Buy Used Planes Apr 2026

Never fall in love with a used airplane before the pre-buy inspection. If you'd like to dive deeper, I can tell you:

What’s your biggest worry when it comes to buying a plane? Tips on Buying Used Aircraft - AOPA buy used planes

It’s just like buying a car, right? Mark thought, ignorantly, as he skipped the formal broker and went straight to the owner. Never fall in love with a used airplane

Mark finally had his Private Pilot License and a burning desire to stop renting. The local flight school’s Cessna 172 cost $165 an hour, a price that made his stomach turn every time he booked it. His uncle, a seasoned Part 121 captain, offered sound advice: "Buy a bare-bones Cherokee 140. It’s a 50-year-old plane, but it’s paid for. You’ll save thousands building hours, then sell it for what you paid". Mark thought, ignorantly, as he skipped the formal

Two hours into the flight, the oil pressure gauge started to drop—slowly, then abruptly. The engine made a sickening clattering noise. Panic set in. He declared an emergency, his heart pounding in his throat, and landed at a small, uncontrolled field in Kansas, grateful to be alive but with a suddenly very quiet plane. An mechanic from the local FBO took a look.