Registering an EU CofA Aircraft in UK?
 

I'm in the process of looking for an aircraft it it is immediately obvious that the choice and amount of aircraft available grows significantly if you extend the search into Europe.

Whilst there is a lot of info on the Internet regarding US to EU import, I'm struggling to find much on what's involved in bringing say a D registered aircraft from Germany into the UK and getting it a G registration.

From what I have found (mainly from the CAP562) it would appear that so long as it is EASA CofA, and has a valid ARC in the country of origin, it is a paperwork only exercise with a fee of around £300 to get it UK registered and usable / maintainable in the same way as any aircraft you might buy in the UK.

Can anyone confirm, deny or inform on this? Somehow it just feels too simple to be right!

Many thanks for any input or clarification. :)

It is that simple and it takes about 2 weeks to bring the plane to G-reg. This is one way currently discussed in Germany to f*** german LBA and go CAA, i.e. here (in German): https://aopa.de/aktuell/cessna-sids-...-wer-kann.html

Thanks ChickenHouse - just as soon as EASA and CAA were in the same sentence I was convinced I was missing something big :O

Looks like it is form filling then, so search now extended to include Europe, which opens many additional possibilities!

Thanks again!

Are there no calendar/on-condition issues anymore? ISTR that was a stumbling block in the past, though I could be wrong.

A "paperwork" exercise could still mean problems. What about modifications that the previous NAA approved, but that the CAA don't like? Or are they all one big happy family now under EASA?

And what about the CAA standard mods like the low volts light that no-one else seems to require?

andrewgr2
 

If it is an EASA annex 1 type things like the low volts and starter relay light are no longer required.

Some might say the withdrawal of these requirements is an example of the failures of EASA, safety requirements withdrawn but instead of these items the owner has to spend the money on EASA paperwork that has no practical safety benefit.

The interest in UK registry is due to a number of states requiring the SID's checks to be done on all Cessna aircraft, The UK CAA has taken the view that these checks are advisory and so aircraft will be flooding onto the UK register to avoid the cost of having to do these checks. This seems to have prompted the European fedralists to propose a European aircraft registry to replace national aircraft registrys.

Guess it all depends on the self adjusting chaos of EASA Part M, the interpretation of same by engineers, the enlightenment or not of your local NAA, and how much money you want to pay out, and how much DIY maintenance work you might want.

I kept my Robin on the French register for ten years and saved shed loads of money by doing all the maintenance myself.

Not sure if I would do that now as the UK CAA seem to have become much more GA friendly. Whatever you decide, make sure the aeroplane is maintained according to the manufacturers maintenance programme, and not some cobbled up generic concoction.

Good luck :)