Buying an aircraft?

First, members get access to our financing services, as well as all the other services associated with purchasing an aircraft. Those include title and escrow, insurance, Pilot Protection Services, and the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

Title and escrow is a critical part of financing. That’s why AOPA has a strategic partnership with Aero-Space Reports, a third-party company that offers service discounts to AOPA members. Aero-Space Reports will do a title search and file the FAA paperwork and handle the funds transfer on the day of closing.

Insuring the aircraft is a prerequisite to lending because lenders use the aircraft as collateral. And since the borrower must list the lender as the loss payee on the certificate of insurance, all lenders mandate a full coverage policy on the aircraft. AOPA has a long-standing strategic partnership with AssuredPartners Aerospace, an insurance broker that has relationships with all the major aircraft insurance providers. That gives AssuredPartners the ability to find the best insurance option for your situation. As an AOPA member, you can request free, no-obligation quotes.

AssuredPartners Aerospace is familiar with navigating the requirements that lenders have for aviation insurance policies, requirements like “breach of warranty” coverage. Breach of warranty coverage extends coverage to the lienholder in case your insurance policy terms were breached. For example, an unapproved pilot flies your aircraft and has an accident. Your insurance carrier could deny coverage based on breaching the pilot warranty.

Another AOPA member benefit is our Pilot Protection Services (PPS). There are two membership levels, basic and plus. PPS Basic is designed for student, sport, and private pilots. Included with PPS is the AOPA Legal Services Plan. The plan provides one hour of paid legal representation by an AOPA panel attorney (or limited reimbursement of some legal fees when using an attorney who isn’t on our panel) for aircraft transactions, in addition to benefits for other legal matters, like FAA enforcement actions and aircraft accidents.

PPS Plus is geared toward airline transport and commercial pilots, CFIs, and UAS Part 107 pilots. But it’s also available to student, sport, and private pilots seeking additional benefits. This level of support provides up to two hours of paid legal representation by an AOPA panel attorney for aircraft transactions, and benefits for other legal matters.

AOPA’s legal team also provides resources like a draft of a sample purchase agreement. It’s a great resource to start with to craft your specific purchase agreement. And again, AOPA panel attorneys are available to assist in drafting the agreement.

Another benefit of having access to our panel attorneys is that they may be able to review the ownership structure of the aircraft. For example, you may be planning to put your airplane into an LLC. There are some considerations to make in terms of how the FAA is going to view that LLC and your ownership of the airplane through that LLC.

Last, but certainly not least, as an AOPA member, you have access to the AOPA Pilot Information Center. It’s staffed by a team of commercial-rated pilots. They have decades of experience in all kinds of different aircraft. They’re a treasure trove of information regarding aircraft operations and aircraft capabilities, and they can help in identifying the right aircraft to meet your mission. If you want to talk to someone who knows about how FAA regulations might apply to you, if you’re interested in co-ownership or flying club options, or if you have questions about maintenance, the staff at the AOPA Pilot Information Center can help.