PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION · FLORIDA & GEORGIA AIRCRAFT PRE-BUY INSPECTION.
An independent aircraft pre-buy inspection, run as deep as an annual, so you know exactly what you are buying before you wire the money. We inspect for the buyer and write it down in plain English. Serving the Southeast from hangars at DeLand, Venice, and Sanford.
- DEPTH
- Annualas deep as an annual
- REPORT
- Writtenplain English, to the buyer
- TURNAROUND
- 2-4shop days, piston, typical
- COVERAGE
- FL & GAhangars & mobile units
Before you sign
What an aircraft pre-buy
inspection actually is.
A pre-buy inspection is an independent look at an airplane you do not own yet, done before the money changes hands. A few shop days and an honest report tell you what the airplane really is, so an expensive problem does not surface the first time you open the cowling as the new owner.
We run our aircraft pre-buy inspection as deep as an annual. The difference is who it is for. An annual keeps a plane you already own legal to fly. A pre-buy tells a buyer what they are about to own, in writing, before the sale closes, using the same compression test, borescope, and logbook scrutiny, with a full paperwork and value audit added on top.
We have no stake in whether the sale closes. Our job is to tell you the truth about the airplane and what its logbooks say. If it is a good one, we will say so. If it is not, you will know before you sign, not after. Owner groups like the EAA and the AOPA are a good place to start if this is your first airplane. Reading up on a model helps, but only a mechanic on the specific airplane can tell you the condition of that one.
The checklist
What the pre-buy
inspection covers.
We work off the same inspection checklist we use for an annual, then add the paperwork audit a buyer needs. Here is what comes back to you.
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01
Logbook deep-dive
Every logbook, every entry, back to the start where the records allow. We check continuity, damage history, major repairs, and whether the times and cycles actually add up.
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02
AD compliance audit
We cross-check the airframe, engine, and propeller against applicable FAA Airworthiness Directives, so you know exactly where AD compliance stands before you take the airplane on.
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03
Paint and corrosion review
A close look at the skin, the belly, control surfaces, and the hidden corners where corrosion likes to start. Florida air is hard on aluminum, and we know where to look.
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04
Compression and borescope
A compression test on every cylinder plus a borescope down the barrels, valves, and cam where we can reach. This is where wear inside a high-time engine shows up.
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05
Optional test flight
If the seller agrees, we can fly it and check the engine, avionics, and systems the way they behave in the air, not just sitting on the ramp.
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06
A straight written report
You get a plain written report: what is good, what needs attention now, and what to budget for in the first 100 hours. It is written in language you can act on, with no filler.
Buyers and sellers
A pre-buy inspection works
for buyers and sellers.
For buyers: know before you sign
Most people book an aircraft pre-buy inspection as the buyer. You are about to spend real money on an airplane you have flown once, maybe twice. Our report is written for you and shared with the seller only if you ask us to. You walk into the closing knowing the squawks, the reserves, and the true condition of what you are buying.
For sellers: fewer surprises, a faster close
A seller can order a pre-buy too, and in a slow market it often pays off. A recent independent report from a shop that had no part in the sale answers a buyer's biggest worry before they even ask. It shortens the negotiation and heads off the lowball. It also tells a serious buyer you have nothing to hide.
Scope and intent
Pre-buy inspection
versus an annual.
People ask us why a pre-buy costs about what an annual costs when the airplane is not even theirs yet. Fair question. The wrenching runs nearly as deep as an annual. What changes is the intent behind it.
Same depth, different question.
An annual is a legal inspection that returns your own airplane to service for another year. A pre-buy is a decision tool for a sale. We inspect to the same depth, but the pre-buy adds a full paperwork and value audit and ends in a report to the buyer rather than a signature that says fly it. If what you actually need is the yearly legal inspection instead, see our annual inspection service.
In practice, many buyers ask us to roll the pre-buy into a fresh annual once the sale closes, since the airplane is already open and sitting on our floor. That is your call, and we quote it separately so the two never get blurred together.
Brokering
The same shop that maintains
aircraft checks the one you buy.
