Re-Registration and Renewal of Aircraft Registration

This final rule amends the FAA's regulations concerning aircraft registration. Over a 3-year period, this rule will terminate the registration of all aircraft registered before October 1, 2010, and will require the re-registration of each aircraft to retain U.S. civil aircraft status. These amendments also establish a system for a 3-year recurrent expiration and renewal of registration for all aircraft issued registration certificates on or after October 1, 2010. This final rule amends the FAA's regulations to provide standards for the timely cancellation of registration numbers (N-numbers) for unregistered aircraft. This final rule makes other minor changes to establish consistency and ensure the regulations conform to statute or current Registry practices. These amendments will improve the accuracy of the Civil Aviation Registry database and will ensure that aircraft owners provide information to maintain accurate registration records. These amendments respond to the concerns of law enforcement and other government agencies to provide more accurate, up-to-date aircraft registration information.