How difficult to switch country of registration to N Reg?

Peter wrote:

You need to be careful because if the process goes wrong after the Export CofA has been done, and the owner of the hangar where it is sitting is not playing ball, it is possible to end up in limbo, with a plane which is worth just the scrap metal.

Yes. The main cut-off is not the export Cof A but the deregistration, but it does not make a difference: before formalizing the export process with the exporting authority, you need to have an IA+DAR lined up, evaluated the available records and agreed on the process: even if that cost you a few AMUs, it is not wasted money because

a) If the result is bad, at least you save the airplane, and
b) if the result is good, the effort is valid towards the import so not wasted nor duplicated

As a reminder, I manage this kind of processes for a living.

@dantheg What would be more interesting: what are the reasons you to chose to
do so? With all those people saying it doesn‘t have any advantages any more?

Malibuflyer wrote:

e.g. is a PA-28, it is extremely unlikely that there exists an (EASA) documentation

As a concept, that is not relevant unless it is difficult or impossible to do it under FAA.
In short: any relevant FAA requirements which are not complied with at the time of EASA export, should be listed as exceptions on the export CofA and can be complied with before the DAR issues his new CofA.
Alternately, if the FAA task involved does not result in a non-airworthy aircraft in EASA-land (like the NDT on the PA28 spar) , you can do it before export.

One (rare) example where this does not work is a former AD requiring O2generator deactivation in large aircraft lavatories in the FAA, for security reasons, which is a non-airworthy configuration in EASA-land. So in practice you could only do the work either through an exemption or while in between EASA and FAA airworthiness. This is a very rare situation.

what are the reasons you to chose to
do so? With all those people saying it doesn‘t have any advantages any more?

FAA IR?

Save for certain partial temporary exemptions, expiring this year, having a FAA IR, is no longer sufficient, even on N-regs, to fly IFR in Europe…

Maybe will not be the case for FAA IR holders with aircrafts based in UK?

But for EU based aircraft it’s pretty much “that dog does not hunt !”

Save for certain partial temporary exemptions, expiring this year, having a FAA IR, is no longer sufficient, even on N-regs, to fly IFR in Europe…

That is true, except that

• nobody has ever been prosecuted under this
• nobody, especially not EASA, has ever defined the circumstances under which the “operator” is resident or not
• the UK adopted EU law as of 31/12/2020 but is not subject to changes or clarifications after that, and the ANO version doesn’t define the relevant terms either
• the UK has derogated this clause every year since 2011, one way or another

I’d say the main reason to be N-reg is for the “ground situation management” which, for people in the right position, is vastly superior, especially for a nontrivial aircraft type.

OTOH, N-reg is for many other people just a big hassle:

• No local FAA A&P/IA → loads of hassle
• No local FAA CFI → loads of hassle getting the BFR
• No approaches at base airport and flying very low annual hours and flying only in CAVOK wx → loads of hassle getting the 6/6 FAA IR currency

I have known pilots in all three above categories, and you’d be surprised who they were

Plenty of N and M reg aircraft operated commercially in Europe with the crew on FAA licences? Is this a private EU resident issue? or is it for a piggy back FAA licence on a EASA licence related.

For crew with full FAA licences and ratings can’t see how this would work? American and United aren’t about to get EASA licences

boscomantico wrote:

Save for certain partial temporary exemptions, expiring this year, having a FAA IR, is no longer sufficient, even on N-regs, to fly IFR in Europe…

…if you are an operator based in the EU.