Reference · built on requestCommons signalAviation & marine

FAA Aircraft Registration Database

Releasable US civil aircraft registrations from the FAA Civil Aviation Registry as a daily comma-delimited bulk download.

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About

The FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Aircraft Registration Branch, publishes the releasable aircraft database as one zip, ReleasableAircraft.zip, refreshed daily at 11:30 pm central time. It holds seven comma-delimited text files: the Aircraft Registration Master file, the Aircraft Reference file by make, model, and series, the Engine Reference file, the Aircraft Document Index, the Deregistered Aircraft file, the Reserve N-Number file, and the Aircraft Dealer Applicant file. ardata.pdf documents every field by position and width. Records mix required data with permissible data that may be blank, and owners can ask the FAA under 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b) to withhold their names and addresses.

Through Fibric, an operator matches an N-number or Mode S code on an account, RFQ, or work order to the Master file and proposes a match note, an expiry reminder, or an evidence packet for your approval.

This is a reference listing. It documents what Fibric would read from FAA Aircraft Registration Database and what it could propose, based on the publisher's published interfaces. Fibric builds it under a managed deployment when you request it; selecting it here installs nothing.

Inputs

  • Master file records by N-Number: Serial Number, Aircraft Mfr Model Code, Engine Mfr Mode Code, Year Mfr, Type Registrant, and Registrant's Name and address
  • Registration status and dates: Status Code, Last Activity Date, Certificate Issue Date, Airworthiness Date, Expiration Date, and the airworthiness classification codes
  • Transponder identity: the 8-character Mode S Code and Mode S Code Hex, with Kit Mfr and Kit Model for kit-built aircraft
  • Aircraft Reference file: Type Aircraft, Type Engine, Builder Certification, Number of Seats, Aircraft Weight, Aircraft Cruising Speed, TC Data Sheet, and TC Data Holder
  • Engine Reference file keyed by engine manufacturer and model code, with Type Engine
  • Deregistered Aircraft records, Reserve N-Numbers with Expiration Notice Date, and Dealer Applicant records with Expiration Date and an expired flag
  • The Aircraft Document Index by Type Collateral and Collateral, with Doc Type added at the end on July 30, 2024

Proposed actions

Read-only. This feed informs operators; it changes nothing.

Proposed actions are target capabilities. Every action runs propose-first and needs a validated deployment and the appropriate permissions.

What you can build

  • Match an N-number on a new trade account

    When an aviation customer applies with an N-number, the operator looks it up in the Master file and proposes approval or a query, citing registrant name, Status Code, and Expiration Date.

    With Account Application

  • Remind a fleet owner before a registration expires

    The operator watches Expiration Date for the N-numbers in your fleet or customer list and proposes a reminder with the record attached.

    With Certification Expiry

  • Attach the registration record to a compliance packet

    For an audit, the operator pulls the Master and Reference rows for each aircraft and proposes an evidence packet stamped with the file's date.

    With Compliance Evidence

Requirements

  • A daily fetch after the 11:30 pm central refresh and a diff against your previous copy; the page lists the zip at 60MB
  • A parser built from ardata.pdf for each file; fields are comma-delimited, with position and width documented per element
  • Tolerance for blank permissible fields, which the FAA says should not be considered in error
  • A policy for records whose owner names and addresses are withheld under 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b)
Authentication
Open download, no key or account. ReleasableAircraft.zip and ardata.pdf come from registry.faa.gov over plain HTTPS.

Limits

  • Bulk download only; there is no query API, so you download the whole database and index it yourself
  • Names and addresses of owners who opted out under 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b) are absent; the FAA notes some records once shown are not now
  • Permissible fields are recorded only when owners provide them and may be blank
  • The Document Index layout changed on July 30, 2024 with Doc Type appended; older parsers need updating

Access and pricing

Reference listing. Public feed access is separate from Fibric integration. If you request this feed, your quote covers the build, usage, and support.

Request FAA Aircraft Registration Database ↗

Questions and answers

How often is the database refreshed?
Daily at 11:30 pm central time. The whole database downloads as ReleasableAircraft.zip; the page lists it at 60MB and links ardata.pdf for file content and configuration.
What files are in the download?
Seven comma-delimited text files: Aircraft Registration Master, Aircraft Dealer Applicant, Aircraft Document Index, Aircraft Reference by Make/Model/Series, Deregistered Aircraft, Engine Reference, and Reserve N-Number. Aircraft Certificate Expiration Date has been added to the Master file.
Why are some owner names missing?
The FAA lets private aircraft owners request under 49 U.S.C. § 44114(b) that personally identifiable information such as names and addresses be withheld from broad dissemination on public FAA websites. The FAA notes some records previously available are no longer shown.
Ask about FAA Aircraft Registration Database

Ask about the capabilities and requirements in this listing.

For project-specific requirements, contact Fibric.

This Commons signal listing is developed, published, and supported by Fibric. It reads public data published by FAA Civil Aviation Registry, Aircraft Registration Branch (registry.faa.gov). Upstream agencies and projects are the property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Fibric and do not sponsor or endorse this listing. Trademark policy