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N Number

Mine's a Palindrome ...

For my RV-3.4 (under construction) - NX3XN

Took 2 years fighting with the FAA to "wrestle" it away from them ...

YMMV - But the FAA usually wins.

HFS
HRII N540HR - A 540 Harmon Rocket (Get It!)

As Mel said - The number I got from the FAA was 3XN - but because of the -3's age, I am able to put NX3XN on the sides ...

And ... FWIW, I don't have to display the "EXPERIMENTAL" placard either, as it's not required on a single seat airplane.
 
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HFS said:
Mine's a Palindrome ...
For my RV-3.4 (under construction) - NX3XN
Took 2 years fighting with the FAA to wrestle" it away from them ...
YMMV - But the FAA usually wins.
HFS
HRII N540HR - A 540 Harmon Rocket (Get It!)
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Just a reminder to those that don't know, the "X" following the "N" is NOT part of the registration number. It does not show up on any paperwork and is not to be used in any communications. It simply replaces the "EXPERIMENTAL" placard.
 
N82VM said:
I would avoid 3 or less ie N28M. You will spend your entire trip being asked if it's your full call sign. It's annoying and also expensive since some bag of hammers made a business out of buying them up with a bot.
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Never thought about ATC calling me out on short N number. One number two letters. The phonic words for the two letters are single vowel. Very easy to say.
With ADS-B it is likely they see your call sign and may not question you for full number. You can start off on initial call with "Experimental November -----.
 
HFS said:
Mine's a Palindrome ...
For my RV-3.4 (under construction) - NX3XN
Took 2 years fighting with the FAA to "wrestle" it away from them ...
YMMV - But the FAA usually wins.
HRII N540HR - A 540 Harmon Rocket (Get It!)
As Mel said - The number I got from the FAA was 3XN - but because of the -3's age, I am able to put NX3XN on the sides ...
And ... FWIW, I don't have to display the "EXPERIMENTAL" placard either, as it's not required on a single seat airplane.
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Just for clarification...The "EXPERIMENTAL" placard IS required on single seat aircraft. It's the "PASSENGER WARNING" that's not required on single place aircraft.
 
Mel said:
Just for clarification...The "EXPERIMENTAL" placard IS required on single seat aircraft. It's the "PASSENGER WARNING" that's not required on single place aircraft.
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Thank you - my mistake, and now my knowledge ..

But in my case, where I am going to use "X" on the N-number - doesn't that release me of the obligation for the Experimental placard in the cockpit of my RV3?

Thanks again - David
 
HFS said:
Thank you - my mistake, and now my knowledge ..

But in my case, where I am going to use "X" on the N-number - doesn't that release me of the obligation for the Experimental placard in the cockpit of my RV3?

Thanks again - David
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In your case, yes. My point was that you must have one or the other. The fact that it is single place does not exempt the "Experimental" placard.
 
Jjackh10 said:
What about OU812 or ID10T?
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My story, briefly. I've reserved N47AU for my -10 that I hope comes to life later this year. It's so numbered in memory of my brother in law, an absolutely wonderful human being, who died of cancer at the age of 58. He was a linebacker at Auburn University in the early 80s when I met and started dating his sister. He wore 47 on the field.
Miss you Russ.
 
Current Sonex: N439M
- 439 was the plans serial number
- Mike is my first name
Reserved for RV-7: N789M
- 789 is just easy to remember and say
- Mike is my first name

Short and simple. Never had anyone ask me for my whole N-number.
 
My first RV was an RV-6A I built 20 years ago (first flight 9/5/2005) and she wore N57TK while I owned her, for my birth year and my initials. She is currently sporting G-CGYO and flying in Scotland, after I sold her in 2011.

The N-Number on my current steed is N777RV, which was previously registered to a twin Baron that was languishing in an A&P school in Delaware when I contacted them and begged them to release the N-number to me.

I think N777RV the perfect N-number for an RV-7 that was built by a Van's employee and wears the Van's Airforce logo paint scheme (not to be confused with the VAF logo), see the Kitplanes article in my signature. My reasoning for trying to get N777RV was because my first flight in an RV was in the RV-6A, N666RV, during Oshkosh in 1992!

This story came full circle when I was working in Van's Prototype/Maintenance shop back in 2019 and I finally had the opportunity to perform the 100-hour inspection on N666RV, 27 years after my first RV flight in this very same aircraft! Not only that, I got to perform the post-maintenance test flight and flew her back to Mike Seager's place in Vernonia. I never could have dreamt this while riding in her, as a young green private pilot at Oshkosh way back in 1992!

