Frequently Asked Questions

    About the Program

  1. Why is based aircraft data being collected?
  2. Are airports required to participate in the program or is the based aircraft inventory voluntary?
  3. What is the FAA’s definition of a Based Aircraft?
  4. Doesn't the FAA already have tail-numbers and their owners in their database of registered aircraft?
  5. How often should my aircraft list be updated?
  6. Why don’t we get credit for all aircraft entered on the website?
  7. What does ‘Validated’ mean?
  8. Unfound Registration Numbers
  9. Deregistered Aircraft
  10. Duplicates
  11. Why is the FAA Aircraft Registration data shown in the airport’s aircraft list?
  12. Why doesn’t BasedAircraft.com and the FAA’s Form 5010-1 report have the same values for based aircraft?
  13. Is there an FAA point of contact that we can call to request Based Aircraft information?
  14. How will the aircraft registration and owner information be safeguarded in compliance with any Privacy Act?
  15. Who is Tadera?

    16. Using the Website

  16. Login Accounts
  17. Lost Credentials
  18. What does ‘confirm the aircraft counts’ or ‘confirmed counts’ mean?
  19. How much detail is needed?
  20. Is it necessary to enter all aircraft in the inventory, including ultra-lights, helicopters, etc.?
  21. What is the airport contact and why is it needed?
  22. What are the methods of submitting the aircraft list?
  23. Special note to Region and State users:
  24. How can I change my password or update my Account?
  25. What do I do if I still need assistance?

1. Why is based aircraft data being collected?

The FAA needs to improve the integrity of based aircraft counts for all non-Primary airports in the National Plan of Integrated Airport System (NPIAS). This includes airports with a NPIAS service level of Commercial Service, General Aviation, and Relievers; Primary airports are not required to participate in the survey.

Having accurate based aircraft information will help the FAA in planning and forecasting the growth in the general aviation community, especially as the FAA looks at runway approaches and other system-wide improvements. Based aircraft counts are one of the criteria used to determine eligibility for inclusion in the NPIAS, which is a requirement to receive Federal funds. Inaccurate counts can negatively impact the proper planning and may cause improper sizing of key capital improvement projects at airports. Because of the significant impacts of incorrect figures and the need for accurate based aircraft counts, the FAA needs a verifiable method of gathering valid based aircraft numbers.

In the past, based aircraft counts were reported by individual airport managers to the FAA and state airport inspectors during annual inspections. Little guidance was provided to airports on how the numbers should be derived and no validation of based aircraft data was required which resulted in unreliable counts. The goal of this site is to provide the FAA the most consistent and verifiable count of based aircraft for NPIAS planning.

2. Are airports required to participate in the program or is the based aircraft inventory voluntary?

The FAA Order 5010.4, Airport Safety Data Program, requires the FAA to obtain the based aircraft data from the most reliable source possible (i.e., from the records of the airport manager, etc.). Collecting N-Numbers and cross-referencing them to the FAA Aircraft Registration Database provides this reliable source of data.

Many airport development projects are based on the number and type of aircraft that are based at the airport or that use the airport on a regular basis (for example, apron expansions, hangar construction, other basic airfield facilities). Each airport development project must be justified by current use. The FAA uses the 5010 based aircraft data as a tool in its evaluation to justify a project. The FAA also uses this information in its biannual Report to Congress. Therefore, the FAA must be able to show that the information that is submitted to Congress is accurate.

3. What is the FAA's definition of a Based Aircraft?

A based aircraft is an aircraft that is operational & airworthy, which is typically based on the airport for a majority of the year.

A based aircraft meets the following four criteria:

  • The aircraft is based on your airport (has an agreement with the airport for storage)
  • The aircraft spends a majority of the year at your facility (greater than 6 months)
  • The aircraft is operational (is capable of performing takeoff and landing)
  • The aircraft is airworthy (has a valid/current FAA airworthiness certificate)

The requirement that an aircraft can only be counted for a single airport is believed to provide data integrity benefits that outweigh the disadvantage to some facilities, but this subject continues to be under review and it may be changed in the future. Although based aircraft counts are important, they are rarely if ever the sole criteria in decision making.