We also broker airplanes, and that changes what a pre-buy inspection is worth to you. When we help you find an aircraft, the logbooks get verified by the same shop that will maintain it after you own it. Nothing passes through a broker and a seller's mechanic before it reaches you.
If you found the airplane on your own, that is fine too. Bring us the tail number and the location and we will check the one you are about to buy. Either way, you get the full picture from the team at Alpha Company Aviation, the people who fix these engines every week. See the rest of our maintenance services, reach us on the contact page, or start a work order below.
What we inspect
Aircraft we run
pre-buy inspections on.
A lot of the pre-buys we run are piston singles and light twins, the Lycoming and Continental airplanes that make up general aviation. Think O-320, O-360, and IO-540 power, from trainers to traveling airplanes. We see these every week, so we know the common squawks by heart.
We also run pre-buy inspections on turboprops (PT6A, TPE331, and M601 class power in Caravans, King Airs, TBMs, and Meridians), on turbine and light jets, on Robinson helicopters as an authorized service center, and on the GB1 GameBird. On a turboprop or turbine, we handle the inspection ourselves, and if a specific job calls for an OEM-authorized specialist, we bring one in and stay on the file.
How it works
Turnaround and how to
schedule a pre-buy inspection.
Plan on two to four shop days for a piston airplane in clean condition, parts and paperwork permitting. Here is how a pre-buy inspection runs from the first call to the report in your inbox.
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01
Open a work order
Call (941) 375-9727 or use the form below. Give us the make, model, tail number, and where the airplane sits today.
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02
We schedule and meet the airplane
Fly it to DeLand, Venice, or Sanford, or have the seller leave it and we send a mobile unit across the Southeast to inspect it where it sits.
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03
We inspect and audit
Airframe, engine, corrosion, paint, avionics, and the full logbook and AD history. Photos as we go, so nothing is a mystery.
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04
You get the written report
A plain report you can take to the closing, plus a phone call to walk through anything that matters. We respect owner privacy and sign NDAs on request.
Straight talk
What a pre-buy can
and cannot promise.
A pre-buy inspection reports the condition of the airplane on the day we see it, inspected as thoroughly as honest work allows. Here is what that means for you.
- It is a point-in-time inspection, not a warranty. We report the condition we find on the day of the inspection. We do not guarantee the future, and no honest shop can.
- We report findings, we do not rubber-stamp. The report goes to you exactly as we found it. We will not soften a squawk to help a sale close, on either side of the deal.
- Some deep findings need more than a pre-buy window. If something points to a teardown-level question, we tell you what it would take to know for sure before you decide.
That is the whole idea. You make the call with the same information we would want if we were the ones buying it.
Frequently asked
Aircraft pre-buy
inspection FAQ.
The honest answers. If yours is not here, call (941) 375-9727 and we will answer it on the spot.
What does an aircraft pre-buy inspection cover?
It covers the airframe, engine compression and borescope, corrosion and paint, landing gear and brakes, controls and avionics, plus a full logbook deep-dive and AD compliance audit. You leave with a written report and an estimate of the maintenance to expect in the first 100 hours.
Should the buyer or the seller order the pre-buy?
Usually the buyer, and the report is written for the buyer. Sellers order them too, because a recent independent report from a shop with no stake in the sale removes a buyer's biggest worry and speeds up the deal.
How is a pre-buy inspection different from an annual?
The physical inspection is about as deep as an annual. The difference is intent. An annual returns your own airplane to service for a year. A pre-buy audits the airplane and the paperwork for a sale and ends in a report to the buyer, not a signature to fly. Compare it with our annual inspection service.
Can you do a pre-buy away from my base?
Yes. Our mobile units cover the Southeast, so we can inspect an airplane where it sits in Florida or Georgia instead of ferrying it to us. Call (941) 375-9727 with the location and we will set it up.
Request a pre-buy
Open a work order.
A quick form for a pre-buy inspection or other non-emergency work. For AOG, please call (941) 661-7865.
Work order received.
We'll confirm by email or phone within one business day. For AOG, call (941) 661-7865.