Editor's Note: As the year winds down, we’re taking a short pause on this newsletter while we work on what’s next. If you enjoy this kind of content, you can find fresh articles and resources on our blog, Redbird Landing, in the meantime. We’ll share more soon. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season!

Today's brief:

• Selling a plane? Be the seller you'd want to buy from. 
• Plus: The U.S. Senate passes the ROTOR Act, and the House passes the National Defense Authorization Act.

🛩️ Estimated time en route: 5 minutes

Selling a GA airplane is not like selling or trading in a used car. But, you can sell your airplane safely and professionally if you lean into something you’re already familiar with…checklists.

But first, the usual disclaimer. This isn’t legal advice, and I’m not an attorney. I’d feel comfortable giving a friend the following information, but run it past a real lawyer before acting on any of it.

Decide Who Is Selling the Plane

Broker

A good broker is essentially a project manager, marketer, gatekeeper, and therapist. The one you want is knowledgeable about the specific type (or willing to learn quickly) and where the market is currently. 

They’ll handle advertising, phone calls, “Is it still available?” emails, and shoo away tire-kickers who only want free rides. They often already have a network of buyers, other brokers, and shops that can shorten the time-on-market. Most importantly, they can help with realistic pricing, contracts, escrow, and seeing trouble coming before you do.

Of course, the broker will want a little something for their trouble in the form of a commission from the sale. And, you’ll still need to do at least some work in the form of supplying and verifying logs, answering their pre-listing questions, and, importantly, making sure the broker you choose is reputable.  

You should seriously consider using a good broker if you don’t have time (or patience) to manage a multi-month process, if you simply don’t like negotiating, or if you think there’s any complexity over your head, such as old liens, export considerations, LLC ownership, or a substantial damage history.

On Your Own

The pros include not paying commission to a broker and having control over the messaging, interactions, and pacing.  In comparison to selling a $900k Baron with glass, selling a 20-year-old Cherokee is usually much more straightforward.

On the other hand, you’re a marketing, sales, support, fraud detection, quality assurance, accounting, and possibly legal team of one. You will be responsible for screening tire-kickers, spotting scams, and managing money safely. Be ready to draft a purchase agreement, arrange escrow, answer endless questions, and schedule prebuys. 

But if you choose to go it alone, you don’t have to be completely without help. A realistic middle ground can be achieved by getting a pricing consultation from a broker or appraiser, talking to AOPA Legal Services or another aviation attorney, then running the sale yourself.

Price as Objectively as Possible

Let’s get the hard part out of the way first. Your airplane is not as special to buyers as it is to you. The market does not value your opinion, care how much you have “in” the panel, or what your next airplane costs. 

A sane asking price comes from looking at recent sales of your make and model (or listing prices, at least), the engine and prop times (and their calendar ages), how relevant and supported the avionics stack is today, and the honest condition of the paint and interior. Put all that together, and you’ll land on a fair, defensible number that makes every subsequent step of the sale dramatically easier.

Give the Facts, Then Tell the Story

Serious buyers are not buying an airplane; they’re buying their next “baby,” and it had better be good. They want to know, “Where has this airplane been, how has it been treated, and what am I in for in the first couple of years?” Your job is to make the story clear, boring, and trustworthy.

Clean, Organized, and Digitized

• Put all airframe, engine, and prop logs in chronological order.
  
  
• Create a one-page summary with total airframe time, engine time since overhaul (and year), prop time since overhaul and year, date of last annual and next due, date of last IFR/altimeter/static and transponder checks, and any major mods (STOL kit, tip tanks, modern panel, etc.).
  
  
• Scan at least the last 5–10 years into a searchable PDF. Digital, well-organized records make you look like a professional and directly support your asking price. They also communicate to the buyer that you’re meticulous. Wouldn’t you want to buy from that kind of seller?
  
  
• Giving the physical logs to the buyer should be the very last step in the closing process.  No one gets those until that point, no matter what.
  
  
• Create a comprehensive spec sheet including manufacturer info and mods/STCs.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the ROTOR Act on Wednesday, and Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) has introduced a companion bill in the House. If signed into law, the act would, among other things, limit when military operators can turn off ADS-B and require that all ADS-B Out-equipped aircraft also carry ADS-B In by 2031. 

Insurance rates could begin to increase in 2026, per Jon Howard, CEO of aviation insurer Mach 2 Underwriters. According to Howard, supply-chain disruptions and mechanic shortages are exacerbating a large-loss year in 2025, resulting in "increased pressure on the reinsurance market and large general aviation insurers to cease rate decreases or begin to raise rates." 

American pro sports leagues may soon have support to counter rising drone incursions during games. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision that would allow state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to intercept or take down rogue drones. Currently, only federal law enforcement can intercept drones. 

• The provision would require state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement and correctional officers to receive a certification through a "national schoolhouse" to engage in approved counter-UAS measures. 
• Certified governments would have to purchase technology from a list approved and maintained by the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense, Transportation, and other federal agencies. 

Watch a Peloton of Pro Cyclists Launch a Glider 

If the power output of athletes like professional cyclists ever seems opaque to you, Red Bull has a handy solution: Watch them tow and launch an aircraft by bike. Nine cyclists from the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team recently launched pilot Andy Hediger and his glider into the sky.

• Per Red Bull, to accomplish the feat, the riders "accelerated to 33mph on a 1,500m runway, peaking at a combined 6,500 watts, and averaging 650 seated watts for 90 seconds."