How to Sell Your Aircraft Online
Sell your aircraft online with confidence: prepare records, price on real market evidence, screen buyers, control the pre-buy and close through escrow.
By Pull-Up Aero · 4 min read ·
Selling an aircraft online can reach buyers on every continent, but the aircraft that sell quickly are rarely the cheapest. They are the ones whose information is complete, accurate and easy to trust. This guide covers what experienced brokers do before, during and after listing an aircraft.
Prepare the records before you prepare the listing
Buyers buy the logbooks as much as the aircraft. Before advertising, organize:
Airframe, engine, propeller and component logbooks, in order and complete.
Total time, cycles and time since overhaul for each engine and propeller.
Airworthiness directive (AD) compliance status and any recurring items.
Major repairs and modifications, with the approved data or supplemental type certificates behind them.
Current weight and balance, equipment list and avionics configuration.
Damage history, honestly documented.
Fill gaps now. A missing logbook or undocumented repair discovered during the pre-buy will cost far more in price reduction than it costs to research before listing.
Describe the engine accurately
Engine status drives value, so terminology matters:
Factory overhaul and field overhaul are not the same, and buyers price them differently.
A "top overhaul" covers cylinders only; it is not a full engine overhaul.
Only the original manufacturer, or a facility it approves, can typically return an engine to "zero time" with a new logbook. Under US rules, for example, this is set out in 14 CFR 91.421.
A repaired engine is not an overhauled engine.
For turbine engines, state whether the engine is enrolled in an hourly maintenance program, the program's coverage level and whether it transfers to the new owner.
Price from evidence, not hope
Asking prices on listings are not sale prices. A good broker or qualified appraiser will look at recent closed transactions where available, competing aircraft currently on the market, and then adjust for engine status, upcoming inspections, avionics, damage history and total time. Location, tax status and currency also affect what a buyer will pay.
Decide in advance how long you will hold the asking price and when you will review it. Aircraft that sit unsold for many months start to look like they have a problem, even when they do not.
Build an honest, complete listing
Use current, high-resolution photos of the actual aircraft: several exterior angles, cockpit, panel, cabin, baggage area, engine compartments and known wear areas. Include the location, a clear specification summary and a maintenance snapshot dated so buyers know when it was true. Disclose damage and major repairs plainly. Do not publish copies of ownership documents, personal identification or full logbook scans publicly; share them later with screened buyers. Our guide to what makes an aircraft listing attractive covers this in detail.
Screen buyers and protect the transaction
Serious buyers will tell you who they are, how they will pay and where the aircraft will be operated. Be cautious with intermediaries who cannot show a mandate from a buyer. Expect identity and source-of-funds checks from escrow agents and lawyers; these anti-money-laundering and sanctions checks protect sellers too.
Fraud warning: Aircraft sales are a target for payment fraud. Treat any change to bank details, any unusual payment route and any pressure to skip escrow as a red flag. Confirm wire instructions by telephone using a number you already know, never one supplied in the same email.
Control the inspection and negotiation
Put the terms in writing before the aircraft leaves your hangar: who flies it to the inspection facility, who insures it, how many test-flight hours are allowed and how much access the buyer's inspectors have. Agree how discrepancies will be classified. A common approach in larger aircraft transactions is that the seller corrects airworthiness discrepancies and the buyer accepts or negotiates cosmetic and future-maintenance items, but every deal is different.
Respond to findings with facts and quotes from your maintenance provider, not estimates presented as certainties.
Complete a documented handover
At closing, expect to provide the signed bill of sale or equivalent, lien releases, deregistration or export documents where applicable, tax documents, all original logbooks and records, manuals and loose equipment. Transfer software subscriptions, navigation databases and maintenance program enrollments only where the provider allows, and document each one. Release the aircraft only when escrow confirms funds.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to sell an aircraft?
It depends on type, price and condition. Well-priced, well-documented aircraft in popular categories can sell within weeks; specialized or overpriced aircraft can take many months.
Should I fix squawks before listing?
Fix safety and airworthiness items and anything that will obviously appear in a pre-buy. Major cosmetic work rarely returns its full cost unless the aircraft's appearance is clearly hurting interest.
Should I use a broker or sell it myself?
Private sales work, especially for light aircraft. A broker earns their fee on complex, high-value or cross-border aircraft, where market knowledge, buyer networks and transaction management matter most.
Next step
List your aircraft on Pull-Up Aero to reach buyers and brokers around the world with a clear, structured aircraft presentation.
