N-Number change - paint cost?

Hang 4

Hang 4

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Hang 4
Thinking about changing my N-Number. I have one that is all digits, which almost always gets mangled by ATC and it's a bit of a tongue twister. I have reserved a number that has some significance (Wedding anniversary for numbers, mine and my wife's first and last initial for letters) that is a bit easier to communicate.

What I was wondering, does anyone have recent experience with changing one. Looking specifically at paint cost. My paint is in good shape, a few small spots that could benefit from touch up. What might it cost to just repaint the N-Number? The current one is painted and some colors run behind it. Three colors involved in total.
 
You might look at using a vinyl adhesive N number with a background color to cover up the old N number. Have seen it done but don't any more that other than I believe they used Aero Graphics out of CO I think.
 
Piggybacking on - if you have the small N-numbers (I have a 53 170B - they are on the vert stab) - if you change the N-number, do you have to automatically go to the larger size letters?
 
No, you do not need to go the large numbers when you repaint. Bell quotes the right FAR but misinterprets it. He misses the exception under 45.29(b)(1)(iv) which allows older aircraft to comply with 45.22.
45.22(b) says if your aircraft was built 30 years ago (which your 170 certainly does qualify), then you can get by with 2" numbers.

The only time you need 12" numbers is if you are going to fly through the ADIZ. In that case you can get by with temporary stick-on numbers.
 
I went from 12" to 3" numbers back in 2009 when I repainted my 1967 M20E because it fit better with the paint scheme I had done. Carried around a copy of the reg Ron mentioned above because so many people were saying I was wrong and needed to have the 12" numbers to be legal. The so called "experts" were wrong...;)

The confusion in the reg stems from a rewrite in 1981 (don't quote me on that year though) that specifically said new aircraft had to have 12" registration numbers. Aircraft produced before that date with small numbers were grandfathered until such time that they got repainted (if they were still under 30 years old). Once you reach 30, you can go with anything between 2" and 12".

Brian
 
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I changed and replaced my N-number about a year ago and used vinyl lettering. 11 inches high. Luckily the old ones were vinyl too.
Took my time and it looks great. Blue with silver shadowing to match to stripes This is my employee number at my company which I've had for 36 years. Rolls right off my tongue
 
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I have yet to experience ATC getting my tail number correct. I have to read it back to them slowly every time. It's a palindrome. It reads the same forward and backward.
 
I had a buddy whose N number was like N25000 or something. I thought it was neat but he changed it as ATC never got it right.
 
Vinyl numbers are good. Cirrus uses them on factory-new planes.

When I wanted a new number for my Cirrus (I’m the fourth owner), it was easy for the shop to peel off the old, buff, and apply new.

If had painted-on numbers, I would just have that one small part of the airframe stripped and repainted with the base color, and then apply new vinyl numbers.
 
Bell206 said:
My bad. You're correct. To me "antique" aircraft are Stearmans and T-6s. Not Cessna 170s.

EDIT: you're good to go on the small numbers. ;)
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im going to write this date down, you don't miss one to often bell206. :D
 
flyingron said:
I had a buddy whose N number was like N25000 or something. I thought it was neat but he changed it as ATC never got it right.
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Well if anything else I would change it to N25007

AXB 007 long final traffic in pattern exit or be destroyed.
 
I used the vinyl numbers from Sportys when I imported my Grumman. They are holding up well and were cheap. The DAR didnt have a problem with them.
 
Bell206 said:
You might look at using a vinyl adhesive N number with a background color to cover up the old N number. Have seen it done but don't any more that other than I believe they used Aero Graphics out of CO I think.
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That’s what lots of planes do.

Mine has a custom number, nice paint, but the N is still vinyl just in case it ever gets changed.
 
flyingron said:
I had a buddy whose N number was like N25000 or something. I thought it was neat but he changed it as ATC never got it right.
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Years ago a telco phone operator (remember them?) read back a phone number to me that had a thrice repeated digit as (in this case) "zero, double zero". I thought that very clear and have tried to use it myself since. No idea if RT convention would allow it and it still results in some confusions and requests for a repeat but as I recall it was a better way to do it. Not as good as a new number though:)
 
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