Financing Experimental and Homebuilt Aircraft

FLYING Finance gives buyers and builders a rundown for unusual financing needs.

Saturday, June 06, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Experimental amateur-built aircraft constitute a growing segment of the U.S. fleet, with new MOSAIC regulations further expanding their accessibility and appeal to pilots.
Financing completed experimental aircraft typically requires lenders to verify market value through the "25-and-3 rule" (25 registered, 3 for sale), leading to higher down payments and shorter loan terms compared to certified aircraft.
Financing an experimental aircraft build-in-progress is more challenging, often involving staged disbursements, significantly shorter loan terms, and higher interest rates due to the difficulty of liquidating incomplete projects.
Insurance for experimental aircraft is generally more expensive than for certified counterparts, requiring thorough documentation like build logs and inspection records due to variations in construction quality and limited claims data.

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Experimental amateur-built aircraft are no longer a niche curiosity at the far end of the ramp.

According to testimony the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) delivered to Congress in 2023, amateur-built aircraft account for more than 17 percent of the entire active single-engine piston fleet in the U.S., and the community adds approximately 1,000 new homebuilt aircraft to the National Airspace System (NAS) every year. The active amateur-built fleet has grown more than 30 percent over the past two decades, and in 2025 fatal accidents in that segment declined by more than 25 percent compared to the previous decade.