Buying an airplane is not all that difficult.  However, there are a number of factors which make buying an airplane very different from buying a car or anything else.  Failing to understand how to buy an airplane can substantially increase your costs and actually delay being able to fly your airplane.  

Starting Out

When you are first learning to fly, use the flight school’s airplanes.  Learn how a high-wing airplane like a Cessna feels; learn how a low-wing airplane like a Piper feels.  Which do you prefer?  

Only after you have been taking lessons for a few months and are sure flying is something you enjoy and want to continue should you seriously consider buying an airplane.  

While there are certainly more expensive options, look for an airplane manufactured in the 1966-1986 time-frame.  That may sound ancient, but airplanes must pass an annual inspection every year – which must show in their log books.  Paint and upholstery may wear, but the engine, propeller, and airframe must be kept in almost good-as-new condition.  Planes from that time period are good choices – and are the most affordable.  

Any years out of service or gaps in annual inspections are an indication that the airplane has not been maintained properly – a definite strike against buying it.  

Two-seater airplanes from that time-period will generally sell for $30,000.  Four-seaters will cost $70,000 and up.  Beware of airplanes with a lower sale price:  an unusually low price is another indication of a problem which is likely to mean an immediate big repair bill.  Your goal is to fly your airplane without delay, not to be stuck with a fixer-upperThe main variant in pricing includes (1) the number of hours on the engine, and (2) the “avionics” – the navigation and communications radios installed.

Engines are normally overhauled after 2,000 hours of operation or so.  When buying an airplane, an engine with 300 to 700 hours is considered optimal.  

An overhaul or a new engine can cost as much as the price of the airplane itself, and the airplane’s sale price should be prorated to reflect how close the engine is to needing an overhaul or replacement.  

Expect to fly your airplane 80 to 100 hours per year.

When considering an airplane for purchase, have a local airplane mechanic, known by other pilots to be reputable, make a technical inspection of the airplane as a whole, and most importantly, make an in-depth inspection of the engine.  Discuss the engine’s condition with your mechanic after he completes his review.

The airplane’s avionics should consist of two communications radios (to talk with Air Traffic Controllers) and two GPS-based navigation radios.  Typically, a single unit will include one of each:  a “navcom”.  When buying an airplane, limit your search to those with two navcoms. Having two sets of radios provides backup should one fail.  

When flying, it is common practice to alternate use of the two com radios.  That not only provides continual assurance that both radios are working properly, but also, if there is a problem establishing communications on the new frequency you are given, you can revert to using the prior radio to confirm the new frequency is correct.  

An “audio panel” is the central component of the avionics.  It provides the capability to switch between com radios.  It also provides an intercom for conversation among those in the airplane.  Typically, everyone in the airplane wears headphones with a boom microphone, to hear properly and avoid the noise of the engine’s operation.

Two or Four Seats?

Until you pass your check-ride with an FAA Examiner, you are a student pilot.  The only other person allowed in your airplane is your flight instructor.  You only need a two-seater, like a Cessna 150 or a Piper 140.  Two-seaters are less expensive than four-seaters.  Expenses include the purchase price, the gasoline the airplane consumes per hour of flight, liability and “hull” insurance, maintenance and repairs, tie-down or hangar fees at the airport where you keep your airplane, and the cost of the Annual Inspection.    The overall cost of a typical two-seater airplane will not be all that much more than the cost of an automobile.

Get to Know Other Local Pilots

Once you decide to look for an airplane, let your instructor and other local pilots you get to know that you are interested in buying an airplane.

Keep your search local.  An airplane at a local airport is likely to be familiar to local pilots, and they can give you your first indications of whether a particular airplane is worth considering for purchase or not.  

Talk to Your Instructor

Make sure your instructor is “checked out” in the make and model of any airplane you are thinking of purchasing.  If he cannot or will not fly in the airplane you are buying, then find out why.  It may involve an issue you have not considered.  An unusual airplane can be a costly mistake.

Your instructor should be willing to make the test-flight with you before you buy.

Instructors associated with a flight school may choose to fly only in the school’s airplanes.  Such a requirement is unrealistic.  Make every effort to stay with a single flight instructor throughout your training, but should a flight instructor not be willing to use your airplane, a new flight instructor may be the best choice.  

Most instructors are checked out in most typical airplanes, and will not have any reservations about flying in your airplane.  Learning to fly in your own airplane allows the use of the particular radios and other features you will be using on every flight to become second nature, making you better able to handle unexpected issues that arise when flying.  

Get to Know a Local Aviation Mechanic

Bedsides the knowledge of local pilots, it is essential that you have a local airplane mechanic you know and trust to check the airplane out, before you buy.  Ask other pilots about their choices of aviation mechanics.  Knowing a good airplane mechanic is essential.

When you find an airplane that seems like a good choice, pay your mechanic to look it over and check it out.  This is a normal procedure; the airplane’s owner will not object.  

Your mechanic will review the logbooks, take a look inside the engine, check out all the mechanical pieces of the airframe, and check out the avionics.  If after all that he gives the airplane a thumbs-up, and agrees to be “your” mechanic for any work that will be needed (particularly, including the Annual Inspection) then buy the airplane, before someone else beats you to it.  

On Your Way!

As a student pilot, your instructor must authorize every flight, even after you have soloed the airplane and begin building hours by yourself.  As a student pilot, the FAA will blame the instructor if you crash; he could lose his license.  Typically, a student pilot will have 55-60 hours of flight time before his checkride with an FAA Examiner.

Once you pass your checkride, you can go flying whenever you like!  Whether it is to some distant destination, or just to fly along the mountains on a bright sunny morning, having an airplane just waiting for you to arrive at the airfield is a great feeling!

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