Buyer’s Guide 2019

Of the roughly 100,000 active single-piston-engine airplanes in the FAA registry, a quarter are amateur-built. A person shopping for a used airplane might want to take a look at them. The difference between buying a factory airplane or choosing a homebuilt is something like the difference between getting a chair and getting a dog. A […]

The pace of new aircraft development continues to stimulate a great deal of interest in the next generation of business aircraft featuring improved performance, enhanced technology and cabin creature comforts that airplane buyers covet. While several new models — including the Gulfstream G500, Pilatus PC-24, HondaJet Elite, Generation 2 Cirrus Vision Jet, Daher TBM 940 […]

Not quite 10 years ago, I took the plunge into the abyss of airplane ownership. Having a civilian background in a general aviation environment, and possessing a pilot’s license for more than four decades, it seems that airplane ownership would have long ago been part of my repertoire. Finances, career focus, and other life interests […]

There’s no recognized certification for aircraft sales brokers, so why hire one in the first place? In fact, there aren’t even certifications or regulations providing consumer protections for aircraft buyers outside of the Universal Commercial Codes and import/export requirements of individual countries. Most aircraft buyers, it is assumed, are sophisticated enough to look out for […]

There are plenty of reasons to want to own and fly a jet. Jets are made for capable, reliable transportation. They come equipped ready to do the job with pressurization, anti-icing and deicing, and substantial turbine-style cockpit displays and avionics. Most important, they come with jet engines. There is nothing better than jet engines. They […]

If you’re an aircraft owner and have not yet installed ADS-B Out equipment in your airplane, you’re running out of time. The mandate goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020, and if you’re not compliant you won’t legally be able to fly in most controlled airspace. And if you don’t act quickly your airplane might be […]

“Let the good times roll” may have been an appropriate mantra for aviation-insurance consumers during the past 10 to 12 years, but the party might finally be over. While the total cost of aircraft ownership — i.e. hangar leases, fuel, maintenance costs, FBO fees and so on — have gone up substantially for the past […]

There comes a time in most pilots’ lives when they’re faced with a tough decision: continue renting an airplane from a local flight school or club, or buy one of their own. Maybe there’s a sweet little bird you’ve had your eye on already. You’ve chatted with the insurance agent, you’ve looked into hangar or […]