Flight Standards Service
Civil Aviation Registry
We have a staff of approximately 240 people who interact in one way or another with over 1 million customers every year. On an annual basis we:
- Issue an average of 70,000 aircraft registration certificates and 180,000 airmen certificates
- Provide information to over 140,000 telephone callers
- Reserve 17,000 special aircraft registration numbers (N-Numbers)
- Update over 150,000 addresses, and provide many other services
In addition, we use our systems to provide information to FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors, National Transportation Safety Board investigators, and law enforcement agencies to support their aviation safety activities.
To better accomplish our mission, we are in the midst of a major undertaking to improve on our already efficient service. We will cease using traditional media for the storage of our aircraft and airmen records that have been kept on microfiche, microfilm, and paper; and store those records on digital media. We are also changing the way we process and track the work that is received here at the Civil Aviation Registry.
We have completed the conversion of our historical records and now have approximately 100 million digital image files for our aircraft and airmen records. Each document in our historical records has been scanned on both sides, to produce the 50 million documents in digital format. In 2002 the legal system of records format for aircraft information was formally changed to digital images and aircraft records can now be provided on CD’s in Adobe PDF format.
In addition, we have developed an automated workflow system that will enable us to scan incoming documents and create digital image "work packets" that will be routed electronically through the appropriate work processes here at the Registry. This will allow us to direct work to the appropriate members of our workforce and to instantaneously determine the status of any application/document package we have received.
Currently, we project the automated workflow system will be in place and operational in early 2007. We are also working to expand this Web site so that some of the services we provide can be conducted over the Internet. Services already available include N number reservation and renewal, change of address for airmen, etc. We have specific legal requirements for some of our services, which don't yet lend themselves to electronic commerce, but we plan to make additional services available in the very near future.
We also assist in programs affecting aviation safety by providing statistics and aiding in publicizing the safety programs held in the various FAA regions. The Registry also assists law enforcement agencies by providing technical advice and certified copies of records. The Registry represents the FAA in Federal Court hearings as custodian of the official agency records for both aircraft and airmen.
