diff --git a/src/tools/queries/aviation.js b/src/tools/queries/aviation.js
index f5bc416ba..0bf520d0d 100644
--- a/src/tools/queries/aviation.js
+++ b/src/tools/queries/aviation.js
@@ -161,13 +161,31 @@ export const findAircraft = defineTool({
       icao24: 'id',
       registration: 'registration',
     }[key];
-    const feeds = [services.aircraft, services.military].filter(Boolean);
-    const snapshots = await Promise.all(
-      feeds.map((feed) => feed.getSnapshot({}, { signal })),
+    // Only the military feed reports registrations.
+    const feeds = [
+      ...(key === 'registration'
+        ? []
+        : [{ name: 'civil', feed: services.aircraft }]),
+      { name: 'military', feed: services.military },
+    ].filter(({ feed }) => feed);
+    if (!feeds.length)
+      throw new ToolError(
+        'unavailable',
+        'The military aircraft feed is not available here',
+      );
+    const settled = await Promise.allSettled(
+      feeds.map(({ feed }) => feed.getSnapshot({}, { signal })),
     );
+    signal?.throwIfAborted();
+    // A search succeeds when any feed answers; missing feeds are named.
+    const unavailable = feeds
+      .filter((_, index) => settled[index].status === 'rejected')
+      .map(({ name }) => name);
+    if (unavailable.length === feeds.length) throw settled[0].reason;
     const seen = new Set();
-    const rows = snapshots
-      .flatMap((snapshot) => snapshot.records)
+    const rows = settled
+      .filter((result) => result.status === 'fulfilled')
+      .flatMap((result) => result.value.records)
       .filter(
         (record) =>
           String(record[field] || '')
@@ -177,10 +195,14 @@ export const findAircraft = defineTool({
       .filter((record) => !seen.has(record.id) && seen.add(record.id))
       .map((record) => aircraftRow(record));
     return {
-      summary: rows.length
-        ? `Found ${countNoun(rows.length, 'aircraft', 'aircraft')} with ${key} ${wanted}.`
-        : `No aircraft with ${key} ${wanted} is currently reported.`,
-      data: capRows(rows, args.limit),
+      summary:
+        (rows.length
+          ? `Found ${countNoun(rows.length, 'aircraft', 'aircraft')} with ${key} ${wanted}.`
+          : `No aircraft with ${key} ${wanted} is currently reported.`) +
+        (unavailable.length
+          ? ` The ${unavailable.join(' and ')} feed did not answer.`
+          : ''),
+      data: { ...capRows(rows, args.limit), unavailable_feeds: unavailable },
     };
   },
 });
diff --git a/src/tools/queries/aviation.test.mjs b/src/tools/queries/aviation.test.mjs
index 811a066c4..7594029ce 100644
--- a/src/tools/queries/aviation.test.mjs
+++ b/src/tools/queries/aviation.test.mjs
@@ -298,3 +298,42 @@ test('live source failures become tool errors with retry guidance', async () =>
       error.message === 'OpenSky rate limited',
   );
 });
+
+test('aircraft searches keep the feeds that answered and name the others', async () => {
+  const down = {
+    getSnapshot: async () => {
+      throw new LiveSourceError('unavailable', 'OpenSky HTTP 503');
+    },
+  };
+  const military = feed([
+    record('ae1234', 38, -77, { callsign: 'RCH123', registration: '05-5140' }),
+  ]);
+  const catalog = composeCatalog({
+    tools: coreTools,
+    services: { aircraft: down, military },
+  });
+  const byCallsign = await catalog.call('find_aircraft', {
+    callsign: 'rch123',
+  });
+  assert.equal(
+    byCallsign.summary,
+    'Found 1 aircraft with callsign RCH123. The civil feed did not answer.',
+  );
+  assert.deepEqual(byCallsign.data.unavailable_feeds, ['civil']);
+  const civil = feed([]);
+  const byRegistration = await composeCatalog({
+    tools: coreTools,
+    services: { aircraft: civil, military },
+  }).call('find_aircraft', { registration: '05-5140' });
+  assert.equal(byRegistration.data.rows[0].id, 'ae1234');
+  assert.deepEqual(byRegistration.data.unavailable_feeds, []);
+  assert.equal(civil.calls.length, 0);
+  await assert.rejects(
+    composeCatalog({
+      tools: coreTools,
+      services: { aircraft: down, military: down },
+    }).call('find_aircraft', { callsign: 'RCH123' }),
+    (error) =>
+      error.code === 'unavailable' && error.message === 'OpenSky HTTP 503',
+  );
+});