Rebuilding and registering a Canadian deregistered plane

[zshotts]

Hello this is my first post to EAA, long time lurker been wanting to build a plane since I was in high school, however the typical hectic pace of life has kept me from doing so. However, I went to Air Venture last year took my 11 year old daughter and she had a ball and I think it is time. I am an engineer and have built several houses, race cars, and worked on everything in between. Anyways to the question at hand has anyone bought a deristered plane from Canada and rebuilt it? I have found a kit I am interested in that was built and registered there but taken apart for repower and never completed. I believe i can handle the project but wanted to try and see if anyone has any idea how difficult it will be to get i registered here? The plane is fabric and I would completely rebuild it if I went this route. Any information on this process would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Zshotts

[Joda]

Zshotts,

Some clarification: Was the aircraft issued a certificate of airworthiness in Canada, or simply registered? Second, are the build records from Canada included with the project? Canada's amateur-built regulations are not the same as the US, and there many Canadian amateur-built aircraft that do not qualify for an amateur-built certificate in the US. You need to be able to prove that the aircraft a) meets the 51% rule here in the US, and b) was built by amateur builders in Canada. Without the original construction records, this would be virtually impossible to prove.

Assuming the aircraft did indeed hold an airworthiness certificate in Canada, any work you do on the project is considered repair or restoration, rather than building, and would not count toward a 51% rule determination. So the Canadian construction records are pivotal in getting an airworthiness certificate here in the US.

[zshotts]

According to the seller, the airplane was registered in Canada and flew for 220 hours before being deregistered, at which point he bought it from the original builder. He stated he has the build logs and log book and original builder manual.

The plane is a 1993 kitfox model 4 if that helps.

[melann]

As JODA has stated, amateur built aircraft brought into the U.S. from Canada are treated almost the same as if it were built here. The applicant must show that it was more than 50% built by amateurs for the purpose of education or recreation. The only difference might be the requirements for phase I flight testing. This CAN be a gray area depending on proof of adequate flight testing in Canada. I've done quite a few of these.

[zshotts]

So i talked to the original builder in Canada and he wasnt sure where any of the builder log information was but i do have the registartion information from Canada and he said that he still receives the registration renewal every few years.

Without the build log is this a dead end?

[Sam Buchanan]

So i talked to the original builder in Canada and he wasnt sure where any of the builder log information was but i do have the registartion information from Canada and he said that he still receives the registration renewal every few years.

Without the build log is this a dead end?

Don't see how you could prove compliance with the 51% rule without builder logs.

There are other projects out there that won't have the obstacles associated with this one......keep on kicking tires. :)

[martymayes]

So i talked to the original builder in Canada and he wasnt sure where any of the builder log information was but i do have the registartion information from Canada and he said that he still receives the registration renewal every few years.

Without the build log is this a dead end?

What happens when you plug the registration info into the Canadian civil aircraft register?

If you can't prove it's amateur built then you'd have to register it another way and that's probably not what you are looking for.

[Joda]

So i talked to the original builder in Canada and he wasnt sure where any of the builder log information was but i do have the registartion information from Canada and he said that he still receives the registration renewal every few years.

Without the build log is this a dead end?


The big difference between Canadian and US amateur-built regulations is that in Canada a builder can hire someone to build the aircraft, which is not allowed in the US. Also, aircraft that originally held standard airworthiness certificates can be disassembled and restored by an amateur, which will result in an amateur-built airworthiness certificate. Neither of these practices are allowed in the US. So not all aircraft that hold an amateur-built certificate in Canada will qualify for an amateur-built certificate in the US. That's why the build records are absolutely necessary. Without the build records there is NO way to verify that the aircraft qualifies for an amateur-built certificate in the US.