Registration Categories

[Prometheus_au]

Gday all, 

 

I’ve been scouring the classifieds to get the feel of the prices and features of different aircraft with a view to purchasing, however there is something that is confusing me. 
 

Perhaps this has been tackled before but I can’t find the answer so apologies in advance. 
 

I have noticed aircraft labelled as ‘factory built’ carrying a 19-xxxx registration. 
Could someone with more knowledge than I explain this?

 

cheers

 

[kasper]

If it’s got one of the following numbers on the side it’s factory built:

25-  55-  24-  23- 26- 

plus most 32-

 

if it’s got 19- then it’s not “factory” built … except it might have been/‘ish

 

19- reg are either built from scratch by a builder or from a kit by a builder. 
 

that builder can be a factory and it’s one path a factory can use to design and develop an aircraft - build 1 or 2 and register them 19- which is very flexible and then base the factory build on the prototypes that were 19- reg. 
 

so there are 19- reg airframes that were built at a factory by the factory but were effectively pre-production or prototypes that were registered as home built. 
 

other than these few airframes floating around nothing that came out if a factory ad a factory airframe to the accepted certification standard will have 19- on the side.  
 

Sellers may misdescribe a home built that has an equivalent factory build or an importer may historically have been inadvertently given 19- reg on an actual factory airframe.

 

If the first applies it’s just misdescribed but if it was in error registered 19- and should never have been be very cautious- raaus or casa could at any time audit your airframe and ground it until it’s converted to the correct rego and that may be impossible or just expensive. 

[skippydiesel]

Modern composite aircraft do not lend themselves to plans or very basic kit build.  I think I will be close to the mark when I say all are very advanced kits.  The components's are often kiln cured, in a mold - so not a practical kit build in the same sense as a metal/wood aircraft.

 

This does mean they are navigating a vert thin line between factory built & kit built.

 

The up side is that there is little room for aerodynamic or structural variations, that can occur in older style or plans built kits that depend on the skill of the builder.  This should mean more consistent safety and performance between projects.

[kasper]

3 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

Modern composite aircraft do not lend themselves to plans or very basic kit build.  I think I will be close to the mark when I say all are very advanced kits.  The components's are often kiln cured, in a mold - so not a practical kit build in the same sense as a metal/wood aircraft.

 

This does mean they are navigating a vert thin line between factory built & kit built.

 

The up side is that there is little room for aerodynamic or structural variations, that can occur in older style or plans built kits that depend on the skill of the builder.  This should mean more consistent safety and performance between projects.

What has this got to do with

1. registration classifications or

2. the numbers on the side of the plane or

3. answering the actual question asked?

 

If it was built/assembled by anyone other than a factory where they have the ability to issues the aircraft as a complete aircraft with a factory registration under an agreed/accepted design and manufacture process is makes not a jot if it was a set of plans, a dream of the builder or a super fast kit built at the factory by the owner (owner assist).

 

The question was how can 19- reg be a factory aircraft - the short and complete answer is it cannot and it is home built regardless of what degree of kit was used to make it. 

[skippydiesel]

Follows on from your response:  "if it’s got 19- then it’s not “factory” built … except it might have been/‘ish"

 

[NT5224]

On 05/08/2021 at 10:02 AM, Prometheus_au said:

Gday all, 

 

I’ve been scouring the classifieds to get the feel of the prices and features of different aircraft with a view to purchasing, however there is something that is confusing me. 
 

Perhaps this has been tackled before but I can’t find the answer so apologies in advance. 
 

I have noticed aircraft labelled as ‘factory built’ carrying a 19-xxxx registration. 
Could someone with more knowledge than I explain this?

 

cheers

 

Hi Prometheus.

 

My aircraft was registered 19xxxx and is now registered VH experimental with the factory as the builder. So exactly as you say. When we registered VH CASA queried it but I sent them the manufacturers plate and the paperwork and they accepted it. 

 

So I have a factory built aircraft by a company that does not produce aircraft -it only produces kits.

 

Thus what you describe in your OP is entirely possible although the numbers of aircraft involved would be extremely low. If you have seen more than one 19 xxxx 'factory built' aircraft for sale I would be suspicious unless I saw supporting evidence

 

Cheers

 

Alan

Edited August 6, 2021 by NT5224