Aircraft that were registered in the month of April of any year must be re-registered before the end of June. Re-registration applications for this group of aircraft will have to be submitted to the FAA by mail because the online registration window has already closed.
AOPA encourages these owners to mail the re-registration application as soon as possible so that they receive their new registration certificate before the end of the month. The aircraft will not be legal to fly after June 30 until the new certificate arrives.
“The aircraft registry in Oklahoma City is currently running a 20 business day backlog, so any submissions must be made quickly in order to avoid the aircraft being grounded,” said Rob Hackman, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs.
The FAA moved to a three-year aircraft re-registration system in an effort to “improve the accuracy of the Civil Aviation Registry database.” Up to one-third of 357,000 aircraft records are inaccurate, the FAA said. Aircraft owners should check their aircraft registration information online to make sure the FAA has up-to-date information, including the address. The FAA uses the information in its registry to contact pilots of the upcoming registration windows.
AOPA members who have questions about the re-registration process can call the Pilot Information Center (800/USA-AOPA) for help or contact AOPA partner AIC Title Service to have the company complete the process.
May re-registration
window open
Pilots whose aircraft were registered in May can get a head start on the re-registration process. The window for re-registering is open for this group through July 31 to allow for the processing and delivery of the new certificate before the current one expires. For this group, the new registration certificate must be in hand by Sept. 30. After that, the aircraft will be grounded until the new certificate arrives.
The fastest way to re-register is to visit the FAA’s website and enter the N number and re-registration code to begin the process. Paper renewal is also accepted, but the agency prefers online submissions.
For a chart of the aircraft re-registration schedule, see AOPA’s regulatory brief.
