When considering an aircraft for purchase, the easy thing to do is just avoid those with any damage history.  This is an easy choice to make but would you really reject a perfectly good aircraft that had everything you were looking for – and more,

Recently, I was on the Lease A Sales Rep podcast, where I talked about Plane Data and what to do if you would like to own your own small plane or purchase one for your company. We explored other questions such as: -What does a

Before getting too far into this topic, credit needs to be given to Tim Andersen of The Appraiser’s Advocate who released a podcast on this topic albeit more directed at real property appraisals versus aircraft appraisals. In the past, Tm has instructed aircraft appraisers on

The impacts of the COVID-19 virus are going to be felt for some time – and this includes aircraft owners too.  Some owners who are in financial distress and who have liens on their aircraft will not reach out to their banks and bankers to

The aircraft appraisal industry is largely unregulated, which creates some very serious issues when it comes time to appraise an aircraft. Technically, anybody with a pulse, a pen, and a piece of paper can appraise an aircraft – even without ever seeing the aircraft or

The National Aircraft Appraisers Association (NAAA) ceased operation on 12/31/18. The Professional Aircraft Appraisal Organization, LLC (PAAO) was established in December 2018 to provide certification, aircraft appraisal best practices, and professional development for aircraft appraisers. More information about the PAAO be found on their website

A version of this article was written by Mike Simmons, President of Plane Data, Inc. and originally published in the January 2016 edition of The Aviation Consumer. Since that time, the NAAA ceased operations in late 2018. A new aircraft appraisal began operations in January 2019

If evaluating any aircraft was simply a matter of utilizing key numerical data about the subject aircraft, then arriving at a final value would involve little more than grinding through a formula. However, the average age of the General Aviation fleet is about 35 –

This article was written by Mike Simmons, President of Plane Data, Inc. and originally published in the February 2002 edition of The Avaition Consumer. One of the most heated debates in ownership circles— involving both veteran owners and wannabes—is how to determine a fair market value

Many of us have had the misfortune of dealing with a damaged automobile and experiencing first hand the way automobile policies handle physical damage. Auto policies are generally written on an Actual Cash Value basis, which means the payment made in the event of a