Due to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) concern for its employees' health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAA has closed the Public Document Room (PDR) window as of today. We do not know when the PDR window will reopen.
In this current state of flux, the FAA has provided three options for filing:
- Document drop bins located outside the PDR window, with documents prioritized according to "Priority" and "Due Course," with Priority documents picked up by the FAA every hour and “Due Course” twice per day. However, due to staffing reductions at the FAA and continued changes that we are unable to predict, we can no longer expect that we will receive fly wires the same day or even the following day.
- Mail by U.S.P.S. or courier such as FedEx as fees are not payable online at this time and this approach can result in long filing delays. The FAA is working to provide an online option for payment, but does not currently have one available. We recommend you work with an escrow agent or FAA counsel in Oklahoma City rather than mail your documents to the FAA for filing.
- Email to the Aircraft Registration Branch at 9-avs-ar-electronic-submittals@faa.gov. Only one aircraft may be referenced per email; each document attached must be 20 pages or less; and all documents must be digitally executed, with the digital signature directive.
Additionally, we know that International Registry (IR) filings will be affected by the inherent delays in the issuance of Authorizing Entry Point (AEP) codes by the FAA, which are necessary for any IR filings.
During this time of uncertainty, our Aviation Team at Lane Powell is here to help. Please contact David Warner, warnerd@lanepowell.com, 206.223.7083, Paul Lambert, lambertp@lanepowell.com, 206.223.7724, Lisa Poplawski, poplawskil@lanepowell.com, 503.778.2164, Qingqing Miao, miaoq@lanepowell.com, 206.223.7031 or Becky Mares, maresr@lanepowell.com, 206.223.7144