are still considered "As Is" or "As Removed" with an unknown condition. In all cases, these parts cannot be considered airworthy until they are deemed airworthy via an approved maintenance procedure by an authorized repair station.