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Which register are you on?

After having bought my airplane I realized that remining on the German register offered several benefits compared to re-register on the Norwegian. So I kept it there.

Later I have come to know that several German airplane owners are keeping their airplanes on the English register!!

So that makes me wonder, which EASA register is the most beneficial to be on and why? Are there huge differences?

I guess they are similar with some pros and cons for each. Most aircraft that are on another EASA register have a history with that country. If I bought a G-reg aircraft I would probably leave it on the UK register because it avoids the cost of switching (new decals/paint) and I have no problem communicating in the UK CAA's language. However, that would be different if I bought a e.g. an aircraft from Poland!

There are very few "standard" aircraft in Germany on a foreign register that is not the US one. For experimentals and Annex II, there often is no way to put it on the German register so it remains on US, Swedish, Lithuanian and until that recent scam Russian register.

I just talked to an owner in Germany who said that he had it on the English register because it was less expensive compared to the German.

For me, I think it's ok to deal with the LBA. Here are some advantages:

  • I have my own instandhaltungsprogramm, not possible in Norway
  • I can keep engines and propellers more than 6 year, not possible in Norway
  • fees are lower
  • More maintenance shops to choose from

I think compared to Norway, everything is cheaper everywhere else

The maintenance shop argument shouldn't apply. All shops have approval for all EASA regs.

I think compared to Norway, everything is cheaper everywhere else

That certainly wasn't my experience as a member of the Sola Flyklubb 12-13 years ago....the cost to fly was roughly half that of the UK (ca. 650 Kr/hr for C172/PA28)

At the same time a pint of beer was roughly twice the cost of the UK! :)

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

Fuel is cheaper in Norway I guess. Today you would have paid 160 pounds an hour.

However, my experience is that maintenance and fees are much more exensive compared to Germany and other countries as well.

The maintenance shop argument shouldn't apply. All shops have approval for all EASA regs.

Well, but if there is only one or two to choose from, prices tends to rise significantly.

This is not my area of expertise but surely today it doesn't matter which EU reg you are on.

I know that until fairly recently it did matter and e.g. for an F-reg plane you had to find something like a French engineer to sign it off.

N-reg is a very different thing and is absolutely brilliant for some owners (whose who know exactly what they want to do and have the right contacts) and is difficult for the others.

The biggest problem, which is not affected by the registry you are on, is that a lot of aircraft maintenance is done by complete muppets who tick all the boxes and bodge what they can. I've just popped over to Cherbourg for the day and noticed pretty severe vibration on the centre avionics stack. It turned out that the top of the compass (on top of the stack) was touching the windscreen. In fact the firm (EASA145, FAR145, EASA21, etc) which installed the TCAS system just jammed the trim covering the centre stack between the metal chassis and the window material. They did a load of bodges I already found but this was a new one. I now have to sort it out...

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Fuel is cheaper in Norway I guess. Today you would have paid 160 pounds an hour.

Just checked...a reasonably well equipped C172 goes for £115/hr at SFK vs £145 here....and no landing fee (club has annual landing kort)....even a G1000 equipped C172 is ca. £140/hr.... So Norway is still surprisingly cheap (for renters)

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

The exchange rate has also changed since you were there

At SFK:

  • C-172 A, KR 1440 = £164
  • C-172 B, KR 1260 = £143
  • PA28, KR 1380 = £157

In addition you will be charges for 16% of that price as a "taxi time" charge for each time you rent. So, in my opinion more or less the same if you count in the landing fees.

I guess the SFK website is out of date then.....

YPJT, United Arab Emirates
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