Aircraft Re-registration Program To Begin in November

BJT's Jeff Wieand reported here in June that the FAA was considering a rule that would require re-registration of all U.S. civil aircraft. Now the agency has formally adopted that rule, which is intended to clear clutter from the aircraft registry and provide more up-to-date information to law enforcement and other agencies. As a result, aircraft owners must begin re-registering their airplanes in a rolling program that will run from November 2010 to December 2013. The first three-month period will be devoted to re-registration only of aircraft whose certificates were issued in March of any year. The next three months will be for aircraft with certificates issued in April and so on. While owners with no changes to their registration will be able to re-register their aircraft online, those with changes will have to apply by mail. Industry experts, including Wieand, are advising owners to submit applications as early as possible in their appropriate window to allow the agency time to process and mail the new registrations, which will have to be renewed every three years.