I just put on my new N numbers, N846MD. I searched the FAA database until I found the only numbers available to choose for my Coupe that I liked. I ended up getting N846MD. The 8 and 46 for the Coupe's August, 1946 birthday, and the MD for my initials, of course (vain, I know, but maybe someone will think I'm a doctor, as in M.D.!). I taxied across the runway with the old numbers and taxied back an hour later with the new ones. I informed the tower controller here at Renton about the new number and why, and she said they had already guessed what it stood for. The whole process took a little over a month until they issued me my temporary certificate, and the best part was that it only cost $5. It's hard to believe the government would do anything for 5 bucks! You can pick any available number from the FAA's web site: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNAV_inquiry.asp
You can reserve the number for a year, and then keep renewing it year to year for $5 per year. My Coupe's original N number is on a sailplane in the NE and wasn't available, and I was never in love with the N10743 I was issued when I imported it from Canada in 2004. Marty Duke N846MD KRNT
