The sale of an Experimental Amateur-Built aircraft that has not yet completed its Phase I flight test period presents a layered regulatory challenge that touches on airworthiness certification, operating limitations, and inter-FSDO coordination. When an EAB aircraft receives its Special Airworthiness Certificate, the FAA (or a Designated Airworthiness Representative) issues accompanying operating limitations that define a specific geographic test area — typically a radius centered on the builder's home airport — within which all Phase I flight testing must be conducted. Those limitations are tied to the aircraft itself, not the owner, meaning they survive a change in title. A prospective buyer cannot simply relocate the aircraft and continue testing from a new base without formal FAA action to amend those limitations.
The most practical path for the scenario described involves the new owner contacting the FSDO that issued the original airworthiness certificate and requesting an amendment to the operating limitations to re-center the test area on the new home airport. In cases where the aircraft will cross into a different FSDO region, the receiving FSDO will almost certainly be drawn into the process, as the question's author correctly anticipates. Depending on the circumstances, a Special Flight Permit under 14 CFR 21.197 may also be required to legally ferry the aircraft from its current location to the new test area before the amended limitations are in effect. FAA Order 8130.2, which governs airworthiness certification of experimental aircraft, provides the regulatory framework, and DAR involvement can sometimes streamline the process, particularly for builders and buyers working through organizations like EAA.
Beyond the ferry logistics, the change of ownership itself adds procedural weight. The FAA's posture on sold EABs has historically been that the new owner takes on full responsibility for the aircraft's continued airworthiness, and some FSDOs have required an additional inspection — or even a fresh airworthiness certification review — before acknowledging the new owner as the responsible party for an incomplete Phase I program. This is particularly relevant when the seller was the original builder, since the amateur-built designation was tied to their demonstrated involvement under the major portion (51%) rule. While Phase I completion rights transfer with the aircraft, the new owner's ability to maintain, inspect, and sign off the aircraft may depend on whether they qualify under the appropriate repairman certificate or condition inspection provisions.
For operators in the broader experimental and light sport community — including those acquiring kit aircraft for corporate or personal utility use under Part 91 — this scenario underscores the importance of title due diligence before any EAB purchase. An aircraft in mid-Phase I is essentially an asset with an encumbered certificate; its legal operating radius is defined by FAA-issued documents that require active coordination to change. Buyers working with Glasair or similar kit manufacturers with institutional dealer networks should expect that relocation of a Phase I aircraft is achievable, but not automatic, and planning for FSDO lead times of several weeks is prudent. The growing secondary market for flying EABs — particularly high-performance composite kit aircraft like Glasairs, RVs, and Lancair derivatives — means this question is becoming more common, and EAA's Pilot Proficiency and DAR networks have become increasingly valuable resources for navigating exactly these kinds of mid-certificate ownership transitions.