My current project is an RV-12 that will wear N124TK - for an (RV)12 FOR TK - which can stand for Tony Kirk, or my granddaughter, Tobey Kirk, who I hope will earn her PP-SEL (and more!) in N124TK.

I'm so blessed for all of the opportunities I've had during my tenure at Van's Aircraft! Thank you to everyone whom I have had the pleasure to meet and/or help while working for such a great company! I love the RV community!

Thank You VAN for everything you have done!

P.S. N777RV will probably be on the market after I get N124TK flying later this year, keep an eye on the classifieds here on VAF if you are looking for a unique RV-7.
 

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I'm lucky enough to have a short number (N6GY) for my RV and haven't had an issue with it so far. However my hangar mate and I both have Navions with double numbers - 5221K & 4428K. They seem to be tongue twisters for controllers. For some reason they will transpose the numbers maybe 20% of the time. Happens to both of us so I'd avoid double numbers.
 
I owned N2NP for years. Short N numbers have their hang-ups. First as mentioned previously in this thread, ATC often askes for clarification of full N number. Even if you start your first call up with an "N". The second thing is that with the advent of ADS-B and flight tracking it is quite common for ATC to enter your short N number into their system during handling when some pilots starts with his "last three" or ATC is too busy to catch it on initial call and reverts to the last three. So say you had N2NP and a Cessna thousands of miles away has N562NP then anytime the system misses the first 3 call sign numbers it gets put in as "2NP" and so suddenly it looks like your airplane is far away flying 90mph or even worse you are flying the same N number at the same time. That could cause scrutiny. Same for N32NP, N002NP etc....

I also would try to avoid "X-ray" (X) or Charlie, or Charlie Foxtrot (CF). if possible. I live on the Southern border and Mexico uses X numbers. So having an X in the registration number can confuse matters on the radio when ATC is busy with a bunch of N numbers an X numbers in the airspace at the same time. Same with having Charlie with flying in, through or near Canada. Some owners also think it's cute and naughty to use CF but that's the prefix for antique Canadian aircraft and can cause a real "Charlie Foxtrot" if you are flying with a number like N567CF.

Any more I really like all numbers like most of the pre-1960's aircraft used. There is very little mix-up over comms when it's all numbers. I would pick a symmetric number like N78387. If you hate scrolling through a self-serve fuel pump card readers re-use numbers so you don't waste time entering your N number. Like N66366.

Final piece of advice would be to never try to change an existing N number after you buy an aircraft. Forgo the vanity of customizing in exchange keeping things simple. Save a lot of headaches by keeping it the same. I have had to re-do countless airworthiness issues after a new or prior owner changes the N number through the aircraft registry and then paints it on the airplane and goes about their merry way. Unfortunately they then forget to do the same for the AWC and OL's (the OL's on an experimental aircraft are in fact one half the airworthiness with the AWC being the other half). This can and often does trigger a new inspection by a FSDO along with re-issuance of new OL"s. And sometimes those new OL"s are more restrictive than the original version. Remember the FAA Registry and FAA airworthiness departments are two completely separate parts of the FAA and they do very little if any communicating between them. Avoiding N number changes also makes it easier to track aircraft history including title searches and accident reports. The DOT accident database uses registration numbers for most information rather than aircraft serial numbers.
 
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jliltd said:
I owned N2NP for years. Short N numbers have their hang-ups. First as mentioned previously in this thread, ATC often askes for clarification of full N number. Even if you start your first call up with an "N". The second thing is that with the advent of ADS-B and flight tracking it is quite common for ATC to enter your short N number into their system during handling when some pilots starts with his "last three" or ATC is too busy to catch it on initial call and reverts to the last three. So say you had N2NP and a Cessna thousands of miles away has N562NP then anytime the system misses the first 3 call sign numbers it gets put in as "2NP" and so suddenly it looks like your airplane is far away flying 90mph or even worse you are flying the same N number at the same time. That could cause scrutiny. Same for N32NP, N002NP etc....

I also would try to avoid "X-ray" (X) or Charlie, or Charlie Foxtrot (CF). if possible. I live on the Southern border and Mexico uses X numbers. So having an X in the registration number can confuse matters on the radio when ATC is busy with a bunch of N numbers an X numbers in the airspace at the same time. Same with having Charlie with flying in, through or near Canada. Some owners also think it's cute and naughty to use CF but that's the prefix for antique Canadian aircraft and can cause a real "Charlie Foxtrot" if you are flying with a number like N567CF.