The FAA retains the right to review lists to decide which aircraft should be included in counts when important decisions hinge on a specific number of aircraft.

Note: 'Through the fence aircraft': A through-the-fence agreement allows people who own property with aircraft storage facilities near an airport to access the airport from off-airport property. Aircraft that are stored off airport but are allowed to access airfield facilities via through-the-fence should not be reported to the FAA as 'based' at the airport.

4. Doesn't the FAA already have N-Numbers and their owners in their database of registered aircraft?

The FAA’s database of registered aircraft does contain N-Numbers and their owners; however, that database does not contain a field indicating a ‘Based Airport’, thus the purpose of this program initiated by the FAA.

5. How often should my aircraft list be updated?

Outdated aircraft lists negatively impact your airport and other airports by causing invalid duplicates. Keeping the list current throughout the year would be ideal, but at a minimum, your list should be updated and confirmed by December 1 each year in order for the data to flow to the Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010-1) and be used in airport planning. This data also supports airport planning purposes, as well as roles, as reflected in the most published NPIAS.

6. Why don’t we get credit for all of the aircraft we have entered into the Based Aircraft website?

Only Validated Aircraft are included in your count. See FAQ item #7 ‘What does ‘Validated’ mean?’ below.

7. What does ‘Validated’ mean?

In an effort to have reliable data for FAA planning purposes, the N-Numbers that you enter in BasedAircraft.com are checked against the latest copy of the FAA’s Aircraft Registration Database to determine that the registration is current and an active airworthiness certificate exists. If the aircraft has both, then a third test is done to determine that the aircraft has not been reported as based by another nonprimary NPIAS airport. If the aircraft has not been reported elsewhere, it is considered to be a ‘validated’ aircraft for the reporting airport. If the aircraft is being reported at two airports, it is not considered a ‘duplicate’ and not counted at either airport. Based Aircraft support staff are available to assist in resolving duplicate aircraft if airports are unable to come to a consensus of where an aircraft is based.

An airports’ confirmed Based Aircraft counts are provided to Airport Data and Information Program (ADIP) to be shown on the Airport Master Record, FAA Form 5010-1.

Every other year ( 2021, 2023, 2025 etc.) validated aircraft counts are used to determine an airport’s role in the NPIAS publication. It is critical that updated counts are captured and confirmed in basedaircraft.com by December 1.

8. Unfound Registration Numbers

Unregistered aircraft do not meet the definition of a based aircraft. If an aircraft N-Number is not found in the FAA Aircraft Registration database, please verify that the number was entered correctly, paying special attention to the 'O's, '0's, 'I's, 'L's, '1's, '5's, and 'S's, which are frequently transposed. The FAA’s Aircraft Registration database can be searched at: FAA Registry N-Number Inquiry

9. Deregistered Aircraft

Deregistered aircraft do not meet the definition of a based aircraft. They do not have a valid airworthiness certificate therefore they are not airworthy per CRF Title 14, Chapter 1, Subchapter C, Part 12.181 Duration. If an aircraft at your airport has become De-Registered, some airports have had success encouraging aircraft owners to reregister their aircraft.

10. Duplicates

Based aircraft that are reported by more than one airport are considered duplicates and are excluded from the validated counts of both facilities. Duplicates most often are the result of outdated aircraft lists. Airports have requested that a policy be implemented to deal with excessively stale aircraft lists and the FAA has taken that under consideration.

A reasonable number of duplicates is to be expected, but a high number of duplicates usually indicates that the aircraft list is either very outdated or is generated inappropriately (i.e. by using a fuel list).

