NAFA member, Air Law Office, P.A., shares two more steps you should consider regarding your aircraft lease agreement.
You’ve set up your operational structure for your “large civil aircraft” and you have your Part 91 lease in place, what now? Whether you have purchased a new-to-you aircraft, or you are changing up your operational structure, you’ve found a new lessee to use your aircraft on a Part 91 basis, there are 2 more steps that you have to take. Many owners and lessees think that the work is finished once the lease agreement is signed, but they are wrong. The FAA requires that 2 separate copies of the lease agreement must be sent to 2 separate offices of the FAA before the aircraft flies under the new lease agreement.
First, under FAR §91.23 within 24 hours of execution, a signed copy of the lease agreement shall be mailed to the FAA Aircraft Registration Branch (AFS-750), Attn: Technical Section, P.O. Box 25724, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Note: filing the lease agreement with Registry to satisfy this truth-in-leasing requirement does not constitute filing under 14 CFR part 47 or 49 to register the aircraft, or to record for public notice.
Second, again under FAR §91.23, the lessee must notify the FSDO closest to the aircraft’s departure airport at least 48 hours prior to the first flight under the lease agreement. This notice can be in-person, via telephone, via fax or via email, depending on the requirements of that FSDO. The notice must include the identity of the departure airport and the proposed time of the departure of said first flight.
The Bottom Line: Be sure to send a copy of the executed lease to Oklahoma City, send a copy to the appropriate FSDO and be sure to carry a copy on-board the aircraft during all applicable operations! Check in with your legal team ASAP to be sure you are in compliance! Remember, this article is intended to inform you about issues that you should discuss with your financial and/or legal team and is not intended as legal advice or opinion, you should not act on any information contained in this (or any other) article without directly consulting legal counsel.
This article was originally published by Air Law Office, P.A. on August 14, 2020.
