Data sources and method

Last updated October 9, 2026.

Source

All aircraft data comes from the FAA Releasable Aircraft Database, which the Federal Aviation Administration publishes daily. As a work of the U.S. government it's in the public domain. We use these files:

• MASTER: every aircraft currently on the US civil registry, with registrant, status, dates and Mode S code.
• DEREG: deregistered aircraft, with cancellation date and export country.
• ACFTREF and ENGINE: manufacturer, model, aircraft type and engine type.

How often

We download the release once a day, usually early morning Eastern time. Each page shows the date of the release it's based on.

What we change

• We translate codes (status, registrant type, aircraft and engine type, airworthiness class) into plain English using the FAA's published field definitions.
• We leave out N-numbers that are only reserved or assigned and not registered.
• We don't show individual registrants' names or any street address on free pages (see privacy).

How we detect changes

• Certificate issued: the registration certificate issue date falls within the period. This covers new owners and renewals.
• New registration, ownership change, renewal, moved: found by comparing each day's release with the previous day's. A new N-number on the registry is a new registration; a changed registrant with a new certificate date is an ownership change; a new certificate date with the same registrant is a renewal; a changed registrant state is a move.
• Deregistered: the cancellation date in the DEREG file, with the export country when the FAA lists one.
• Expiring: the registration expiration date falls in the next 120 days.

These labels describe changes in the public record. They aren't FAA determinations, and paperwork can reach the FAA's release days or weeks after a sale.

Aircraft and state pages

Model and state pages count aircraft on the current registry (excluding reserved and unassigned N-numbers) and are rebuilt from each release. Models with fewer than 100 registered aircraft don't get their own page.

Corrections

We copy the FAA's data as published. To correct an official record, contact the FAA Aircraft Registration Branch. If you think we've processed something wrong, email ronald@aeonis.pro with the N-number.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA or the U.S. Department of Transportation.