How to buy an aircraft: offers from owners and brokers
You do not buy an aircraft by its looks
The price of a light aircraft depends on two things you cannot see in a photo: the remaining life of the engine and the quality of the papers. That is why long comparison of listings often gets you nowhere. It is better to describe clearly what you need and let owners show what they have.
To begin, decide the job. For training and private flying people usually take a Cessna 172 or similar four-seat piston aircraft. Agricultural spraying needs special models and equipment. For long routes, range, speed and payload matter.
What to put in your request
- Model — for example a Cessna 172, or several acceptable options.
- Buy or hire — your own aircraft or hourly flying.
- Year — the earliest you accept.
- Hours and life — airframe hours and the time left before the engine overhaul, for example over 500 hours.
- Purpose — training, touring, agricultural work, business.
- Number of seats — and the payload you need.
- Papers — the register it is on (local or foreign), the airworthiness certificate, import papers.
- Technical condition — airworthy, after repair, for restoration.
- Base — where the aircraft stands and where you will take delivery.
- Budget, if you want to state it.
Example: “I need a Cessna 172 built after 1990, 4 seats, airworthy, over 500 hours left on the engine. For training and private flying, based at an airfield near Toronto.”
What to check before buying
Ask for the airworthiness certificate, the airframe and engine logbooks, and records of any accidents. Match the serial numbers with the papers. Whether the aircraft has been damaged shows in the repair history and records of replaced structural parts.
Engine hours do not always show its condition: an aircraft that has stood for several years can have corrosion inside even when the hours are low. So it makes sense to bring in your own aircraft engineer for an inspection. Questions of registration, import and tax are better agreed with a specialist lawyer.
How to compare offers
- The same type and a similar year.
- The remaining life of the engine and propeller, not just the total hours.
- The avionics kit: radio, transponder, GPS.
- Whether delivery or a ferry flight, inspection and insurance are in the price.
A broker often takes a commission, and a private owner may sell cheaper but with fewer guarantees. So compare what an offer contains, not only the number.
How searching through BlaBlaPrice works
You describe the aircraft in a request on the home page. It is checked, with no adverts and no contacts in the text, and you are told what is missing. Then owners and brokers reply with offers in the chat with price, terms and photos. BlaBlaPrice shows the best-value one first, and sellers have reviews. Sellers see their place among the others and can improve their terms. Contacts are opened only to the one you choose, and you phone nobody first. More on the “How it works” page.
Thinking of a machine with a rotor on the roof? Look at helicopters, and for lighter craft at hang gliders.