Any more I really like all numbers like most of the pre-1960's aircraft used. There is very little mix-up over comms when it's all numbers. I would pick a symmetric number like N78387. If you hate scrolling through a self-serve fuel pump card readers re-use numbers so you don't waste time entering your N number. Like N66366.

Final piece of advice would be to never try to change an existing N number after you buy an aircraft. Forgo the vanity of customizing in exchange keeping things simple. Save a lot of headaches by keeping it the same. I have had to re-do countless airworthiness issues after a new or prior owner changes the N number through the aircraft registry and then paints it on the airplane and goes about their merry way. Unfortunately they then forget to do the same for the AWC and OL's (the OL's on an experimental aircraft are in fact one half the airworthiness with the AWC being the other half). This can and often does trigger a new inspection by a FSDO along with re-issuance of new OL"s. And sometimes those new OL"s are more restrictive than the original version. Remember the FAA Registry and FAA airworthiness departments are two completely separate parts of the FAA and they do very little if any communicating between them. Avoiding N number changes also makes it easier to track aircraft history including title searches and accident reports. The DOT accident database uses registration numbers for most information rather than aircraft serial numbers.
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First, yes changing N numbers can be confusing and take on the order of several months, and Yes many people forget to apply for a revised Airworthiness Certificate. However an N number change by itself is considered a "Replacement" and in this case the Operating Limitations cannot be changed.

On the other hand, very often the change is done in conjunction with an Amended Certificate to, say, change the Phase I flight test area. In this case the Op Lims WILL change to the latest version. And these are almost always LESS restrictive than the older ones.
 
Mel said:
....However an N number change by itself is considered a "Replacement" and in this case the Operating Limitations cannot be changed.
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I wish you worked at the North Texas FSDO, even if it were to supervise or train them once a week !!
 
Doug Rohrer said:
I am still several months away from getting my -14A in the air, but I reserved my N number two years ago. Like others, I wanted short and easy to say, and found N288EE was available. I look forward to saying it on the radio on my first flight.
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Doug,
If you wear wide shoes how about EEE?
Just kidding.

Personally, I do not like the number 9, niner just sounds weird to me.

Daddyman
 
I have a short number (1 numeral followed by 2 alpha characters). It was just there when I bought the darn thing. On initial call-up I always say "so-and-so, November, "the numberal" and then each letter. Works every time.

I ocassionally get asked to say type. ADSB has reduced that question, and I file IFR often, so they typically know that I'm a hot sh*t RV driver :)

For thems complaining about the guy hording short numbers: Get over it, or go read the old threads whining about it, but let it go. The only way to stop it is LACK OF CUSTOMERS. And where do they get customers? Your free advertising.
 
gyoung said:
I'm lucky enough to have a short number (N6GY) for my RV and haven't had an issue with it so far. However my hangar mate and I both have Navions with double numbers - 5221K & 4428K. They seem to be tongue twisters for controllers. For some reason they will transpose the numbers maybe 20% of the time. Happens to both of us so I'd avoid double numbers.
Click to expand...
Like pilots, they say 5 out of 3 controllers are dyslexic.
 
A good friend had N##UC. He was well known as Uncle Charlie to ATC in the area. Occasionally a controller would fuss that it was Uniform Charlie.
 
Mel said:
First, yes changing N numbers can be confusing and take on the order of several months, and Yes many people forget to apply for a revised Airworthiness Certificate. However an N number change by itself is considered a "Replacement" and in this case the Operating Limitations cannot be changed.
Click to expand...
Mel,

I sure wish the Houston FSDO knew that. I had them help with an EAB PItts S1C we purchased that a previous owner had changed the N number without updating the airworthiness certificate. It had been flying for years this way over half the USA. The FSDO inspector insisted both the AWC and OLs be changed because the OL's listed the original aircraft N number on the header of each page. While he was at it he updated the OLs to their latest form as found on his laptop. This was the same kind of FAA guy who said any time any aircraft is re-painted or re-covered it has to update to 12" N numbers to be legal. He tagged a Navion in the same hangar as the Pitts for this. He also said mechanics and homebuilders can't make a 303 hoses in the field using hose mandrels and all hoses need to be made by an approved FAA repair station. We were 800 miles from home using up Bruce Bohannon's hospitality and hangar space. Who were we to argue with an FAA person who was "that guy".

