All registered airplanes have an identification number posted on them. If the airplane is registered in the United States, this series of numbers and letters begins with N, which is why it's often called an N-number. Each country has its own code letter. In Canada it's C, and Mexico uses an X.
An airplane gets its very own N-number at the factory, but what many first-time owners don't know is they can change their airplane's N-number to conform with their personal preferences. Owners change their airplane's "name" for any number of reasons. For example, you've found the perfect airplane to buy, but you think its N-number - N2PU - stinks. Don't let that be the reason not to buy it. After you buy the airplane you can change its name.
Changing an N-number takes more than a brush and a can of paint, and the FAA won't let you get too creative. FAR Part 47 says "A United States identification number may not exceed five symbols in addition to the prefix letter 'N.' These symbols may be all numbers (N 10000), one to four numbers and one suffix letter (N 1000A), or one to three numbers and two suffix letters (N 100AB). The letters "I" and "O" may not be used. The first zero in a number must always be preceded by at least one of the numbers 1 through 9."
Working within these guidelines, creating a "cool" N-number takes some deep reflection. If you run a little corporation that manufactures athletic shoes, your corporate jet will look pretty spiffy with N1KE painted on its side. Indeed, that number is already assigned to Nike. What number you'd like painted on your airplane depends on you. I thought it would be nifty to pursue the process myself. Let's see. My birthday is February 22, and I can just picture it on my Cessna 182 - N222WP.
Because each N-number is unique, another airplane may already wear the number you want. To save wasted effort, search one of the N-number databases you'll find on the Internet such as the one at www.avweb.com. These resources do not always reflect the actual data in the FAA Aircraft Registry because they list active airplanes only (some numbers are reserved but not active), but they are worth checking. Drat! N222WP is already assigned to a Bonanza. N22WP is taken, too. Well, maybe N1WP will play. Nope. That number is painted on a Gulfstream IV...obviously, not mine.
Once you've created a pet number, to get it you have to write the FAA a letter, says Jana Hammer, a supervisor in the FAA's Aircraft Registry in Oklahoma City. "Anyone wanting to reserve or assign an available number to an aircraft must contact the FAA in writing at: Aircraft Registry; PO Box 25504; Oklahoma City, OK 73125. The letter must be accompanied by a $10 reservation, or special number assignment fee, and it should simply identify the owner, the current aircraft registration, and the request for a specific registration number. It is recommended that several alternative choices be listed in the event the first cannot be offered."
Even if you've searched the Internet database for days, you still might not get the number you want because the databases usually list the numbers for active aircraft only. "Numbers are either available for assignment, already assigned, or reserved for a party," Hammer says.
Once the FAA gets your letter, it makes sure the number you want is available. If it is already assigned or reserved, the FAA notifies you, requests additional choices, and offers a refund of the $10 fee if you don't want to try again.
If the N-number you want is available, the FAA sends you Form AC-8050-64, which authorizes the change, Hammer says. "Do not make the alteration [don't change the airplane's number] before receipt of the form. After making the change [putting the new number on the airplane], sign the form's original and carbon copies and forward just the original page to the Aircraft Registry along with the date of change and the owner's signature. One copy of this form should also be retained in the aircraft."
Within four to six weeks after the FAA receives your completed AC-8050-64, it issues you a Certificate of Registration with your airplane's new N-number. Hammer reminds owners who get a new N-number that they also must apply for a new airworthiness certificate that reflects the number change. Normally, you can do this at the nearest Flight Standards District Office.
If you intend to change the number in the future, the FAA will reserve it for you one year at a time. to reserve it for another year, write another letter and send another $10.
Once you've received your approved form AC-8050-64, spend a few minutes reading FAR Part 45, "Identification and Registration Markings."
The registration marks normally must be "at least 12 inches high." Part 45 provides some exceptions, for aircraft over 30 years old, homebuilts, gliders, and "exhibition" aircraft, such as warbirds. These may use two inch numbers.
After a debate about 12-inch "billboard" numbers, the FAA approved standard, production airplanes manufactured from November 2, 1981 to January 1, 1983 to carry a two- to three-inch N-number on the vertical stabilizer. an airplane built during this period "may display those marks until the aircraft is repainted or the marks are repainted, restored, or changed." (The same applies to registration numbers at least 2 inches high before November 2, 1981.) If you change the number on this airplane, you'll paint the new one in 12-inch letters.
Besides height, the numbers must have no ornamentation; must contrast in color with the background; be legible; must be two-thirds as wide as they are high, except for the number 1, and on and on and on.
With these requirements in mind, you're ready to paint. If your aircraft already has 12-inch numbers painted on it, you'll have to do some repainting. Generally, a new paint job for a four-seat, fixed-gear single starts around $5,000. For a lot less money you can have a paint shop erase (sand off) the old numbers, touch up the airplane's base color, and then apply the new numbers.
In many cases, the old and new base colors won't match exactly, and the job is more difficult if the old numbers are painted over different color trim lines. Which way you go depends on how important your airplane's appearance is to you. The eraser option works well on airplanes with small numbers on the tail because the old numbers don't cover a large area and the new 12-inch numbers go on the fuselage.
Another option is to buy adhesive letters and numbers and apply them yourself. Several suppliers offer alphanumerics that sell for $5 to $8 each. remember that the letters must meet the Part 45 requirements (i.e. contrast), and don't forget to enter the change in the aircraft's logbook.
So, these are the facts of the aircraft "number's game." But, before I sign off, let me just check one more registration in the Internet database - N1022. Nuts! That's gone, too. I thought I'd finally found a foolproof way to remember my wedding anniversary.
