[BruceMe]

I'm looking for old projects a lot lately. I frequently run into "was flying" planes in pieces that no-longer have registration. I've seen basically three variants.

- Status: Expired
- Status: Cancelled
- Totally missing (another airplane)

I done a ton of research and I have no clue and I just have so many questions;

Does it lose airworthiness when it loses registration? (no-longer an airplane)
Can you bring it back into airworthiness and registration?
What will the FAA accept to show ownership?
Does it being experimental make any difference?

If anyone has bought an old rusting hangar queen and knows these answers, I'd really like to know.

-Bruce

 

[Jesse]

Expired registration does not invalidate the airworthiness certificate. If it has an expired registration or no registration, a bill of sale from the current owner should be sufficient. The FAA has a Bill of Sale form, but that is not required. It is easiest to use the FAA form, though. If the registered owner is deceased, then you will need probate details to verify the new owner and a Bill of Sale from them. You just need to show the FAA a paper trail of ownership, whether it was registered in every change of ownership or not. Once you get that paper trail together, you can send it in with a registration certificate and a $5 check to the FAA and either put the pink slip in the plane (wise to have a copy of the paper trail as well) or another copy of the registration application if you don't use the carbon form.

If it has lost an airworthiness certificate, it is possible that the FAA will issue another one, but it would somewhat be at the will of the examiner. They may want to inspect it again. There are procedures for getting a replacement airworthiness certificate.

 

[Jesse]

Regarding status cancelled, that may change things a little bit. Folks with more experience than I have would have to answer this. If he registration was cancelled by the owner, there may be a need to call the FAA. Some people cancel their registration as a way of making the airplane so it can never fly again for liability purposes. In this case, it can never fly again as such (i.e. the RV-9that is being parted out in the Classifieds now).

 

[jrs14855]

Old Airplanes

When you get into certificated airplanes everything changes. Everything from J3 Cubs to Clip Wing Monocoupes have been built around the paperwork of airplanes that were totally destroyed. Likewise P51's and other warbirds which were not type certificated but are not EAB.
The issue with EAB as I see it is proving that the airplane in question was originally EAB.

 

[joeboisselle]

cancled registration

I did this on an old Bonanza I rebuilt. The previous owner had the registration cancelled, so I sent in to register it in my name with the bill of sale and form 8050-1. They mailed/called me back and asked for 5 photos of the airplane. Left, right, front, back and one of the data plate. Other than the normal several week wait, that's all I had to do. The A/W was missing, my local FSDO said they might want to send a DAR out to look at the airplane and see a copy of the original (which I had from Kansas City) before re-issuing it. The FSDO guy was pretty non-shelant about it... "If it's airworthy and sill complies with the TC, you'll get a new A/W cert. If not, you won't"
I sold the project before I got to that point.