N12345, legal?

[\__[Ô]__/]

I've watched flightaware and seen several cases of N12345 flying into a local airport. I'm assuming it's not actually N12345 (they couldn't come up with a better fake tail number?). I assume they are doing this to avoid having their real tail number tracked. Is this legal? And does this get them off the hook if they do something like bust airspace, since their tailnumber isn't traceable?

 

[saracelica]

Most towers have binoculars they use so if the "fake" plane does something dumb I hope they're smart enough to cover up the real numbers.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=12345&x=18&y=13

 

[ZeroPapaGolf]

Looking at Flightaware, they've filed it as a C172, PA-28, M20T, PA31, C310, and C525, all within a few days of each other. Something isn't quite right.

 

[Palmpilot]

It's OK as long as they only transmit on 123.45 MHz.

 

[Z06_Mir]

They probably don't want to pay to use the dotcom callsign.

 

[douglas393]

Look up the FAA registry, and the original owner of the N-number is on Corporal Frank Scott Drive, who was the first enlisted soldier to die in an aviation accident, and who Scott AFB is named after.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_S._Scott

 

[pericynthion]

I wonder if there's any chance some of these 12345s could be ATC entering "fingers" into the data block, perhaps when dealing with an aircraft that wouldn't need to be handed off to another controller?

 

[\__[Ô]__/]

Looking at Flightaware, they've filed it as a C172, PA-28, M20T, PA31, C310, and C525, all within a few days of each other. Something isn't quite right.

That's my point. I assume people are filing that to avoid having their plane track available under its real tailnumber. Wondering if there is another explanation, or if that is legal to file with a false tailnumber.

I wonder if there's any chance some of these 12345s could be ATC entering "fingers" into the data block, perhaps when dealing with an aircraft that wouldn't need to be handed off to another controller?

i guess that's possible.