FAQ
Questions, answered.
Short, honest answers about the aircraft registry and how we use it.
Where does the data come from?
The FAA Releasable Aircraft Database, which the FAA publishes every day as a public record. We download it daily. See data sources.
How current is it?
We load each daily FAA release, usually the morning after it's published. The FAA's own release can lag paperwork by days or weeks, so always confirm on the official registry.
Is this an official FAA record?
No. It's a copy of public FAA data, organized for search. For anything official, such as title or a purchase, use the FAA registry and a title search.
Why don't free pages show owner names for some aircraft?
The FAA publishes registrant names and addresses. On free pages we leave out the names of individual owners and all street addresses. Pro exports include the full public record for business use.
What counts as a “change”?
New registrations, ownership changes, renewals, moves to another state, deregistrations (including exports) and registrations that expire within 120 days. Ownership changes, renewals and moves are detected by comparing one day's release with the previous one.
Can I use registrant details for marketing?
Pro exports are for lawful business use. You're responsible for following the laws that apply to how you contact people, including CAN-SPAM, the TCPA and do-not-call rules, and for honoring opt-out requests.
Does it cover aircraft outside the US?
No. It covers aircraft on the US civil registry (N-numbers). Exports show the destination country when an aircraft leaves the registry.
Is it free?
Lookups and the last 30 days of changes are free with no account. Pro adds 120 days of history, full exports, saved searches, tracked aircraft and alert feeds.
Is Aeonis affiliated with the FAA?
No. We use public FAA data but aren't affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA or the Department of Transportation.