After decades of stability, a number of changes happened after 9/11:
Then we got small improvements in IR accessibility via the CBIR, although this did not address the key issues e.g. avoiding travel/hotel for an FTO, and being able to do it in own aircraft (most FTOs won’t do that). The CBIR has not delivered significant numbers of new IR holders. The BIR improves this but is very recent and arrived 20 years too late.
The peak of the migration to N-reg was probably between 1990 and 2010. After that you were pushing a load of rocks uphill. The N-reg scene was/is ideal for time-poor cash-rich owner-pilots (i.e. the bulk of the frequently travelling community) and once the training route was deprived of visiting DPEs (that deprivation process was driven by the local monopoly holder, via various means, although he is now finally out of business himself) it started to shrink due to natural wastage and a lack of newcomers. Finally, covid took out a lot of the most frequent travellers, via the big “re-assessment of life priorities” which took place over the 2-3 years.
I see current N-reg owners staying N-reg until they stop flying, however, because those who have a good set-up will never let go of it.
Outside light GA, N-reg lives on nicely.
Of course, the answer is yes. And not only, many light aircraft in Europe (that have been N-reg. for many years) have been moved to EASA-reg in the last couple of years (especially here in Germany). The number one reason is that now one cannot fly with just FAA papers anyway, hence that “market” has evaporated completely, and therefore the main advantage of N-reg. has gone away.
Yes; I added that to my list. But all relevant countries derogated it until 2021. It had a gradual effect, like so much else. The effect would have also depended on the general level of “population obedience” so e.g. Brits mostly ignored it.
What remains now is maintenance advantages, inertia, and for those outside the EASA/UK regs, immunity from the “operator residence” – Channel Islands, Isle of Man, San Marino perhaps.
But nearly zero? I don’t think so.
I was fortunate to have held an FAA licence, not a piggyback. Am also fortunate that I have colleagues that can provide my BFR. I also hold the relevant UK licences. I operate N reg, but my main reason for keeping it on the N reg is, it has always been N registered and the type has a deep and loyal following Stateside. Uninterrupted N reg with full maintenance history is an asset for re sale on these types. I expect converting it to G reg would probably detract from value (possibly massively), and if I came to sell it, I would probably base it back in the USA and find a buyer there.
Peter,
Not to hijack the thread, but point 1 deserves some comments. The requirement to be admitted to the US under an appropriate immigration status (eg M-1 visa or status), before pursuing study courses that lead to some kind of certificate, pre-dates 911.
[Students] can be admitted under a B-1/B-2 visa if the [INS immigration] inspector determines that their course of study is incidental to their primary purpose of pleasure or for a business related purpose. The Immigration and Naturalization Service’s Contacts With Two September 11 Terrorists: A Review of the INS’s Admissions of Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi, its Processing of their Change of Status Applications, and its Efforts to Track Foreign Students in the United States. 20 May 2002. Office of the Inspector General. Footnote 10 to chapter 2. Available on the Wayback Machine.
A US Department of Justice memo issued 12 Apr 2002 clarified that a B-class visa would not be appropriate when the course resulted in a certificate etc. Linked here.
The requirement for a TSA security threat assessment has extra-territorial effect. You should edit point 1 accordingly.
In my post I said it “was” possible.
Also, since the US accepts all training outside the US towards any US paper, any US security requirements can be trivially avoided by flying with an instructor for some other purpose.
Wasn’t Atta training in the US and overtly towards US papers? He had a US CPL/IR, IIRC.
And this was largely done in the old days… The bottom line is that accessibility was better than later.
Worth observing that a number of people in this thread are N-reg and none of them is getting off N-reg 
Peter wrote:
. . . and none of them is getting off N-reg
Not only is there any advantage if one is already on the N register; but I would be interested to know how many continue on ‘N’ for the sake of their IR and how ‘few’ of them have ‘converted’ to a CAA IR?
The cost & complication of doing so for limited gain – as against allowing ‘grandfather rights’ – means, I suspect, that many/most who have FAA IR’s use their IR abroad and their IR(R) at home in the UK.
Indeed; a great concession for UK based pilots. They don’t really need the UK IR. Well, unless wanting to fly high altitude in UK airspace, which often is needed. Also cancelling IFR when returning to the UK without touching UK Class A can get tricky. But you save £500-1k a year not running the UK IR. OTOH it does give you a permanent night passenger carriage privileges.
How many have ignored this reg totally? Previous thread for the UK and I am sure many on the mainland have ignored it too. Zero enforcement, so nobody knows.
It would be interesting to hear why everybody staying on the N-reg is doing so. Bosco?
I know one guy who used to buy a brand new SR22 every 2 years and he went N to G, saying that N-reg ones were getting harder to sell.
Because there is very little advantage in doing so! Esentially only:
And there are various downsides with doing so, particularly:
Sad thread really, considering that
and at the same time nobody asks to see your European papers.N-reg has done more to promote the productive use of GA than anything that anybody in Europe ever did.
