Uh…how to sell a plane for dummies

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CerroTorre

Pre-takeoff checklist
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CerroTorre
I have a friend who has to sell a family member’s single engine plane. They’re very unfamiliar and out of their depth. And I’m not much help since I’ve never bought/sold.

Anyone have any guidance for someone in their situation? Where would you tell them to start? Things to watch out for? Etc.

Thanks all.
 
Might help to know what specific model plane. If it's valuable, would be worth working with a good broker. If not, then there are some DIY steps that we could outline.
 
Find a reputable broker. They're out there.
 
Walboy said:
Find a reputable broker. They're out there.
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My A&P steered me away from two brokers and recommended one that I was very happy with.
And if the broker knows who recommended them to you they will probably try even harder to make you happy because they want that person to keep recommending them.
 
Airplane Make and Model? Year? Total Time on Airplane? Engine? What avionics does it have? How is the paint? The interior? Where is it? When was the last Annual Inspection (required to fly it)?

A broker would make it a lot easier.
 
CerroTorre said:
I have a friend who has to sell a family member’s single engine plane.
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An important first step before any attempt to sell is to see whose name is on the aircraft registration certificate. If that person or entity is no longer living or not in the picture then you'll need to address that before any sale can happen. Then as mentioned using a reputable broker would be the better way to go in this situation. Good luck.
 
First thing I would do is order the 10 dollar CD from the FAA to check on it's history and for any liens.
I bought my 172 from a friend in 2018. I filled out the paperwork that we both signed and I mailed them to OK. a month later I received the registration with my name on it. Didn't need any outside help. Form 8050-3 8050-2
This was after I flew it for 6 months and worked on it before buying it, lucky deal for me.

https://www.jetexe.com/aircraft-sales/aircraft-purchase-sale-guide/#:~:text=Normally the aircraft purchase agreement,both parties, type of inspections.
 
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One thing you might try is having the family discuss selling the aircraft with the mechanic that has been maintaining it for them. A lot of the mechanics I know are familiar with the buying/selling process and may be willing to help, either for free or for a modest fee. I’ve brokered several for people this way.
 
mondtster said:
This may be online now, depending on how up to date the FAA is with scanning the paperwork they’ve received. I’d check there first.

CARES - Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Services

cares.faa.gov cares.faa.gov
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Yes it can, you can get it immediately or wait for a CD that I keep in my logs. I also got one recently for my plane to make sure my mechanic was sending the FAA the 337s for my plane.
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/search/nnumberinquiry

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Gary Ward said:
Yes it can, you can get it immediately or wait for a CD that I keep in my logs. I also got one recently for my plane to make sure my mechanic was sending the FAA the 337s for my plane.
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/search/nnumberinquiry

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The same PDFs you get on the CD are now available online in most cases. But if waiting 2-3 weeks for the CD is your preference, there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way.

I’d just prefer to get the data in 30 minutes or so where I can. The limitation to both the CD and the online documents is how up to date the FAA registry branch is on their scanning of documents. My current airplane has been sold twice (all or in part to me) in the last 18 months and I don’t believe either sale has been put into the PDFs yet, nor any of the 337s I’ve submitted in roughly the same time period. So if a lien or sale of the aircraft in question in this thread was recorded recently, it may not show up.
 
Last one I got was in 2021, so not recently.
Yea my buddy bought a plane last year and it took the FAA 7-8 months to send him his registration.
The family should get the info from FAA just for there use and knowledge.
Last time I checked it was available right away in a download.
Mine showed all the sales from when it was new. 3 dealerships owned my plane first. Also showed all financing that was done over the years.In 2021 it only took a week to come in the mail, the CD.
 
I don’t personally know much about the plane yet. It’s a Cessna 182B located in the Pacific Northwest. It’s not my plane to sell or advertise so I don’t want to reveal too much more information.

Lots of other good information on this thread. Thanks all.
 
Anyone have a broker reference in Oregon or Washington?
 
Broker does not need to be local.

Best would be a broker that really knows 182s.

The previous owner if my plane was in Washington state, the broker in TX and me in MD. Airplanes are quite mobile. :D
 
Beware of a buyer that has fire extinguishers attached to their lower legs...
 
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