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Strange registration certificate - maybe a mistake?

Draker

Well Known Member
Good news is that my registration certificate has been issued! One step closer to flying. The strange bit is that unlike every other RV registration I've seen, where the manufacturer is the builder's name, mine appears to list the manufacturer as VANS AIRCRAFT INC. This doesn't seem correct. I know I filled out the paperwork exactly as the EAA registration kit specifies, and have the copies to prove it.

Any DAR care to comment? Should I expect to encounter problems down the line when applying for airworthiness and/or repairman's certificate? If so, has anyone had any experience with requesting a correction to the FAA's registration database?
 
Sounds like either a new employee or change in policy. You could call and question it or just accept it and make sure your Airworthiness Cert application and data plate match the registration.
 
Have you already chosen a DAR for your inspection??

If so, check with them.

Or, you could call Dilly 916-606-4160 and see what he has to say.
 
Get it fixed!

Vans didn’t build that plane. You did!

I recently had a client who used one of the “walk your papers thru Okc”
They made the same error.

Call Aircraft Registration in Okc and get it fixed .All AWC entries are based on an accurate record.
 
The strange bit is that unlike every other RV registration I've seen, where the manufacturer is the builder's name, mine appears to list the manufacturer as VANS AIRCRAFT INC.

What do you mean by “appears to list the manufacturer. . . ”?
Maybe post an image of what you received.
 
Yes! Your registration is in error. As said before, call Oklahoma City and get it corrected. All certification information is based on the registration. It MUST be correct.
 
What do you mean by “appears to list the manufacturer. . . ”?
Maybe post an image of what you received.

Based on an online query only. They cashed my check so I went online to verify. Based on the replies here I’m going to wait to get the paper certificate in hand then decide what to do from there.
 
Based on an online query only. They cashed my check so I went online to verify. Based on the replies here I’m going to wait to get the paper certificate in hand then decide what to do from there.

Waiting on the paper certificate will only delay further. The paper certificate will match the online information.
 
Registration

Out of curiosity, I just looked at my registration on FAA.gov.

It show my name as the manufacturer at the top of the page, and at the bottom of the page lists "kit manufacturer" as Van's...that would make sense.
 
The only time the registration would show Van's as the aircraft manufacturer would be for an RV-12 ELSA kit. Any other RV, including an RV-12 that's built as an amateur-built aircraft, would show the person's name as the "manufacturer" of the aircraft.

So assuming that your aircraft is anything other than an RV-12 ELSA kit, somebody screwed up somewhere along the line. Now is the time to make it right, before the airworthiness inspection comes around.
 
My RV-4 is a "glider'

The FAA shows my RV-4 as a glider with a 4 cyl engine..and my application was filled out correctly(not a glider). I never bothered changing it, and I love flying a fast glider that needs no tow plane. The local FSDO did my inspection/registration. My county tax form lists it as a glider too, so I'm hoping this keeps the revenue man away. Insurance company cant be fooled though!
 
The FAA shows my RV-4 as a glider with a 4 cyl engine..and my application was filled out correctly(not a glider). I never bothered changing it, and I love flying a fast glider that needs no tow plane. The local FSDO did my inspection/registration. My county tax form lists it as a glider too, so I'm hoping this keeps the revenue man away. Insurance company cant be fooled though!

That's great!:D

Here in Indiana, I spoke with the very nice lady that does the registrations. We were having a nice conversation and she was telling me about how they check the hangar rosters at the airports to find unregistered aircraft and how she checks into them. You know, who is the owner, aircraft type, home base, etc.

We then talked about what happens when she finds one. She said that she likes to give the owner plenty of notice and time to rectify the issue...before the penalties start...and those penalties can add up in a very short order!

Luckily, the state fees in Indiana are fairly reasonable. I plan on staying in good graces with the nice lady...
 
There are a lot of errors in the registration database.
There is about 20 different RV's certificated as E-AB aircraft, that have Van's Aircraft Inc. listed as the manufacturer. I don't know how many of them are the result of incorrect paper work being submitted vs errors made by the FAA, but my guess is that it is the former and they just slipped through with possibly someone of little experience not kicking it back when it should have been.
One of our aircraft that had been properly registered for 15+ years had the registered owner change from Van's Aircraft to some private party person (the registration office was quick in correcting it once the error was pointed out).

As already mentioned, if you find an error, get in touch with the registration office and they will work to correct it.
 
