Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group.&nbsp;He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion,&nbsp;the&nbsp;student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot&nbsp;magazine, he joined&nbsp;AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.

Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

About 800 aircraft—including 52 turboprops, business jets, and turbine helicopters—registered with the FAA under trustee Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc. (SACI) are now grounded because they no longer have valid registrations, the U.S. agency said on Tuesday. According to the FAA, all of SACI’s aircraft registration certificates are invalid, effective immediately, because the company violated U.S. citizenship requirements when it submitted the registration applications. The FAA also instructed SACI to surrender all these certificates within 21 days.
“SACI registered aircraft for U.S. citizens and foreign nationals using trust agreements,” the FAA said. “To register an aircraft using a trust agreement, the company/trustee must either be a U.S. citizen or a resident alien.” However, SACI violated FAA regulations regarding U.S. citizenship requirements, the agency noted.
“The invalid certificates of aircraft registration will result in the immediate grounding of all aircraft registered to SACI,” the FAA noted. “To operate legally, affected aircraft owners must reregister their aircraft either through another country’s aircraft registry or in the U.S. by submitting an aircraft registration application to the FAA, along with evidence of ownership, and paying the $5 registration fee. Aircraft owners will then have temporary authority to operate within the U.S. until the applicant receives a certificate of aircraft registration or until the FAA denies the application.”
While this temporary authority does not cover flights outside the U.S., an applicant for registration who operates an aircraft outside the U.S. can submit a declaration of international operations at the time of application to receive expedited processing.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

FAA Grounds 800 Aircraft due to Invalid Registrations under Trustee SACI

Company did not meet U.S. citizen requirements to act as aircraft registry owner trustee

About 800 aircraft registered with the FAA under trustee Southern Aircraft Consultancy are now grounded because they have invalid registrations.

FAA Grounds 800 Aircraft due to Invalid Registrations

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