Piston Aircraft Financing
A piston aircraft is financed on condition far more than on age. Airframes from decades ago remain in active service and hold value, so what matters is the engine's position against its recommended overhaul interval, the panel, and the quality of the records behind both.
How we structure it.
Acquisition Loan
The standard route for an owner intending to keep the aircraft. Terms are set against the airframe and engine position rather than the model year.
Acquisition Plus Upgrade
One schedule covering the purchase and the overhaul or panel work the aircraft needs to be what the buyer actually wants — cheaper and simpler than buying twice.
Fleet Facility
For flight schools and clubs adding aircraft on a schedule, a facility that lets each addition draw without a fresh application each time.
Not sure which fits?
Bring us the aircraft and the mission — we’ll model the alternatives side by side.
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Certified piston singles and twins, new and pre-owned
Engine overhaul and replacement at acquisition
Avionics and panel upgrades financed with the aircraft
Flight-school and flying-club fleet acquisitions
Refinance of an existing aircraft loan
Pre-buy inspection, escrow, and closing costs
What the desk reads.
Engine time against the recommended overhaul interval
Airframe total time and the completeness of the logs
Damage history and how it was repaired
Avionics fit and whether it meets current requirements
Intended use, including any training or rental operation
Where the aircraft will be based and hangared
Asked before the term sheet.
Is there an age limit on a piston aircraft?
Not in the way buyers often expect. Well-maintained certified aircraft from the 1970s and 1980s are financed routinely, because condition, engine time, and records describe the asset far better than the year on the data plate. What shortens a term is an unclear history, not an old one.
Should an overhaul be financed with the purchase?
Where the engine is close to its interval, usually yes. Buying the aircraft and then facing a major overhaul out of pocket months later is the most common way a good purchase turns into a difficult year, and folding the work into the same schedule prices the aircraft as it will actually be flown.
Does an aircraft used for training or rental change the analysis?
It changes what the aircraft is. A trainer flies several times the hours of a personally owned aircraft, so the engine reserve, the maintenance plan, and the operating structure all matter more, and the aircraft is assessed closer to a commercial asset than a personal one.
Related financing
The rest of the aviation desk's coverage — assets, components, and ownership programs.
Helicopter Financing
Rotorcraft financing for light singles through medium twins — corporate, utility, medical, tour, and offshore operations, structured around the mission.
Pre-Owned Aircraft Financing
Financing for used aircraft purchases — pre-buy inspection, escrow, title, and records handled as part of the transaction rather than around it.
Avionics Upgrade Financing
Finance a panel retrofit or mandate compliance separately from the airframe — flight deck upgrades, connectivity, and the downtime that comes with them.
Tell us about the aircraft. We’ll engineer the rest.
Confidential response within one business day.
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