James Salazar wrote:

Hehe....when *I* tried to register an airplane as a resident alien, I
soon found that (for powered aircraft at least) it was necessary to be a
US citizen or US entity. It was not onerous to set up a US corporation
for the purpose at the time.

It is entirely possible that FAA registration rules have relaxed in the
intervening 25 years, but it is also possible that someone else needs to
do a little more homework?? :-)

Brian W

I am going to jump in here since I am a resident alien and this is a
question that concerns me...

I did the homework for us: After a quick search I found that as a
resident alien I can own an airplane:

49 USC Sec. 44102
01/08/2008

-EXPCITE-
TITLE 49 - TRANSPORTATION
SUBTITLE VII - AVIATION PROGRAMS
PART A - AIR COMMERCE AND SAFETY
subpart iii - safety
CHAPTER 441 - REGISTRATION AND RECORDATION OF AIRCRAFT

-HEAD-
Sec. 44102. Registration requirements

-STATUTE-
(a) Eligibility. - An aircraft may be registered under section
44103 of this title only when the aircraft is -
(1) not registered under the laws of a foreign country and is
owned by -
(A) a citizen of the United States;
(B) an individual citizen of a foreign country lawfully
admitted for permanent residence in the United States; or
(C) a corporation not a citizen of the United States when
the
corporation is organized and doing business under the laws of
the United States or a State, and the aircraft is based and
primarily used in the United States; or ...


(From http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/49C441.txt )

It can actually get more complicated to register an airplane as a
corporation or partnership ... best to follow the link to read up on
that (way too much to cut and paste).

I hope this clarifies things ...


Thanks for clarifying this issue. I wonder what it was that stopped me
in the 80's.

I suppose it is possible that I was not a "permanent resident" alien at
that time, but rather simply working on an H-1 work visa: or the Feds
may have opened this third avenue in the interim.

*My* current issue is getting a CAA validation for an FAA issued on the
strength of a CAA PPL

Brian W
p.s. Recordation?? :-)