LEGAL EASE Aircraft Registrations Now Must Be Renewed Every Three Years Charles R. Morgenstein, esq Article aurthor Column CONTRIBUTOR Editorial Memo Note Read Reading Story write writer The FAA has been working for two years to try to implement a rule which would require all registrations on the US Civil Aircraft Registry to be updated and renewed every three years. The Final Rule will become effective on October 1, 2010. Charles R. “Charlie” Morgenstein is the founder of Mmo Legal Services, LLC based in Boca Raton, Florida. He has been a private pilot since 1977, and has held an instrument rating since 1991. He was admitted to the practice of law by The Florida Bar in 1980, and practices aviation law in all 50 states. He limits his practice exclusively to aviation matters and particularly enjoys structuring the sale, purchase and lease of aircraft, as well as representing pilots who are accused of wrongdoing by the FAA or other government agencies. He is a member of the NBAA; AOPA [and a provider under their pre-paid legal services plan]; EAA; NTSB Bar Association; LawyerPilots Bar Association; South Florida Business Aviation Association; and The Florida Bar Aviation Law Committee. He may be reached at charlie@mmolegal.com.  For those of us who have aircraft registrations which do not show an “expiration date” (virtually everyone to date), our renewal date will now be determined based on the MONTH in which our registration was issued, sometime in the years between March of 2011 and December of 2013, in accordance with a schedule included in the Rule. So, if your registration was issued in March of 1990, 1995, 2000, etc., it will now expire on March 31, 2011, and you will need to renew it to stay legal. If your registration was issued in February of any year, your registration will expire on December 31, 2013. The Final Rule provides that the FAA will send notice to the Registrant –AT THE ADDRESS ON FILE WITH THE FAA – on or about six months prior to the expiration date. You will be advised that your registration will expire on the date on the schedule, and that you must send in your new application for re-registration (on a new form that the FAA is now producing) between five months and three months prior to the expiration in order to give the FAA two months to process and issue your re-registration before your old registration expires. In the case of registrations that were issued in March of any year, you will be told that you must apply for re-registration between November of 2010 and the last day of January of 2011. This will then give the FAA two months to process your re-registration. You will be warned that, if you apply after the last day of January, 2011, you will be at risk if the FAA doesn’t renew your registration before your old registration expires at the end of March. LESSON NUMBER ONE: MAKE SURE YOUR CORRECT ADDRESS IS ON FILE WITH THE FAA REGISTRY FOR THE PERSON OR ENTITY THAT IS THE REGISTRANT OF YOUR AIRCRAFT. Re-registration and Registration Expiration Certificate issued (any year) March April May June July August September October November December January February Certificate expires March 31, 2011 June 30, 2011 Sept. 30, 2011 Dec. 31, 2011 March 31, 2012 June 30, 2012 Sept. 30, 2012 Dec. 31, 2012 March 31, 2013 June 30, 2013 Sept. 30, 2013 Dec. 31, 2013 Re-registration required Nov. 1, 2010–Jan. 31, 2011 Feb. 1–April 30, 2011 May 1– July 31, 2011 Aug. 1– Oct. 31, 2011 Nov. 1, 2011–Jan. 31, 2012 Feb. 1– April 30, 2012 May 1– July 31, 2012 Aug. 1– Oct. 31, 2012 Nov. 1, 2012–Jan. 31, 2013 Feb. 1– April 30, 2013 May 1– July 31, 2013 Aug. 1– Oct. 31, 2013 August 2010 | AIRCRAFTOWNER ONLINE