How to sell a private airplane: the plain-English 2026 walkthrough.
I get some version of this question a lot: "I've never sold an airplane before — where do I even start?" It doesn't matter if it's a 40-year-old Cherokee or a well-kept 182; the process is the same shape every time. This is the walkthrough I'd give a friend — no jargon, no sales pitch, just the order things actually happen in.
Step 1: Get a real number for what it's worth
Before you do anything else, find out what your airplane is actually worth right now, in its actual condition — not what a similar-looking listing says, and not what a hangar-mate told you his sold for five years ago. Listed prices are asking prices, not closing prices, and two airplanes of the same make and model can be worth very different amounts depending on engine time, damage history, paint and interior, and how long it's been sitting. A knowledgeable buyer or appraiser can usually give you a real range for free — get that number before you make any other decision, including whether to spend money getting it "sale ready."
Step 2: Decide what "sold" needs to feel like for you
This is the step people skip, and it's the one that actually determines which path you take. Ask yourself honestly: do you want the highest theoretical number, and are you willing to trade months of showings, paperwork, and uncertainty to chase it? Or do you want this handled — a real number, a fast close, and the airplane off your plate? Neither answer is wrong. But knowing which one you are before you start saves you from months of frustration later.
Step 3: Gather your paperwork before you list or sell anything
Whichever path you choose, you'll eventually need: the logbooks (airframe, engine, propeller), the current registration, any FAA correspondence, and proof you're the legal owner free of liens. If logbooks are incomplete or missing, that's a value conversation, not a dead end — here's how that actually plays out. Track down what you have now so it's not a scramble later.
Step 4: Understand your two real options
List it with a broker
A broker markets the airplane, fields calls, and can chase the highest achievable price. In exchange you're paying a commission, funding photography and advertising, and holding the airplane — insurance, hangar, tie-down, upkeep — for as long as it takes to find a buyer and get through a pre-buy inspection without it falling apart. It's a real path, and for a well-kept, in-demand airplane with no time pressure, it can pay off. We did the actual math on a $200,000 piston, broker route vs. cash sale — the holding costs and fall-through risk usually surprise people.
Sell it to a cash buyer
This is what we do at Cash4Planes. We look at the airplane, give you a real offer based on its actual condition, and if you accept, we close through a licensed title/escrow company — usually in days, not months. We buy as-is, so you're not sinking money into an annual or cosmetic fixes just to attract a buyer. The trade-off is honest: our number won't be the theoretical retail ceiling a patient broker sale might reach, but it's real, it's fast, and there's no pre-buy that can fall apart at the last minute.
Step 5: If you go the broker route, know what "listed" really means
Listing isn't a single event — it's photography, an ad running for weeks or months, calls from people who are "just looking," and eventually a serious buyer who wants a pre-buy inspection. That inspection can turn up something that kills the deal, and then you're back to square one with the clock and the holding costs still running. Go in with eyes open about the timeline, not the optimistic version.
Step 6: If you go the cash-buyer route, know what closing actually looks like
It's simpler than people expect. You tell us about the airplane, we give you a number, and if you're good with it, we open an escrow with a licensed title company — they handle the FAA paperwork, the bill of sale, and the wire. We often come to the airplane rather than asking you to ferry it anywhere. Most of our sellers are surprised how few steps there actually are once the number is agreed.
Step 7: The paperwork that happens no matter which path you pick
Every legitimate aircraft sale ends the same way: a bill of sale, an FAA registration transfer (or dereg, if it's leaving the U.S. registry), and funds moving through a neutral third party — never a personal check or a handshake for anything beyond pocket change. If a broker or buyer suggests skipping escrow "to save time," that's a reason to slow down, not speed up.
A few honest mistakes I see first-time sellers make
Pricing off a hangar-mate's story instead of a real look at your airplane. Spending money on an annual or paint before getting a valuation, instead of after. Assuming a verbal offer is a real deal before anyone's seen logbooks. And waiting to deal with a lien or title issue until a buyer's attorney finds it — that always costs more time than handling it up front.
If you want a second opinion, no obligation
You don't have to decide your path today. Tell us about your airplane or call (386) 209-6722, and we'll give you a real, no-pressure number — whether you end up selling to us, a broker, or nobody at all this year.