Definition
A specific provision of the Federal Aviation Regulations that sets out who is not eligible to register an aircraft in the United States. Found in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 47 (Aircraft Registration), Section 47.3, paragraph (b), it identifies the categories of persons and entities prohibited from holding U.S. aircraft registration.
Plain English
A short rule in the U.S. aviation regulations that lists who is not allowed to register an aircraft in the United States. If you fall into one of the listed categories, you cannot put an aircraft on the U.S. register.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of light-sport aircraft eligibility, aircraft paperwork, and whether an aircraft may legally be operated.
Derivation
CFR stands for Code of Federal Regulations, the official collection of U.S. federal rules. Title 14 covers Aeronautics and Space. 'Part 47' is the chunk of Title 14 dealing with aircraft registration. '47.3(b)' points to Section 47.3, paragraph (b) within that part. The format Title-Part-Section is how every federal regulation is addressed, like a street address for a rule.
Why Pilots Care
Only properly registered aircraft can be legally flown in U.S. airspace. If a buyer or owner falls under 47.3(b), they cannot register the aircraft, which means it cannot be operated legally. This matters when buying, selling, or co-owning an aircraft, especially with foreign nationals or non-citizen entities.
Intuition Check
Do not read “part” here as a physical airplane part. In this legal citation, “part” means a numbered group of federal rules, and “section” means one specific rule inside that group.
Example Sentence 1
Before completing the purchase, the buyer confirmed they were not excluded under 14 CFR part 47, section 47.3(b) and could lawfully register the airplane.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight briefing the instructor pointed out that compliance with 14 CFR part 47, section 47.3(b) is required before any solo flight in the registered aircraft.