Articles
The FAA releases aircraft registry data on a regular schedule — understanding the update process helps you interpret what you are seeing and how current it is.
March 16, 2026
Fractional aircraft ownership lets multiple parties share the costs of operating a business jet — and it creates some distinctive patterns in the FAA registry.
March 13, 2026
Aviation in Alaska is not a luxury — it is infrastructure, and the numbers in the FAA registry reflect a state where flying is simply part of daily life.
March 11, 2026
A tail number lookup tells you who registered an aircraft — but tracking where it actually flies requires different data sources with their own limitations.
March 9, 2026
Thousands of Americans have built their own airplanes from kits — and the FAA has a well-developed process for getting them registered and legally airworthy.
March 7, 2026
A handful of manufacturers dominate the FAA registry — and the rankings reveal a lot about the economics and history of American aviation.
March 5, 2026
Aircraft registration in the United States does not last forever — the FAA requires renewal every three years, and the expiration date is visible in every registry record.
March 3, 2026
Every aircraft in the FAA registry has a Mode S transponder code — a unique hexadecimal identifier that is fundamental to modern air traffic control.
March 1, 2026
Unmanned aircraft systems are registering in the FAA database at unprecedented rates, reshaping what the U.S. aircraft registry looks like.
February 26, 2026
The FAA releases its aircraft registry as a bulk data download — here is what each field means and how to interpret the raw data.
February 23, 2026
When you look up an aircraft and find a bank listed as the owner, you have not found a flying bank — you have encountered the world of aviation trust registration.
February 20, 2026
Fixed-wing single-engine aircraft dominate the U.S. registry by sheer numbers, but multi-engine planes carry the majority of passengers and cargo.
February 17, 2026
The FAA registry is not just airplanes anymore — tech and logistics companies are quietly amassing fleets of registered unmanned aircraft.
February 14, 2026
Registration and airworthiness are two separate things — and an aircraft needs both to fly legally in U.S. airspace.
February 11, 2026
From major airlines to cargo carriers and tech companies, a handful of operators dominate the FAA registry with massive aircraft portfolios.
February 8, 2026
Curious about the jet that just landed at your local airport? The FAA registry is a public record, and ownership information is freely accessible — with some important caveats.
February 5, 2026
Deregistration is not the end of an aircraft story — it marks a transition that could mean export, retirement, or simply paperwork trouble.
February 2, 2026
Delaware ranks fourth in the nation for registered aircraft despite being one of the smallest states — the reason has everything to do with corporate law and almost nothing to do with aviation.
January 30, 2026
Airline fleet registration is more complex than private aircraft registration — aircraft are often owned by leasing companies, not the airlines themselves.
January 27, 2026
The FAA classifies registered aircraft into several distinct types — and the differences matter for regulation, certification, and what you see on a registry record.
January 23, 2026