Cdn Registration Marks

I mocked up my reg marks according to the Transport Canada CAR. A 12" high mark on the fuselage negates the need for 20" under the wing but it's just way to big appearance wise. I would like to put a 6" on the tail but it would be a tight fit if done to the CAR. I would like to avoid putting the 20" on the wing. Marks will be done in vinyl.

Questons are:

1. Has anyone got away with 6" on the fuse or tail without the 20" on the wing?
2. Can you get away with bending the CAR rules wrt letter spacing, letter width, hyphen length? Probably need to do this to get 6" to fit on the tail.
3. Anyone got away with "special effects" like shading?

Back to painting.

If MDRA inspects your ship the short answer is, no,no,no.
They're a picky bunch!

What he said ...

To be fair, in this case, they may be picky, but the rules are also pretty clear and relatively simply laid out, unlike other parts of the CARs ... !

not your first rodeo?

well Dennis, this topic just never dies.
part of the reason, is the regs are based on 1940's ideas of masking off or making stencils, that can be used to crank out a bunch of cubs with rag and dope finishes.

I have seen only 2 aircraft done correctly.
yes, 2, of the thousands I've viewed.
that's without even getting out a tape measure.

anyway, you didn't hear this from 'us'...but go to your local sign shop and ask for your reg to be cut from removable 3 mil vinyl, to spec.
Apply, get your inspection done, then remove and put on whatever the heck you want, like everyone else does.

yes, this is a sore point with me, that paint shops do crazy fonts with outlines and shades that make the reg almost illegible, and off they go, I suppose because nobody inspects a 1958 piper on it's 15th paint job!

(If you are really having trouble finding a sign shop that has a clue, let me know, and I may be able to help lay out the reg correctly.)

Hi Perry,

Am I one of the correct ones?

Never thought of the removable letters.



Bevan
6" on the fuse side and 20" under the wings. MDRA told me they would'nt pass it any other way (other than 12" on the sides). ps They don't want them across the joint between the vertical stab and the rudder either.

hahah, good one!

yes B-man, I hope yours are correct!

here's one more, so that's what....four in Canada???



so this one might be a bit close to the H.stab....but obviously, following the letter of the law results in a ridiculous, almost unreadable string of shapes. the C and G looks just like an 'O' from any distance, likewise the D etc.
I guess we are all scared to even bring it up with Transport, in fear they might decree something even dumber!

...and my tail reg goes across the seam. I mean, why the heck NOT?
sure it's 2 surfaces, but why on earth would they care?...it's not like the rudder is pitched at 90 degrees to the fin all the time!



by the way, all you Canadians, this pretty bird is for sale! Special exchange rate for anyone still shoveling snow!
;-)

Thanks for the replies

I won't be claiming #5 position so it looks like it will be 6" on the tail (across the seam) & 20" under the wing for me. Since I'm using vinyl I can always move the 6" to the fuselage if MDRA objects to the seam. Last time I did this (on the Champ) was with tape & dope should be a lot easier this time in vinyl.

Another opinion

When I was putting the reg. on my plane I spoke with the president of RAA. He advised me I could get away with 3" letters on the tail and I believe he stated I did not need the 20" letters under the wing. He stated he had been all the way to Ottawa discussing this and that I could seek his help if anyone at TC had problems interpreting the reg. By advise from a MDRA rep. I went with the 6 & 20" letters. He stated I would be less likely to have problems crossing the border. Just a little more to muddy the waters.

The real issue is with how inconsistently the rules are applied by MD-RA inspectors across the country.

For an RV, if you don't want 20" letters under the wing, you *must* have 12" letters on the fuselage. If you do put 20" letters under the wing, you *must* have 6" letters on the fuselage or tail.

What your inspector allows you to do in lieu of the rules is between you and your inspector.

Snowflake said:

The real issue is with how inconsistently the rules are applied by MD-RA inspectors across the country.

For an RV, if you don't want 20" letters under the wing, you *must* have 12" letters on the fuselage. If you do put 20" letters under the wing, you *must* have 6" letters on the fuselage or tail.

What your inspector allows you to do in lieu of the rules is between you and your inspector.

Click to expand...

So true. When I imported my plane, I made sure my marks were done according to the regs; I did 6" on the fuse and the biggies under the wing. My inspector was actually quite surprised that I had bothered, particularly with the wing letters; he said he usually doesn't bother even looking under the wing, and acknowledged that very few aircraft actually meet the "letter" of the law (pun intended; sorry). Obviously this isn't the case everywhere.

gerrychuck said:

So true. When I imported my plane, I made sure my marks were done according to the regs; I did 6" on the fuse and the biggies under the wing. My inspector was actually quite surprised that I had bothered, particularly with the wing letters; he said he usually doesn't bother even looking under the wing, and acknowledged that very few aircraft actually meet the "letter" of the law (pun intended; sorry). Obviously this isn't the case everywhere.

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But, don't you take the risk of being inspected at some time in the future, and being told you then have to change your non-compliant marks?

Can you hold an inspector liable for misleading you??!?! LOL

I suppose if they're just removable vinyl, not as big a deal ... still I'd rather get it right the first time ...

kamikaze said:

But, don't you take the risk of being inspected at some time in the future, and being told you then have to change your non-compliant marks?

Can you hold an inspector liable for misleading you??!?! LOL

I suppose if they're just removable vinyl, not as big a deal ... still I'd rather get it right the first time ...

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I agree. Having said that, once you're past inspection MDRA has nothing more to do with it, and TC quite frankly has more important issues to deal with, especially with their enforcement arm cut to the bone. Of course, it's easy for me to say, coming from someone with 20" registration letters on the underside of his wing!

kamikaze said:

But, don't you take the risk of being inspected at some time in the future, and being told you then have to change your non-compliant marks?

Can you hold an inspector liable for misleading you??!?! LOL

Click to expand...

Liable? No. Best case would be arguing that the Inspector approved your airplane for flight in it's current condition (if that's what happened), and getting off with a warning and a requirement to show proof of changing it within some time period.

If you put large letters under the wing and 6" letters on the fuselage to get past your inspection, and then changed to smaller letters on the tail later, you're SOL if you get ramp checked by someone who knows the regs and is looking for violations.