What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Warning: Aircraft Certification

MED

Well Known Member
You might think using the EAA guide for registering and certifying your plane will avoid all issues - wrong. It turns out, the FAA has only a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the English language, and cannot agree that John Q. Public and Public, John Q. give EXACTLY the same information except for format. So, according to my local FSDO, if I want my name on the aircraft data plate to read First MI. Last, it needs to be listed that way as Builder. Bottom Line: Despite immediate access to a replacement data plate, one-day turn-around by a vendor capable of engraving the required stainless steel data plate, and U.S. Mail Priority shipment both ways (don't get me started), my aircraft was GROUNDED for over 10 days despite an otherwise successful airworthiness inspection. :mad:
 
If it is any consolation, you aren't the first builder to be bitten by this. I have a spare data plate for N1879B sitting on my shelf for the same reason.
 
As a DAR

I carry an electric engraving pen and spare data plates. I recommend short names for builders and planes.
I also tell applicants to reverse the fancy data plate and engrave on the back of it the only required info:
Make
Model
Serial

Just as it is listed on www.faa.gov under your n number record.
 
You might think using the EAA guide for registering and certifying your plane will avoid all issues - wrong. It turns out, the FAA has only a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the English language, and cannot agree that John Q. Public and Public, John Q. give EXACTLY the same information except for format. So, according to my local FSDO, if I want my name on the aircraft data plate to read First MI. Last, it needs to be listed that way as Builder. Bottom Line: Despite immediate access to a replacement data plate, one-day turn-around by a vendor capable of engraving the required stainless steel data plate, and U.S. Mail Priority shipment both ways (don't get me started), my aircraft was GROUNDED for over 10 days despite an otherwise successful airworthiness inspection. :mad:

This has been the case for a long time...it is unfortunate your DAR did not stress previous to your inspection the importance of registration and data plate being an exact match.
 
Unfortunately it's whatever the inspector wants. I submitted my entire packet perfectly completed, only to have the FAA inspector redo all of my paperwork. Fortunately he typed it up for me, but it still caused a huge delay and was very frustrating. it took me about 3 months from the time I called to the time I got my certificate (this was during the government shut down over a month, which played a big part)

It will get done. Just be polite and respectful. There is nothing else you can do about it, as frustrating as that is.
 
If it helps, we have the same problem up here in Canada. It's all gotta match when you submit the paperwork.
 
I stress this issue (among others) with every builder I work with. I tell them both verbally and in writing that the form AND format of the builder name (and all other info) on the data plate must match the info shown on the registration certificate EXACTLY. And I still have to have builders redo the data plate every now and then. We, the inspectors, can't help it. We are specifically directed to require these things to match exactly. The FAA and DOT lawyers have decided that's the way it has to be, so just be aware and get it right. Forewarned is forearmed.
 
I submitted the *paperwork* to the FAA (whatever form it is, I don't recall) using "Lastname, Firstname". Had the dataplate all made up to match and everything.

Guess what I got back on the completed paperwork? Yep..."Firstname Lastname". Someone at the FAA decided, for whatever reason, to reorder the name.

I didn't mind it, and sorta prefer it, but if you're going to make a rule and insist on absolutely never deviating from the ironclad boundaries of it, then don't *decide on your own* to monkey around with what people submit :).
 
I waited until I had the registration in hand to complete the AW paperwork and dataplate. That way if there were any minor (acceptable to me) errors, I could just duplicate that error on everything else. Everything matches exactly.
 
I waited until I had the registration in hand to complete the AW paperwork and dataplate. That way if there were any minor (acceptable to me) errors, I could just duplicate that error on everything else. Everything matches exactly.

Bingo! That?s exactly how I do it. Frankly, I care not if there is a period after my middle initial or not.....but the FAA does, so I do the dataplate and AW certificate passed on whatever comes back from OKC on the registration.

Paul
 
Data Plate

I did a crude redo of my data plate only to find that my DAR didn't seem to care about the order of the first and last names. 50 years ago nobody cared. The world is such a better place now that this is clearly defined.
If you believe that I have a story about Max who should have been named Mal.
 
Bingo! That?s exactly how I do it. Frankly, I care not if there is a period after my middle initial or not.....but the FAA does, so I do the dataplate and AW certificate passed on whatever comes back from OKC on the registration.

Paul

I'm glad I did, otherwise I probably would have put the period and upper/lower case mix on the data plate. Registration came back all caps and no period, so that is how it went on the data plate.
 
Back
Top