Does Changing N Number Effect Aiirplane Value

CSkup

Hi: Is it easy to change an N number? Can you change it simply because you do not like it? Also, if you change the N number, does that adversely effect the resale value of your plane, or have any other adverse consequences? Happy and Healthy New Year to All. Chuck

Airik

It's fairly straight forward to change your N number. I changed mine a couple years ago while it was being painted. There is no explanation required for the reason you are changing them. Costs about $10 or so for the FAA application. Forms are available on the FAA website. You do most of the process by mail but a new airworthiness certificate needs to be issued once you receive the confirmation back from the FAA. You have to go to you local FSDO and have them issue the new certificate. Take the paper work along with the confirmation.

The bigger cost and hassel may be with removing the old ones and applying the new ones. If yours are still the small numbers, they are required to be replaced with 12" numbers if you change them. Most new numbers are applied in vinyl but you can have them painted if you so choose.

It won't affect the aircraft's value at all. The organization I work for change all of our N numbers when we get a new plane and it's never affected the values.

Blue skies!

bigandy

Since, with the US FAA registration specification, there are not too many 'words' that can be spelt. However, as can be seen in the attached URL, a German AN-2 managed to get an interesting registration that might have some valuation implications:
http://www.dutchplanespotters.nl/main/photos/658/normal_D-FUKM.JPG

:-)

Tim Morrison

Are there rules saying there have to be numbers or something? I would think it might be easier to actually spell words in US registry.

I know in Germany the first letter designates size (sort of, or number of engines, I forget exactly) so you are actually stuck with the first letter. Two jump planes I know of are a Cessna Caravan D-FEAR and a twin otter D-IVER.

JoeB

In the U.S. there will always be an "N" prefix followed by up to 5 characters. The last one character or both of the last two characters may be alpha, anything preceeding must be numeric. The letters "I" and "O" are not allowed, and the registration may not begin with zero. N1 through N99 are reserved for the FAA.

Several years ago the FAA decreed that all new N-numbers had to contain all 5 characters to conform to international treaties. I've heard they've relaxed this so that shorter N-numbers are available again but haven't seen documentation of that.