US N-number a/c abroad

[Joseph Brown]

While I was watching the news from an international satellite, they showed a
single-engine Piper that made an emmergency crash-landing on a highyay in
Greece. When I saw it's registration number N-40899 I thought that it
actually came from the US. (That's a heck of a trans-atlantic trip for
single engine!, - no kidding the old aircraft failed, I said)

I then searched the A/C registration database on landings.com, entered its
tail number: N-40899 and I found that the A/C is registred in the states,
BUT it's owners and operations are based in Greece! How can that be? Does
this mean that this aircraft is under FAA rules and jurisdictions? What are
the advantages/disadvantages for a foreign owner to do this?

Would the opposite be true? To register an aircraft in Greece, permenantly
import it to the states and have it flying with an SX-123456 greek tail
number, for example?

I know that this is common practice for US ships to sail under a Bahamas
flag, but I didn't know that it's also true for light single-engine general
aviation aircraft!

[Dave]

Actually there are a lot of "N" registered a/c based outside of the US.

There are some restrictions on foreign nationals owning a/c, but I think
this mainly applies to larger transport a/c.

The FAA has a large office in Frankfurt, Germany that oversees all of
Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

When outside the US, the operator must adhere to regional and ICAO regs,
as well as FAA requirements.

There is an a/c registry of convenience like for ships. It's based out
of Aruba, and is very organized.

The owners of the plane you mentioned are probably avoiding Greek taxes
as they would be enormous for a private plane.

Regards,

Dave



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[Joachim Feise]

Joseph Brown wrote:
>
> I then searched the A/C registration database on landings.com, entered its
> tail number: N-40899 and I found that the A/C is registred in the states,
> BUT it's owners and operations are based in Greece! How can that be?

There are lots of US registered aircraft in Europe.

A person who is not a US citizen or Permanent Resident can not own a
US-registered airplane. Other countries has similar rules.
The usual workaround is to set up a trust registered in the US (there are
companies who specialize in setting this up.)
See, e.g., <http://www.pplir.com/sub.cfm/id/46/cat/Using%20the%20Rating/page/N-Registration>

> this mean that this aircraft is under FAA rules and jurisdictions? What are
> the advantages/disadvantages for a foreign owner to do this?

The main thing: you can fly it with an American pilot certificate.
There are also local tax considerations, of course.

-Joe

[Richard Kaplan]

"Joseph Brown" > wrote in message
...

> I then searched the A/C registration database on landings.com, entered its
> tail number: N-40899 and I found that the A/C is registred in the states,
> BUT it's owners and operations are based in Greece! How can that be? Does
> this mean that this aircraft is under FAA rules and jurisdictions? What
are
> the advantages/disadvantages for a foreign owner to do this?

Yes, this is possible and happens all the time.

For starters, if the pilot has only a U.S. pilot license then he can fly an
N-registered airplane in any country without needing to get another pilot
license.

This also means the airplane could be re-imported to the U.S. and sold to
the large U.S. market without having to go through the cumbersome process to
re-earn a U.S. certificate of airworthiness.

The plane does need to be continued to be maintained and flown under U.S.
regulations, which could be a plus or a minus depending on the jurisdiction
involved.


> Would the opposite be true? To register an aircraft in Greece,
permenantly
> import it to the states and have it flying with an SX-123456 greek tail
> number, for example?

This could be done but it would probably be harder to get Greece-approved
maintenance done in the U.S. than vice versa. And realize that the holder
of only a U.S. pilot license could not be PIC in such an airplane.

On the other hand, if the airplane had modfications not under a
U.S.-approved STC, a lot of paperwork and inspections could be required to
regain a U.S. N number, or perhaps the airplane were of a type never
certified in the U.S.


--
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com

[Thomas Borchert]

Joseph,

> How can that be?

Through trusts in Delaware, since the owner must be a US citizen.

> Does
> this mean that this aircraft is under FAA rules and jurisdictions?

Partly. Operation must also be according to local rules (e.g. airpsace and
such), but maintenance or pilot qualification is according to US rules.

> What are
> the advantages/disadvantages for a foreign owner to do this?

See above. Rules are much more restrictive in many countries than in the US.
Certificates in the US can be much cheaper than in many countries. Thus, it
can be cheaper to operate and fly a US registered aircraft even if you have
to go through the trouble of finding US certified mechanics, inspectors and
repair stations for maintenance.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Thomas Borchert]

Dave,

> There are some restrictions on foreign nationals owning a/c, but I think
> this mainly applies to larger transport a/c.
>

They apply to all a/c. An owner of a US-registered aircraft must be a US
citizen or Permanent Resident. A trust in Delaware is the standard
solution.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Cub Driver]

>> this mean that this aircraft is under FAA rules and jurisdictions? What are
>> the advantages/disadvantages for a foreign owner to do this?
>
>The main thing: you can fly it with an American pilot certificate.
>There are also local tax considerations, of course.

How do taxes come into it?

(Gosh, wouldn't it be neat if we could register our cars in whatever
state gave us the best deal?)

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

[Thomas Borchert]

Cub,

> How do taxes come into it?
>

For example, import tax has to be paid on the aircraft if it remains in
Germany for longer than 6 weeks (or some such period). There are checks
for proof of that payment, I'm told by operators of N-reg aircraft.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[David Megginson]

"Charles Talleyrand" > writes:

>> There are lots of US registered aircraft in Europe.

> And the European nations accept this? They don't force a local
> registry after a residency period?
>
> This seems weird to me!

I've heard of more than a few Canadian-registered planes based in the
U.S., many of them owned by retirees. The big problem for those
owners is finding a Canadian AME to sign off on their annual
inspections -- I imagine that a Canadian AME who wanted to go into
early semi-retirement could make a decent living moving down to
California, Arizona, or Florida and setting up a working relationship
with a few local U.S. shops, with the appropriate work visa.


All the best,


David

--
David Megginson, , http://www.megginson.com/

[Stefan]

Charles Talleyrand wrote:
>
> > There are lots of US registered aircraft in Europe.

> And the European nations accept this? They don't force a local
> registry after a residency period?

Yes, they do, at least those I know (which are admittedly few). The
trick is to have the plane owned by an US enterprize and lease it from
there. There are several enterprizes which offer this service, or it is
not too difficult to create your own.

Stefan

[Paul]

When I was stationed in Spain in the 60s I bought N2426E a 7AC Champ from
the Navy flying club at Rota Spain. I kept my plane at Tablada a Spanish
Airforce base outside Sevilla.

I flew it for nearly 3 years, The FAA was in Madrid and I was simply
informed to call him in an instant if I ever had an accident or incident.

Cheers:

Paul
NC2273H

[Mike Long]

> Through trusts in Delaware, since the owner must be a US citizen.

Actually, it's a Voting Trust and can be in any state. A voting trust
translates loosely to a US citizen owning 51% of the company but has
no voting rights. The foreign citizen owns 49% but has voting rights.
The net result is the foreign citizen votes and operates the company
as though he were full owner.


Mike