WIX Archives
Dataplates are often meaningless...
Posted by bdk on Wed Nov 21, 2001 04:48:45 PM
In reply top Re: Was: Beware parts consolidation posted by Gregory Alegi on Tue Nov 20, 2001 11:55:16 AM
I am aware of a number of warbird aircraft now flying with switched dataplates. Some for potentially nefarious reasons, others not. There are also degrees of this that depend on ones intent.
What say ye about the following examples? Please rank them in order of unacceptableness and whether they should be legal or illegal:
1. The aircraft is stolen (which in itself is a crime- FAA
notwithstanding). Changing the identity makes this a different aircraft. How do I prove that it isn't yours? Does anyone have a list of serial numbers for all the
component parts (if they were even serialized from the factory)? I think not!
2. The bank that held the lien against this aircraft is out of business and the bank that took over their loans can't find the records after 25 years. The previous owner said that the bank was paid off in full, but you didn't
register the aircraft immediately (and didn't do a title search since the seller seemed honest), so you didn't know about the lien. The seller has subsequently died while you were restoring the aircraft. The bank never sent a "Chattel Mortgage Release" to the FAA so now that the airplane is
restored, you cannot legally transfer ownership into your name. Maybe you can switch the data plate and avoid a hassle with the FAA in clearing up the title?
3. I have this P-51 that I recovered from East Slobovia. Rather than go through the hassle of an FAA conformity inspection for the Limited category, I have substituted the data plate from civilian registered P-51 destroyed in
a crash 20 years ago and I am using that airworthiness certificate. Oh, and I had to stamp out a new data plate because the old one was torn in half as a result of the crash... Now that my 100 point restoration is complete, I
can have my IA buddy sign off the annual inspection and go fly.
4. I have 3 T-6 projects. I have combined the data plate, airworthiness certificate, and OBS knob from one, and all the other parts from the other parts aircraft. Is this still a T-6? Is this legal? Please prove that it isn't!
5. I have a Harvard IV made by Canadian Car and Foundry (which incidentally used mostly WW2 surplus North American Aviation parts). I also have a T-6G data plate and registration which I bought from Banaire Enterprises (an
outfit that used to sell a lot of these- and there is nothing illegal about this). I now put this plate on my Harvard, and call the FAA for a conformity inspection to the T-6G standard. The FAA buys it and gives me an
airworthiness certificate. Now my T-6G is in the standard airworthiness category rather than the experimental exhibition category it would have been in otherwise. Have I broken the law? Show me where!
I realize things are different in Europe (and elsewhere), but I'm sure these opportunities exist in those places as well. I hesitate to call them loopholes, because then someone will want to make a law to close them...and
before you know it everything is grounded! I have also found that from one FAA office to the next that the rules are different...
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this, especially from those that own or have owned warbirds.
: Finally, I seem to recall reading in a magazine, many year
: s ago, that in the USA it is a Federal offense to transpla
: nt dataplates (and hence identities). Can anyone confirm t
: his, possibly with a FAR or USC reference?