Aircraft Trust & Financing Corporation

Aircraft Trust & Financing Corporation is based in Wilmington, Delaware. It provides services to the aviation community. It does this by lending secured by an aircraft, or by acting as a qualified aircraft registrant for select persons and entities.

US law, under 49 U.S.C. 44102 and 14 C.F.R. 47.2, restricts which individuals and entities may register an aircraft with the FAA. Owners who do not qualify, such as some partnerships or non-citizen companies, can use a trust so that a qualifying US trustee holds the registration.

The owner trust works this way. The trustor transfers legal title to the company, which qualifies as a US citizen. The company holds legal title for the benefit of the trustor. The trustor can be an individual, corporation, partnership or limited liability company, whether domestic or non-domestic.

The owner trust agreement limits the trustor's rights to control the trustee. The trustee can be removed for cause. The agreement is filed with the FAA Registry, so it is a public document.

The voting trust service works differently. The company holds at least 75 percent of the shares of a US aircraft owning corporation or limited liability company that does not otherwise qualify as a US citizen. The owner must provide US citizens to serve as president and as the required share of other officers and directors.

The voting trust agreement must also be filed with the FAA Registry, so it is available to the public.

The site includes guidance for partnerships that do not qualify as US citizens, and a page for online payments. The company says it can help people who are buying an FAA registered aircraft but do not qualify to act as the registrant.

Services

• Owner trust
• Voting trust
• Qualified aircraft registrant
• Lending secured by aircraft
• Partnership guidance
• Online payment page