Reg numbers on wings

[Fearless Tower]

Any history buffs happen to know when the CAB/FAA stopped requiring registration numbers to be displayed on the wings?

Also, what year did they drop the C from registration numbers, ie went to N12345 vs NC12345?

 

[tonycondon]

I *think* the NC, NX, NR etc registration numbers went away after WWII

 

[Steve]

http://www.aahs-online.org/articles/N-number.htm

 

[Fearless Tower]

Thanks for the link - although unless I missed something, I didn't see anything mentioned about the display of the N-number (ie on the wings).

 

[Fearless Tower]

Disregard - I just found it on the FAA website - 1960 was the year that they did away with the requirement to display N-numbers on wings.

 

[Pilawt]

Disregard - I just found it on the FAA website - 1960 was the year that they did away with the requirement to display N-numbers on wings.

Hm. Piper airplanes started coming from the factory with 12" numbers on the fuselage -- and nothing on the wings -- beginning with the 1958 model year.

Likewise the 1957 Beech H35 Bonanza (though they went back to the wings for '58-'61).

Cessna made the switch for the 1962 model year.

 

[Fearless Tower]

Wouldn't be the first time the FAA had their facts messed up....

 

[dmccormack]

If your airplane was an NC, you can still use NC.

I do.

 

[Fearless Tower]

If your airplane was an NC, you can still use NC.

I do.

Do you need any record as such?

Mine (or soon to be mine) was built and delivered in '48 - according to the FAA, the NC was officially dropped on 31 December 1948, so I believe it left Cessna with a NC tail number displayed. When I paint it in a couple months, can I go back to the NC? I believe I can, but want to make sure.

 

[Pilawt]

Do you need any record as such?

Mine (or soon to be mine) was built and delivered in '48 - according to the FAA, the NC was officially dropped on 31 December 1948, so I believe it left Cessna with a NC tail number displayed. When I paint it in a couple months, can I go back to the NC? I believe I can, but want to make sure.

Yes you can. See FAR 45.22(b):

[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica](b) A small U.S.-registered aircraft built at least 30 years ago or a U.S.-[/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]registered aircraft for which an experimental certificate has been issued[/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] under Sec. 21.191(d) or 21.191(g) for operation as an exhibition aircraft or[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]as an amateur-built aircraft and which has the same external configuration as[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]an aircraft built at least 30 years ago may be operated without displaying[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]marks in accordance with Secs. 45.21 and 45.23 through 45.33 if:[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (1) It displays in accordance with Sec. 45.21(c) marks at least 2 inches[/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] high on each side of the fuselage or vertical tail surface consisting of the [/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]Roman capital letter "N" followed by:[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (i) The U.S. registration number of the aircraft; or[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (ii) The symbol appropriate to the airworthiness certificate of the[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] aircraft ("C", standard; "R", restricted; "L", limited; or "X", experimental) [/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]followed by the U.S. registration number of the aircraft; and[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (2) It displays no other mark that begins with the letter "N" anywhere on[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]the aircraft, unless it is the same mark that is displayed under paragraph[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (b)(1) of this section.[/FONT]
​

[emphases added]

In other words, you can display it as, for example, "NC12345" on the tail (and wings, too, if you like) as it was in the old days -- but the FAA registration will still officially be "N12345".

 

[dmccormack]

In other words, you can display it as, for example, "NC12345" on the tail (and wings, too, if you like) as it was in the old days -- but the FAA registration will still officially be "N12345".

Yep. So 2" NC24286 is on the tail (all same size, all non-serif font).

 

[Tom-D]

Any history buffs happen to know when the CAB/FAA stopped requiring registration numbers to be displayed on the wings?

Also, what year did they drop the C from registration numbers, ie went to N12345 vs NC12345?

when you place the big numbers on the wings, they are just a paint scheme, no real meaning. so you must comply with FAR 45. with tail numbers.

but the real question is which wing get them placed on top, and which gets them on the bottom, and what size were they?

 

[Fearless Tower]

but the real question is which wing get them placed on top, and which gets them on the bottom, and what size were they?

Not sure about the size, but from the photos I've seen of the airliners in the 40's and some of the restored 170s, the number was on the underside of the left wing and top of the right.

Other thing I found out on the 170 board is that Cessna apparently used 4" numbers on the tails not 2".

Also just found out that Cessna stopped using the "C" well before the Dec 31st deadline - mine would have left the factory without the "C" so I don't think I'll add it.

 

[Tom-D]

Not sure about the size, but from the photos I've seen of the airliners in the 40's and some of the restored 170s, the number was on the underside of the left wing and top of the right.

Other thing I found out on the 170 board is that Cessna apparently used 4" numbers on the tails not 2".

Also just found out that Cessna stopped using the "C" well before the Dec 31st deadline - mine would have left the factory without the "C" so I don't think I'll add it.

Remembering history, there were no civil aircraft built after Dec 7 41, and when the factories started building again it was authorized not to use the (type) letter. the 48 year was the last date they could be delivered with the (type) letter.

 

[wanttaja]

Yes you can. See FAR 45.22(b):

[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica](b) A small U.S.-registered aircraft built at least 30 years ago or a U.S.-[/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]registered aircraft for which an experimental certificate has been issued[/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] under Sec. 21.191(d) or 21.191(g) for operation as an exhibition aircraft or[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]as an amateur-built aircraft and which has the same external configuration as[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]an aircraft built at least 30 years ago may be operated without displaying[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]marks in accordance with Secs. 45.21 and 45.23 through 45.33 if:[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (1) It displays in accordance with Sec. 45.21(c) marks at least 2 inches[/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] high on each side of the fuselage or vertical tail surface consisting of the [/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]Roman capital letter "N" followed by:[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (i) The U.S. registration number of the aircraft; or[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (ii) The symbol appropriate to the airworthiness certificate of the[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] aircraft ("C", standard; "R", restricted; "L", limited; or "X", experimental) [/FONT][FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]followed by the U.S. registration number of the aircraft; and[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (2) It displays no other mark that begins with the letter "N" anywhere on[/FONT] [FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica]the aircraft, unless it is the same mark that is displayed under paragraph[/FONT]
[FONT=Century Gothic, Arial, Helvetica] (b)(1) of this section.[/FONT]
​

[emphases added]

In other words, you can display it as, for example, "NC12345" on the tail (and wings, too, if you like) as it was in the old days -- but the FAA registration will still officially be "N12345".

Since the average GA aircraft is 35 years old, the majority of our aircraft are allowed to use the NC- NX- , etc. registration marks....

Ron Wanttaja

 

[Pilawt]

but the real question is which wing get them placed on top, and which gets them on the bottom, and what size were they?

These photos might help ...

The 'NC' numbers on the 1946 photo look considerably larger than the 'N' mark on the 1950 C-140A.

 

[Tom-D]

Where would you find the info?