FAA Re-Registration Rules, Clarified

If you own an aircraft, you will have to re-register it sometime over the next three years, and last week the FAA issued a clarification (PDF) to help some of those owners who are starting the process now. The FAA says it has sent out re-registration notices to owners of aircraft that were registered in March of any year. Those owners can go ahead and re-register now, but the new registration will expire three years from the last day of the month it’s issued. So if you register in October, the registration will expire October 31, 2013. If you want the new registration to last until March 31, 2014, you should wait until March 2011 to complete your paperwork. Also, this week, EAA posted a “simple guide” to the new registration form online.

If you own an aircraft, you will have to re-register it sometime over the next three years, and last week the FAA issued a clarification (PDF) to help some of those owners who are starting the process now. The FAA says it has sent out re-registration notices to owners of aircraft that were registered in March of any year. Those owners can go ahead and re-register now, but the new registration will expire three years from the last day of the month it's issued. So if you register in October, the registration will expire October 31, 2013. If you want the new registration to last until March 31, 2014, you should wait until March 2011 to complete your paperwork. Also, this week, EAA posted a "simple guide" to the new registration form online.

"Feedback we've received thus far has reinforced our experience that the re-registration process can be accomplished in as little as five to ten minutes," EAA said. The process can be completed online or through the mail. Also, those who want more help can call EAA for a walk-through, at no charge. For more details about the new procedures, click here for the FAA's explanation and its schedule for re-registration deadlines, and click here for AOPA's analysis.