Start an Aircraft Pre-Purchase Inspection and Appraisal Service

1. 1

   Separate the two products you can sell

   A pre-purchase inspection is a technical examination of the aircraft and its records against an agreed scope; an appraisal is an opinion of value supported by market data and condition. They are related but distinct, they attract different buyers (purchasers and lenders versus owners, insurers, and estates), and appraisal has its own professional organizations and designations worth pursuing if you go that direction.

2. 2

   Make the records audit your signature

   Aircraft value lives in paperwork: complete logbooks, airworthiness directive compliance status, service bulletin history, damage history, major repair and alteration records, engine and component times against limits, and whether installed equipment has proper approvals. Records gaps are the most common deal-changing finding, and buyers remember the inspector who caught what the listing did not mention.

3. 3

   Write a scope everyone signs before you touch anything

   Pre-purchase inspections vary from a records and visual survey to a full disassembly-level examination, and disputes come from unclear expectations. Agree in writing what is included, who pays for opening panels, what happens if discrepancies are found, who owns the report, and that you represent the buyer's interests only. Independence is the asset; conflicts destroy it.

4. 4

   Equip for the types you inspect

   Beyond a standard tool set: a good borescope for cylinders and hot sections, compression and leak-down capability, corrosion detection tools, avionics functional check ability or a partner who has it, plus access to maintenance data, directive research, and market value databases. Type-specific inspection knowledge is what distinguishes a real pre-purchase from an expensive walk-around.

5. 5

   Price the engagement, not the hour

   Charge a flat engagement fee by aircraft class with travel billed separately, plus hourly rates for extended discrepancy investigation. Deals move on short timelines, so availability is worth a premium. Being paid by the buyer, never by the seller or the broker's commission, is what preserves the independence that makes your report worth anything.

6. 6

   Market through the transaction chain

   Buyers find you through brokers, title and escrow companies, aviation lenders, insurers, type clubs, and owner forums. Brokers refer inspectors they trust to be thorough and fair rather than deal-killers who cannot distinguish a real airworthiness problem from cosmetic wear. Build that reputation and referral volume becomes steady.

7. 7

   Extend into the adjacent judgment work

   The same expertise sells as appraisals for financing, insurance, estates, and disputes; as post-purchase remediation planning; as expert consultation in damage and warranty disagreements; and as ongoing records management for owners who want their logbooks clean before they ever list. Those extensions smooth the lumpiness of transaction-driven work.

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