11. Why is the FAA Aircraft Registration data shown in the airport’s aircraft list?

The FAA Aircraft Registration data is the most comprehensive national list currently available for the validation of aircraft in the National Based Aircraft Inventory Program. It is used to:

  • Validate N-Numbers: With the importance of the based aircraft counts, it is important that the data be validated. The best means found for validating the information in the National Based Aircraft Inventory Program is to link the N-Numbers to the FAA’s Aircraft Registration Database. In the Airport Details page, it is easy to determine whether the N-Number was found in the Aircraft Registration data and to view other information in the Aircraft Registration data.
  • Provide the aircraft type in a consistent manner: The FAA’s Aircraft Registration Database provides the information necessary to determine an aircraft type for each aircraft found in the data, which not only simplifies the data entry for the airport, but provides consistency.
  • Provide a convenient means to check the owner information shown in the FAA’s Aircraft Registration data.

12. Why are BasedAircraft.com and the FAA’s Form 5010-1 report not have the same values for based aircraft?

More than likely, the airport has not been inspected in the last year and the airport has not confirmed their counts in BasedAircraft.com after changes were made to the aircraft list. In addition to those possibilities, Form 5010-1 data is published by the FAA on a 56-day cycle, with a cut-off date about 45 days before the publish date, so this factor alone results in a delay of a few weeks between the submittal of based aircraft data and the time that it appears in the published data.

13. Is there an FAA point of contact that we can call to request Based Aircraft information?

All questions and comments should be sent to your local FAA Airport District Office (ADO) or Regional office. A list of these office can be found here.

14. How will the aircraft registration and owner information be safeguarded in compliance with any Privacy Act?

The data has been determined to be "For Official Use Only" and will NOT be available outside of the FAA and state aviation departments. Any public release of the data would be determined under "5 U.S.C. 552."

15. Who is Tadera?

Under contract to the FAA, Tadera developed AirportIQ 5010, a web-based application allowing federal and state airport inspectors to transmit safety inspection data to the FAA directly over a secured internet application and the BasedAircraft.com website. Since 2004, through an annual grant from the FAA, Tadera and its predecessors have assisted with the National Airport Safety Data Collection Program (collection of safety data for all non-primary public and private airports in NFDC database) and managed training seminars in FAA Form 5010-1 inspection procedures.




USING THE WEBSITE

16. Login Accounts

Who can get a login account to the website? Authorized airport staff (for the airports listed in the BasedAircraft.com website) can get logins that will allow them to access their individual airport’s aircraft list.

For security reasons, BasedAircraft.com administration requires that the owner or manager listed on the FAA
Form 5010-1 must authorize an individual user for an airport login. If the contact information listed on the FAA
Form 5010-1 is incorrect, it must be updated before any BasedAircraft.com account(s) can be created.

To verify the airport owner / manager listed on Form 5010-1, please visit AirportIQ 5010.

FAA Region and State Aviation Office staff can also obtain a login that allows them to review airport lists and edit aircraft lists of individual airports within their jurisdictions. Eligibility for FAA Region and State Aviation accounts will be reviewed and approved by the FAA Planning Division, so may take additional time to be created. Accounts for professional service providers will not be authorized.

17. Lost Credentials

If you forget your login credentials, they can be recovered in one of two ways:

  • If you remember your username, try the “Forgot Password” link on the BasedAircraft.com homepage (see green arrow below).
  • If you do not remember your username, use the Login Support link on the homepage (see red arrow below) and explain you have misplaced your account information. Your account will be reset, and your account information will be sent to you via email. For security reasons, account reset requests can only be made for the account associated with the email address on file.

18. What does 'confirm the aircraft counts' or 'confirmed counts' mean?

‘Confirmed’, ‘Confirmed Counts’, and ‘Confirmed aircraft data’ are all interchangeable terms. BasedAircraft.com has a large green button on the airport detail page, “*** Click Here to Confirm Aircraft Data***”.

