Question about registering without factory Bill of Sale

[FasGlas]

I'm sure this is something that happens on a regular basis but I've never dealt with it. A friend of mine bought an almost finished kit plane from an estate. He got a bill of sale from the family but no other receipts. He got a notice from the FAA that says: "Pursuant to a notice in the Federal Register, on September 29, 1998, applicants for registration of aircraft built from kits must also submit a bill of sale from the manufacturer of the kit."
Since he has no manufactures bill of sale, and I'm sure the last owner didn't either, how does one get around this and get the plane registered?

[RVbySDI]

Vans does not send out a bill of sale to any builder until that builder has notified Vans that they are ready for an airworthy cirtificate. If the original builder did not do that it is a simple matter to call Vans. You should do this anyway since they need to know that the ownership of the kit has transfered hands. Give them the info you have about the purchase and they will send one your way.

[FasGlas]

Originally Posted by RVbySDI

Vans does not send out a bill of sale to any builder until that builder has notified Vans that they are ready for an airworthy cirtificate. If the original builder did not do that it is a simple matter to call Vans. You should do this anyway since they need to know that the ownership of the kit has transfered hands. Give them the info you have about the purchase and they will send one your way.

If it were that easy. It's a Glasair III from the 90's that was being built at Phoenix Composites then sold unfinished to the guy that died many years later. Now my friend just got an N# and is going to have it DAR'd but he has nothing other than the estate bill of sale.

[rv7charlie]

I can't quote chapter & verse, but I'm pretty sure there's a workaround for a BOS being unavailable. IIRC, it amounts to a sworn statement (notarized) from the builder/owner stating that you own it, a majority was completed for education/entertainment (51% rule), etc.

Otherwise, there'd be no way to register orphaned kits, even for the original owner. Or a plane that's available as either a kit or scratchbuilt (Bearhawk, Sonex, T-18, Mustang Midget or II, etc).

[Infidel]

I figure the scratch built guys don't deal with a bill of sale and with some constructive thinking, there are ways to fix it. How is it any different if a company manufactures part #xyz for you or you manufacture part # Xyz?

I'm still learning but maybe that's where the 51% comes into play?

[Sam Buchanan]

I'm looking at the EAA Certification Guide that comes in their certification kit---plans-built aircraft do not require a bill of sale.

The guide states that if a complete chain of bills of sale back to the original owner for a kit can not be submitted then "contact EAA Membership Services for assistance". I don't know what process will be followed but there must be a work around for orphaned kits.

Mel?????

[az_gila]

Originally Posted by Infidel

I figure the scratch built guys don't deal with a bill of sale and with some constructive thinking, there are ways to fix it. How is it any different if a company manufactures part #xyz for you or you manufacture part # Xyz?

I'm still learning but maybe that's where the 51% comes into play?

This is on the FAA web site and covers those that scratch build -

? If more than 50% of your amateur-built aircraft was built from a kit (prefabricated parts), you must also include a kit bill of sale from the kit manufacturer. A regular Aircraft Bill of Sale, AC Form 8050-2 (PDF) is acceptable if the word 'Aircraft' has been marked through and the word 'Kit' entered.

https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certifi...uilt_aircraft/

Not sure what happens if the kit maker is long gone...

[FasGlas]

I think contacting the EAA would be the best advice for my friend. If anyone would know, and have probably been asked many times, it would be the EAA.