FLAP PANTANEIRO

Buying guide

How to Buy a Used Aircraft in Brazil, Step by Step

Buying a used aircraft is one of the decisions where a mistake costs the most, and the mistake is almost never in the asking price: it is in what nobody checked before signing. This guide follows the order Flap uses when it handles a purchase, from defining the mission to the transfer.

The roadmap applies to single-engine aircraft, twin-engine aircraft, turboprops, jets and helicopters. What changes from one category to another is the depth of each step, not the sequence.

The seven steps of a well-run purchase

  1. 1

    Define the mission before the model

    How many people, what distance, what runway, how many hours per year. The mission rules out half of the models before you open a single listing, and avoids the classic mistake of buying the aircraft that impresses instead of the one that does the job.

  2. 2

    Build the total budget, not just the aircraft price

    Add to the purchase price the pre-buy inspection, the ferry of the aircraft, the transfer, insurance and a reserve for issues the inspection finds. Buyers who close on the asking price alone tend to discover the real cost after the purchase.

  3. 3

    Confirm who the owner is in the registry

    The Brazilian Aircraft Registry (RAB, Registro Aeronáutico Brasileiro), maintained by ANAC, is where the registration marks and the recording of acts and contracts relating to the aircraft are held. The person selling must be the registered owner, or have documented authority to sell. Also ask whether any guarantee or encumbrance is registered against the aircraft.

  4. 4

    Pull the aircraft's history

    Aviation occurrences, maintenance history and the status of airworthiness directives. Flap's due diligence guide details each item. The rule is simple: no aircraft is presented or negotiated without this research done.

  5. 5

    Run a pre-buy inspection with an independent shop

    The shop is chosen by you, not by the seller. The inspection compares what is in the logbooks with what is on the aircraft: corrosion, repairs, engine and propeller condition, avionics working. The report becomes a negotiating argument or a reason to walk away.

  6. 6

    Negotiate with the report in hand

    A defect found in the inspection is a matter for price, for a correction deadline or for leaving the deal. Agree in writing who pays for what before signing, including what happens if the inspection reveals something that changes the value of the aircraft.

  7. 7

    Formalize the contract and the transfer in the RAB

    The contract must be in the form accepted by the registry, and payment should accompany delivery of the documents. The transfer of ownership is recorded in the RAB, which is governed by ANAC Resolution No. 293/2013 and its amendments. Only after the recording is the purchase complete before the registry.

Flap supports the buyer through these seven steps: it helps define the mission, filters the aircraft worth a visit, coordinates the due diligence and the inspection, and leads the negotiation.

If you already have an aircraft in mind, send the model and year on WhatsApp. Before talking about price, the first question is always what has not been checked yet.

Talk to a specialist

WhatsApp (67) 99836-7983

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to buy a used aircraft?

It depends on whether the aircraft is already chosen, on the time the pre-buy inspection takes and on the paperwork being in order. What lengthens the process most is a documentation issue discovered late. That is why Flap checks the history and the registry before any price negotiation.

Do I need a pre-buy inspection even if the logbooks are up to date?

Yes. The logbook records what was done and declared. The inspection verifies the real condition of the aircraft and checks whether one matches the other.

How do I know if the aircraft has a registered encumbrance or guarantee?

Ownership and guarantee status is recorded in the RAB. Ask the seller for up-to-date documentation and check it with the registry before paying any deposit.

Does Flap sell aircraft or only broker them?

Flap sells and brokers aircraft. There are aircraft in the portfolio on the website and others that are sourced according to the buyer's mission.

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