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N number not assigned?

rchrds

Member
So I am registering for an N number, and I thought I had found one that might work, as it showed not assigned according the the FAA, but when I google search it, Flightaware shows that person is still flying the N number as recently as middle of this year. I hate to be a dick and accidentally take someone's N number when they forgot to update their registration or something. Is the FAA's N number registry inquiry page usually up to date?

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Inquiry.aspx

I don't want to say the number, so I don't embarrass anyone.

Thanks!
 
I have frequently seen the online database to be very out of date, for what that's worth.

Paul
 
Reserve, but verify

Why not pay the $10 to reserve the number you want. The FAA database should have the last registered if it was previously. Contact that person to ask if it is really available. If it was an oversight, you have to write a letter to the FAA authorizing the transfer to another person. Ask them for $10 for reimbursement and move along, otherwise you get the number you wanted.
 
Why not pay the $10 to reserve the number you want. The FAA database should have the last registered if it was previously. Contact that person to ask if it is really available. If it was an oversight, you have to write a letter to the FAA authorizing the transfer to another person. Ask them for $10 for reimbursement and move along, otherwise you get the number you wanted.

Just don't be a dick like the guy who bought up all the short N numbers and then wants thousands of dollars to transfer them :)
 
Just don't be a dick like the guy who bought up all the short N numbers and then wants thousands of dollars to transfer them :)

Yes, and he was quick... I did an on-line application 5 minutes after midnight when one was released and didn't get it..:(
 
Yes, and he was quick... I did an on-line application 5 minutes after midnight when one was released and didn't get it..:(

That sort of stuff p*sses me off...like the patent trolls who file for patents on blatantly public-domain things and then want to charge everybody on earth for using them. It's also reminiscent of people *cough big G cough* who take government-provided, taxpayer-funded data and simply repackage it in a proprietary format and then sell it at ridiculous prices :)

Seems all the FAA would have to do would be to pass a regulation that an N-number cannot be resold for more than the original 10 bucks or something like that.

ETA: He's probably using a program to do it automatically at midnight every night (or whenever the database changes), sort of like esnipe for Ebay. You'll never be quicker than that... :(
 
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I've often wondered how much money it would take to buy up *every* available N number, and use this guy's "business" model to resell them at a yuuuuge profit...

But that would be evil. :)

How many n-numbers are currently available? Anyone know?
 
The reservation process works well most of the time, but there is something fishy about how those short N-numbers are grabbed up. I have attempted several times to get one minutes after they are posted only to be informed they are already reserved. A couple of times I was allowed to pay the fee and later received a notification that the number was not available. There is clearly another mechanism at work besides the end of day posting. Somehow the short N-number vendors are alerted to availabilities earlier in the day. I suspect there is an "arrangement" with someone in one of the FAA offices.
 
If a current aircraft registration isn't renewed, the FAA waits 5 years before that number can be reassigned to a different aircraft. So if you see an N-number that is "not assigned" it will be available for a new aircraft 5 years after the previous registration expired, which is listed as the purge date. Check out tailnum.com Somebody had posted this site on here before. It shows and filters all available N numbers, updated daily. I too was beaten by the short n numbers guy about 10 times in the past few months, trying to reserve many N numbers online the day they became available.
 
The reservation process works well most of the time, but there is something fishy about how those short N-numbers are grabbed up. I have attempted several times to get one minutes after they are posted only to be informed they are already reserved. A couple of times I was allowed to pay the fee and later received a notification that the number was not available. There is clearly another mechanism at work besides the end of day posting. Somehow the short N-number vendors are alerted to availabilities earlier in the day. I suspect there is an "arrangement" with someone in one of the FAA offices.

I agree, that guy definitely has some help on the inside
 
I've often wondered how much money it would take to buy up *every* available N number,

How many n-numbers are currently available? Anyone know?

I don't know how many are in use or reserved, but the total possible combinations are right around one million.
 
Thanks guys, I was just trolling the FAA site for those that ended in 9RV and was surprised to find one or two. The suggested website also shows the tail number in question to be available. What happens to the previous number holder if the FAA approves the number? If they really hold the numbers for 5 years, there is no way this one should be available.
 
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Thanks guys, I was just trolling the FAA site for those that ended in 9RV and was surprised to find one or two. The suggested website also shows the tail number in question to be available. What happens to the previous number holder if the FAA approves the number? If they really hold the numbers for 5 years, there is no way this one should be available.

You're assuming the other guy using the number is legit - it could be somebody squatting (and using) an N-number not assigned to them. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen that.
 
Six or seven years ago I went on the FAA site and reserved a number and mailed in my money. It was already taken. But the notification that I was too late included a phone number and name to call. The FAA lady I contacted was very helpful and found me several alternatives that were not yet listed on their site. She said this is how all the most desirable numbers are obtained. Sorry, I don't recall her name or number.
 
I don't know how many are in use or reserved, but the total possible combinations are right around one million.

DOT shows 260,000 aircraft in the U.S. in 2014. That leave around 3/4M numbers. Let's bag 'em! For less than 10 million, we can corner the market on N numbers...
 
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