I am with Pilot135pd on this one. It would be great if somebody like you could give the feds a short course on airworthiness requirements.
 
jliltd said:
Mel,

I sure wish the Houston FSDO knew that. I had them help with an EAB PItts S1C we purchased that a previous owner had changed the N number without updating the airworthiness certificate. It had been flying for years this way over half the USA. The FSDO inspector insisted both the AWC and OLs be changed because the OL's listed the original aircraft N number on the header of each page. While he was at it he updated the OLs to their latest form as found on his laptop. This was the same kind of FAA guy who said any time any aircraft is re-painted or re-covered it has to update to 12" N numbers to be legal. He tagged a Navion in the same hangar as the Pitts for this. He also said mechanics and homebuilders can't make a 303 hoses in the field using hose mandrels and all hoses need to be made by an approved FAA repair station. We were 800 miles from home using up Bruce Bohannon's hospitality and hangar space. Who were we to argue with an FAA person who was "that guy".

I am with Pilot135pd on this one. It would be great if somebody like you could give the feds a short course on airworthiness requirements.
Click to expand...
See if you can talk with Rick Jones in Houston, if he hasn't retired. He had to drive to North Dallas FSDO TWICE to teach them a few years ago how to do this stuff when I changed N number on my RV8 and then on my gyroplane, some just didn't learn.
 
rolivi said:
I have a short number (1 numeral followed by 2 alpha characters). It was just there when I bought the darn thing. On initial call-up I always say "so-and-so, November, "the numberal" and then each letter. Works every time.

I ocassionally get asked to say type. ADSB has reduced that question, and I file IFR often, so they typically know that I'm a hot sh*t RV driver :)

For thems complaining about the guy hording short numbers: Get over it, or go read the old threads whining about it, but let it go. The only way to stop it is LACK OF CUSTOMERS. And where do they get customers? Your free advertising.
Click to expand...

H.R.3935 - FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024​


SEC. 804. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION NUMBERS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall initiate a review of the
process for reserving aircraft registration numbers to ensure that such
process offers an equal opportunity for members of the general public
to obtain specific aircraft registration numbers.
(b) Assessment.--In conducting the review under subsection (a), the
Administrator shall assess the following:
(1) Whether the use of readily available software to prevent
computer or web-based auto-fill systems from reserving aircraft
registration numbers in bulk would improve participation in the
reservation process by the general public.
(2) Whether a limit should be imposed on the number of
consecutive years a person may reserve an aircraft registration
number.
(c) Briefing.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate committees
of Congress on the review conducted under subsection (a), including any
recommendations of the Administrator to improve equal participation in
the process for reserving aircraft registration numbers by the general
public.
 
I like anything with that ends in Whisky Whisky! There is currently a 4 digit number available to reserve from the FAA: 19WW. Another fun one I found using the search at https://n-num.com/available/ was 99FF. I like the double repeated numbers characters, although 9er9erFoxtrotFoxtrot doesn't exactly roll off the tongue very well.
 
Someguyinthesky said:
I like anything with that ends in Whisky Whisky! There is currently a 4 digit number available to reserve from the FAA: 19WW. Another fun one I found using the search at https://n-num.com/available/ was 99FF. I like the double repeated numbers characters, although 9er9erFoxtrotFoxtrot doesn't exactly roll off the tongue very well.
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My Husky is xx8WW assigned when new. Eight Whiskey Whiskey actually rolls off the tongue nicer than what I thought it would. My RV is xxNiner Golf Whiskey and I find the "niner" cumbersome.
 
Webb said:
A good friend had N##UC. He was well known as Uncle Charlie to ATC in the area. Occasionally a controller would fuss that it was Uniform Charlie.
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I've always said N52VacaMoo (N52VM) for my airport name with my RV8 and now with my Wilga and only maybe 5% of the time I'll get asked to repeat. I guess there's always some controller and I'm fine with that.
 
rolivi said:
See post #81 for the rest of this,

So... You're sayiing it MAY become illegal. Great!

No customers and a reg to stop it should end the whining.

Thanks for the info.
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I don't see it as "whining" (but if you do, you're free to skip those posts), but more as a sense of annoyance that one person is using a government-owned and -controlled (and thus taxpayer-funded) resource and misusing it, or at least monopolizing it so other taxpayers (who happen to own or have built or are actually building AIRPLANES) are denied access to the taxpayer-funded resource. So if the funding bill causes the FAA to put an end to it, great.

I'm pretty much just as irritated by Garmin and others charging *exorbitant* fees for what is essentially freely available, government-provided nav data, but at least they reformat it so their devices can efficiently utilize it. They don't just charge huge mark-ups for access to the raw data.

I'll refrain from pointing out the obvious corollaries to other government services here...
 
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