Data Sources

TailNumberLookup uses official FAA Aircraft Registry bulk data. The data is publicly available and published by the FAA as part of its open government initiative.

FAA Aircraft Registry — MASTER.txt

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

The primary data source. Contains one record per active registration with the N-number, registrant name and address, aircraft make/model code, engine code, year of manufacture, aircraft type, status code, and airworthiness dates.

FAA Aircraft Registry — ACFTREF.txt

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

Aircraft make/model reference table. Links the make/model code in MASTER.txt to the manufacturer name, model name, aircraft type, engine type, airworthiness category, number of engines, number of seats, and weight class.

FAA Aircraft Registry — ENGINE.txt

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

Engine reference table. Links engine codes to manufacturer, model, type, horsepower, and thrust ratings.

FAA Aircraft Registry — DEREG.txt

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

Deregistered and cancelled aircraft. Contains historical registration records for aircraft that have been removed from the active registry.

Update Frequency

The FAA updates the aircraft registry database regularly. TailNumberLookup ingests these updates to keep data current.