After reviewing and updating your aircraft list, the confirm button must be clicked. Clicking this button opens an explanation page that contains a 'Save' button. Clicking ‘Save’ will update your record to:

  • Indicate when your airport list was last reviewed and deemed to be accurate and current;
  • Indicate who is certifying that your aircraft list is true and correct;

This will be displayed on the website, as shown below

This process also submits corrected based aircraft counts to the Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010-1) for planning purposes.

If you do not confirm and save your aircraft data, your updated validated aircraft totals will not be updated to the Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010-1) and will not be used in airport planning. Based aircraft counts are one of the criteria used to determine eligibility for inclusion in the NPIAS, which is a requirement to receive Federal funds. Inaccurate counts can negatively impact proper planning and may cause improper sizing of key capital improvement projects at airports.

You are encouraged to confirm your count anytime you edit your aircraft data in order to have the current counts moved to the Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010-1). At a minimum, your based aircraft counts should be confirmed at least once a year. If your validated counts for single-engine, multi-engine, jets, and helicopters differ from the Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010-1), check that your aircraft data has been confirmed on the Based Aircraft website.

19. How much detail is needed?

The N-Number is the only required information at this time. However, if assistance is needed from the Based Aircraft Help Desk to resolve any disputed duplicates, Comments can simplify the matter.

When adding Aircraft, basic information such as the model and owner, etc. can be populated by clicking the “Get FAA Registration Data” button. However, if you have additional details that differ, you have the ability to personalize these fields.

20. Is it necessary to enter all aircraft in the inventory, including ultra-lights, helicopters, etc.?

It is understood that not all types of aircraft (military, ultra-lights, balloons, etc.) have a registered N-Number. Aircraft that do not have an N-Number can be entered with place-holder text (Ultra-light, military, etc.) as an N-Number. Example below:

Currently, single-engine, multi-engine, jet, and helicopters (SMJH) are the only aircraft types included in your Based Aircraft counts that can be confirmed and saved and moved to Form 5010-1. Entering other aircraft types (gliders, military, ultralights, etc.) in the based aircraft program is not required since they cannot be confirmed and are not included in your total Based Aircraft count. If you would like them included on Form 5010-1 in order to have a complete aircraft list for your facility for your own use, contact your airport inspector to have them added. This feature is for your planning purposes only and will not increase your validated Based Aircraft count.

21. What is the airport contact and why is it needed?

BasedAircraft.com has a 'Preferred Contact' for each airport. (This information is available under the ‘Airport Details’ link in the top left corner of the Airport Details page.) In case the FAA has a question, it is helpful to include an airport contact who is familiar with the based aircraft list as well as their email address. Note that the airport sponsor or manager on the FAA Form 5010-1 report is not always the best person to contact for BasedAircraft.com matters.

Contact information, like all BasedAircraft.com data is a, is FAA data not shared with third parties.

22. What are the methods of submitting the aircraft list?

Most airports enter the information directly online at www.BasedAircraft.com, which allows them to review and manage all aircraft inventory tasks in at one central location.

The only other option is to use a predefined Excel spreadsheet template to directly import data into BasedAircraft.com. Data can be entered into this template, but the template itself cannot be altered. This filled out template is the only spreadsheet that can be used and is the only alternative to using www.BasedAircraft.com. This template can be found at: Upload Template

Upload the completed template by clicking on the Import Aircraft link after you log into the Based Aircraft website:

23. Special note to Region and State users:

The airport list has a unique comment field on the right side of the list for use by region and state users. This allows these users to enter notes about the airport without having to create a separate list to track activities. The comment field can be edited by going to the Airport Details page. Example below:

24. How can I change my password or update my Account?

After logging into BasedAircraft.com the user is allowed to modify basic information pertaining to their account by clicking on the link located next to You are logged in as. The user will be allowed to modify the following fields: First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Phone Number and Address. The user will also be allowed to change their existing password by clicking on the Change Your Password link on the My Info screen.

25. What do I do if I still need assistance?

If you have questions once logged in, a comprehensive User Guide is available at the top right of the page or you can contact BasedAircraftSupport@BasedAircraft.com.

Return to Main Based Aircraft page