Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks — Page 64, Lesson 112

Let's start with the registration mark itself. The mark may consist of letters, numbers, or a combination of both, and it is assigned by the State of Registry — that's the country that has the aircraft on its register — or by the common mark registering authority, which we'll get to in a moment. The mark is chosen from a list of available marks, meaning marks that have not previously been issued, applicable to that State of Registry. Now, section 4.4 introduces the Common Mark. This is a special case. A common mark replaces a nationality mark where the aircraft is owned, or operated, by an operator registered in more than one country. So instead of one country's nationality mark, you use a common mark. In this case, the common mark is allocated by the ITU — that's the International Telecommunication Union — and ICAO specifies a state to exercise the responsibilities of the State of Registry. That state is known as the common mark registering authority. The common mark registering authority also performs the function of the State of Registry with regard to the continuing airworthiness of the aircraft. So it's not just registration — it also handles the ongoing airworthiness oversight. Presently, the common mark 4YB is issued by ICAO to Arab Air Cargo Incorporated, which is based in Jordan and Iraq, for registering aircraft operated by that organization. ICAO has specified that Jordan performs the other functions of the common mark registering authority. Next, section 4.5 covers Exclusions. Certain combinations of letters are not permitted to be used as registration letters or as parts of a registration mark. These are combinations used for specific distress traffic indicators or internationally accepted communication abbreviations. Specifically, the excluded ones are: SOS, which is the distress signal in Morse; PAN, which indicates urgency; XXX, which is urgency in Morse; TTT, which is safety, or Sécurité, in Morse; the 'Q' codes, like QNH, QRT, QUG, and so on; and 5-letter combinations of the international Code of Signals. So those are all reserved and cannot appear in a registration mark. Now we move to the Certification of Registration, section 4.6. The certificate of registration is an official document certifying that the State of Registry has registered an aircraft. The certificate is to be carried in the aircraft at all times. It contains several specific items: the nationality or common mark; the registration mark; the manufacturer's designation of the aircraft; the serial number of the aircraft; the name and address of the owner; a certificate that it has been entered on the register of the State; and a dated signature of the registering officer. So that's the full content of the certificate. Finally, we have Aircraft Markings, sections 4.7 through 4.9. The nationality or common mark and the registration mark are to be painted on the aircraft, or affixed by any other means ensuring a similar degree of permanence. The marks shall be kept clean and visible at all times. For heavier-than-air aircraft, the required markings are to appear on the lower surface, the underside, of the wing; on the fuselage between the wings and the tail; or on the upper half of the vertical tail surface. And the size of the markings: on the wings, they are to be at least 50 centimeters high; on the fuselage and vertical surfaces, 30 centimeters high. So there's a specific minimum height for each location.