Donald Trump's Cessna jet, which was grounded last week because it had been flying with an expired registration, is back in the skies after the real estate mogul sold it to himself.
According to
The New York Times, Trump used the system to his advantage by selling the jet to a company he owns that's based in Delaware. That move allowed the jet to be used almost immediately, compared to the weeks it would have taken to get the paperwork sorted out with the plane's original owner, another Trump-owned LLC.
The sale of an aircraft, reports The Times, comes with a temporary registration. The FAA's backlog of registration renewals — which costs just $5 — is weeks long.
The registration on Trump's 1997 Cessna 750 Citation X expired on Jan. 31 because the paperwork to renew it was sent to the wrong address, reports The Times.
Following news reports about the situation last week, the FAA
grounded the plane. Trump also owns a Boeing 757 airplane and three helicopters.