Owning an aircraft, either as part of your business or company or as a personal asset, comes with a lot of responsibility. Regular maintenance of the plane is required to make sure it operates properly and safely. You also need to make sure you have the money to spend on the upkeep, insurance, and amenities of the plane. Finally, there is the cost associated with registering your aircraft with the FAA. When you first purchased the plane, you had to go through the aircraft registration process so that it becomes part of the FAA’s national registry. Now that you have done the initial registration, it is time for you to take care of the need for plane registration renewal.
The Laws of Plane Registration
Federal law mandates that you not only initially register your plane, but that you renew the registration every three years before the previous registration expires. Failing to renew your registration makes it illegal for the plane to fly, and operating an aircraft without a valid registration puts you in violation of the law and subjects you to hefty fines and penalties. Following the law is well worth it to you so you can avoid any potential problems and keep operating your aircraft the way you want to. Without your plane, you may have difficulty operating parts of your business, especially if the aircraft plays an integral role in what you do.
How to Renew Registration
Plane registration renewal, just like your registration when you first purchased the plane, is handled by the FAA. You need to submit the renewal forms to them, along with the associated fees, and the FAA will process the application for you. The problem many owners run into is that dealing directly with the FAA can be difficult, especially if you must do everything through traditional mail. Mistakes or lateness in mailing can cause delays in the registration process, pushing you beyond the expiration date of your airplane registration. If the registration lapses, not only will you be unable to use the plane, but you will need to submit a request for reinstatement as soon as you can so that your N-number is not assigned to another plane.
Assistance with Registration Renewal
Here at the National Aviation Center, we work with owners to help make plane registration renewal as quick and painless as possible. We are an outside company unaffiliated with the FAA that handles the processing of forms from owners to the FAA. We have all the forms you might need on our website so that they are easy to find, and you can fill them out electronically. In just a few minutes you can have the form filled out and submitted to us. We can then review it for you and pass it on to the FAA for approval so that you get your renewal accomplished. If you ever have any questions about registration, renewal, the process, or more, you can give us a call at (800) 357-0893, and our staff will gladly help you.