advice on importing A 'N' from states

[jxc]

Any advice on importing a 'N' Reg plane from the states dont worry about transport only on import duties ?
VAT ?
how simple to re-register to 'G'


Cheers

JXC

[Chilli Monster]

Import via Denmark.

Danish VAT is 0% on aircraft. There are companies there that will charge you 5% for handling the paperwork, but that's better than 17.5% in the UK.

[Oldpilot55]

It can be a nightmare..don't do it without consultation..mods in the States can require replacement to pass EASA/CAA regs...get a UK certified engineer to do the inspection and paperwork.

The easy bit is dismantling and containerising..or ferrying. The cost saving (minus stress and grey hair) can be trivial.

There will be someone along in a minute to disagree but on acheap aeroplane its a waste of time.

[Sam Rutherford]

I disagree! How long was that?!

Caveat - whilst you keep it on the N register. I have no idea about conversion to G reg - but even for a car it can be difficult so I imagine an aeroplane will at least involve some hurdles. Keep it on the N register, where are the downsides?

I am flying mine back from Florida at the end of next week, via Denmark, to Belgium.

PM me in about 3 weeks time, I'll reply if I survived!

Sam.

[IO540]

Keep it on the N if you can. You will need an FAA PPL to fly it worldwide VFR, and if you get the FAA IR you can do worldwide IFR.

Moving to G can be problematic. The cost will never be less than '£thousands'; the details depending on what mods have been done to the plane. The CAA inspector will print off a list of filed 337s and start by chucking them all out, so you will need to either strip out the said equipment, or pay a company with a design authority to recertify the installation(s). Then he will move to any other nonstandard item and do the same with that. Then he will move to any EASA ADs (most if not all of which would have been FAA ADs and may thus not have been done). With a cheap plane this is unlikely to be worth doing; even the ferry itself. But on a $300k+ tourer, yes, probably.


One gotcha on moving to G is engine life. IIRC, you cannot place a plane onto G if the engine is running on condition, or has gone more than 12 years since an overhaul. But this situation has been changing so I am not up to date. This can be true even if the same plane can go past 12 years etc if already on G.

I bought a new TB20 and had it put on G. It was N-reg in the factory, so somebody spent a lot of time putting it on G. Years later I discovered the FAA IR etc route, and kicked myself for not having known about this from day 1. I ended up back on N having spent £thousands doing that... In this business one is always wiser after the event, and it pays to get clued up and consider one's future requirements carefully.

[jxk]

A lot depends on the aircraft you want to bring in. If it was a Cub (no TC holder) for example it would be an appendix 2 type and could be looked after by a M3 organisation but would need the engine overhauled if it was over TBO. And as has been stated keeping an aircraft on the N reg has restrictions regarding flying outside the UK on a UK PPL. Also to be considered is finding suitable engineers with American A&P to do the maintenance and the aircraft must be registered to a US citizen or trust company. However, a lot of people are considering keeping aircraft on the N reg to avoid all the nonsense being promulgated from EASA at present. If you decide to convert N to G then you will require an Export CofA and I believe the aircraft has to be test flown by the CAA. So as you can see there are quite a few hurdles to overcome and I wonder how long it will be before the flow of aircraft will be back to the US as flying in the UK becomes more prohibitive and expensive and aircraft values drop?

[jxc]

Thank you all for that

I Have now realised that nothing is SIMPLE in aviation and very frustrating

[IO540]

And as has been stated keeping an aircraft on the N reg has restrictions regarding flying outside the UK on a UK PPL

That's correct, you cannot

Also to be considered is finding suitable engineers with American A&P to do the maintenance

Curiously, this is easy as there are many more trusted competent individuals who are A&P/IAs than there are individual freelance LAMEs. N-reg doesn't really save anything on maintenance (except, for the few affected, the expensive and pointless 150hr check) but it gives one greater freedom for managing the maintenance and cherry-picking who does what. With a G-reg, one is more likely to be over somebody's barrel and it will probably get worse under EASA.

Otherwise, anybody can maintain an N-reg so long as an IA inspects and signs off the work. You don't need a company which is an FAA Repair Station or anything like that.

and the aircraft must be registered to a US citizen or trust company.

True.

However, a lot of people are considering keeping aircraft on the N reg to avoid all the nonsense being promulgated from EASA at present. If you decide to convert N to G then you will require an Export CofA

Yes, potentially expensive!

and I believe the aircraft has to be test flown by the CAA. So as you can see there are quite a few hurdles to overcome and I wonder how long it will be before the flow of aircraft will be back to the US as flying in the UK becomes more prohibitive and expensive and aircraft values drop?

I think flying is going to become more divided, due to cost of fuel, lack of GA airfields, etc. The "ultralight" (I use the term loosely) pilots on one side who are on tight budgets and who will make up the bulk and will be continually migrating to farm strips where they can get away from the "airfield politics" crap which is such a waste of many an owner's life, and the "IFR capable" bunch at the other end who will always be able to afford to play at that level.

The holy grail in GA is your own runway and your own hangar (in which you can carry out maintenance) and people will always be drifting towards that, and it cannot generally be achieved outside the farm strip scene.