Getting the Most From Your Prepurchase Inspection

Trust but verify is the name of the game when it comes to buying a new aircraft.

Richard Scarbrough

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 05:22 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Having a thorough prepurchse inspection conducted is an essential step to buying an aircraft regardless of its size. [Courtesy: Par Avion Ltd.]

Key Takeaways:

The corporate aircraft market is experiencing a boom, driven by increased demand, making thorough prepurchase inspections (PPIs) essential to safeguard financial investment and ensure aircraft safety.
A successful PPI involves engaging expert assistance (brokers, lawyers, technicians), starting with a detailed Letter of Intent (LOI) to define inspection scope, followed by a meticulous review of aircraft logbooks, maintenance records, and regulatory compliance.
Key aspects of the physical inspection include verifying component serial numbers, conducting engine borescope inspections, performing detailed condition surveys, and undertaking acceptance test flights, ideally utilizing unbiased third-party specialists with specific product knowledge.

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Corporate aircraft sales are booming. Never before has the industry witnessed this much activity in such a short time. Business aviation was already rising when COVID-19 shot demand into orbit in early 2020. The pandemic introduced new challenges to transacting aircraft. With travel and physical presence limited, buyers and sellers relied on digital records and industry reputation. While executing a non-site, prepurchase inspection (PPI) proved challenging during the lockdown, it returned as essential for conducting business in 2023. The result is blending two worlds, digital and physical, into one new reality. Regarding aircraft maintenance professionals inspecting aircraft, one thing has not and will not change: Trust but verify.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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