UPDATE: Contacted the FAA’s registration branch over the phone and the corrected info appeared online in two days. Amazing level of service from our government friends!
 
You definitely want to have a proper registration if you ever want to resell it. I was going to buy a RV-6A, but insurance wouldn't cover me on it. When I asked why and they said the builder decided to get cute and used his name with some model number on it for the type. So from their perspective, this wasn't an RV-6A but really some unknown experimental aircraft.

Seller insists it's a -6A and has insurance. I find out I'd have to get a DAR to redo the airworthiness cert .... and I basically said this is not the plane for me. Too many hoops because of a bad early decision on paperwork.
 
So if I build a velocity and register it as model RV-9A, I can get a lower rate? Sounds line the insurance companies are pretty ignorant of what the model number on an experimental really means. As the manufacturer, I can assign whatever serial and model that I care to.
 
So if I build a velocity and register it as model RV-9A, I can get a lower rate? Sounds line the insurance companies are pretty ignorant of what the model number on an experimental really means. As the manufacturer, I can assign whatever serial and model that I care to.

While you can assign any model you want, In your case, if you had a claim, it probably would not be paid.
 
So I don't know **** about the inner workings of insurance companies, but it seems to me there are at least two cases here: 1) someone is trying to hide the true nature of the aircraft by using a different model name (e.g., a Velocity registered as an RV-9A), and if you got coverage from an insurance company, I suspect it'd be via fraud (that is, a crime); 2) someone just wants to use a clever name for their plane, rather than the kit model designation, in which case I would think any insurance company worth their salt would ask a few questions, determine that it's really a "standard" kit, and go ahead and write the policy (they're in the business of writing policies and making money, after all).

Wasn't there some guy who registered his kit with model name "Air Force One" a while back, and flew it around enjoying messing with ATC?
 
So I don't know **** about the inner workings of insurance companies, but it seems to me there are at least two cases here: 1) someone is trying to hide the true nature of the aircraft by using a different model name (e.g., a Velocity registered as an RV-9A), and if you got coverage from an insurance company, I suspect it'd be via fraud (that is, a crime); 2) someone just wants to use a clever name for their plane, rather than the kit model designation, in which case I would think any insurance company worth their salt would ask a few questions, determine that it's really a "standard" kit, and go ahead and write the policy (they're in the business of writing policies and making money, after all).
Wasn't there some guy who registered his kit with model name "Air Force One" a while back, and flew it around enjoying messing with ATC?

Yep! And I agree with what you said. That's why I said that the insurance co. would probably pay off because of "fraud".
I registered my RV-6 as an "A&M 6" because it was the 6th aircraft built by Mel & Ann, but the insurance co. also placed "RV-6" in parentheses after the "A&M-6".
BTW, the A&M also relates to where I went to school.
 
So I don't know **** about the inner workings of insurance companies, but it seems to me there are at least two cases here: 1) someone is trying to hide the true nature of the aircraft by using a different model name (e.g., a Velocity registered as an RV-9A), and if you got coverage from an insurance company, I suspect it'd be via fraud (that is, a crime); 2) someone just wants to use a clever name for their plane, rather than the kit model designation, in which case I would think any insurance company worth their salt would ask a few questions, determine that it's really a "standard" kit, and go ahead and write the policy (they're in the business of writing policies and making money, after all).

Wasn't there some guy who registered his kit with model name "Air Force One" a while back, and flew it around enjoying messing with ATC?

I'm a relatively new pilot trying to buy his first aircraft so they may take a different view of me than more experienced pilots. But basically I spoke to an insurance broker and maybe avemco. I don't remember exactly, it was a while ago. They both could not get quotes for me. But they had quoted me for other RV-6A's. <shrug>
 
The only time the registration would show Van's as the aircraft manufacturer would be for an RV-12 ELSA kit. Any other RV, including an RV-12 that's built as an amateur-built aircraft, would show the person's name as the "manufacturer" of the aircraft.

So assuming that your aircraft is anything other than an RV-12 ELSA kit, somebody screwed up somewhere along the line. Now is the time to make it right, before the airworthiness inspection comes around.

Not quite correct.

Any EAB will have the builder listed as the manufacturer.

Any S-LSA (Factory Built RV-12(iS) or E-LSA (most home built RV-12iS) will list Van's Aircraft Inc. as the manufacturer.

-Dan
 
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