How much is my airplane worth? How to find your aircraft's value

What are the methods for finding an aircraft's value?

There are three professional valuation methods, used by certified appraisers (the American Society of Appraisers, ASA, which has a specialty in machinery and technical equipment that includes aircraft, and ISTAT, which certifies appraisers of transport aircraft, are accreditation references in the industry) and by banks that finance aircraft:

In practice, the method that comes closest to the real price is comparables: look for identical or very similar aircraft for sale on portals such as Controller and AvBuyer or in Brazilian classifieds, and adjust the price for differences in year, hours and configuration. That is the logic an online valuation tool tries to automate. In Jet Tracker, the active listings are in the Sales Radar (aircraft for sale).

What affects my aircraft's value the most?

Price does not depend only on model and year. Two "identical" airplanes can differ quite a bit in price because of the factors below (a market reading, with no percentage measured by Jet Tracker):

1. Total time. The fewer airframe and engine hours, the higher the value. Compare cycles (takeoffs and landings) too: an aircraft flown on short legs can have few hours and many cycles, which increases structural wear.
2. Maintenance programs. Engines enrolled in engine programs such as ESP (Pratt & Whitney), MSP or JSSI tend to count in your favor at sale: JSSI, which sells this type of program, states that aircraft on an hourly maintenance program sell for a higher price than those without one (JSSI, Mar 2024). The program works as insurance per hour flown and takes the risk of a million-dollar major overhaul off the buyer. An aircraft off-program with an engine near TBO (the time between overhauls) loses a lot of value.
3. Maintenance status. An aircraft that just came out of a major inspection is worth more than one whose next overhaul is coming due. Know how much time is left to the big events: hot section, major overhaul, landing gear.
4. History and documentation. Complete logbooks, damage history (or the absence of it), few previous owners and traceable maintenance. Incomplete documentation creates uncertainty, and uncertainty pushes the price down. Regular registration in the RAB is the verifiable baseline in Brazil.
5. Avionics and upgrades. An updated panel (for example, Garmin G1000 NXi or G5000) tends to add value; older avionics, without WAAS/LPV and ADS-B, tend to shrink the pool of buyers (a market reading, no measured number). A refreshed interior and paint count too.
6. Model generation and popularity. Models with good liquidity, meaning a large fleet and many buyers, tend to sell faster and hold their price better than niche models (a market reading, not a rule).

What is each model worth? Asking prices in listings, October 2026

The numbers below are asking prices in public listings monitored by Jet Tracker, not sale prices or an official quote. Most listings do not publish a price, so the sample in each row is small and the reading is indicative. Use them as an order of magnitude.

Source: Jet Tracker, public listings monitored worldwide, queried Oct 11, 2026. The spread in each row mixes very different years and hours, which is exactly what the factors in the previous section explain.

Among listings in Brazil, the Phenom 300 had 16 aircraft listed and 4 with a price, with a median asking price of $10.0M. The Phenom 300E had 14 listed and 3 with a price, with a median of $14.0M. The King Air 350 had 12 listed and 3 with a price, with a median of $5.5M. All are small samples, indicative readings. Same source and same date.

For comparison with a factory-new aircraft: the Phenom 300E appears at $13.395M typically equipped (B&CA Purchase Planning Handbook Q1 2026, Aviation Week, Mar 2026), and the Robinson R66 lists at $1.456M (Robinson, price list of Jan 1, 2026, updated Jul 14). Other models have their own page in the catalog, with the market laid open: see the Phenom 300, the King Air 350 and the PC-12 NG.

As of Oct 12, 2026, the Jet Tracker monitor was tracking 11,966 active listings worldwide, adding Brazil and abroad. The medians above come from that base.

Why a range and not an exact price? Because the real price depends on the factors in the previous section. Two airplanes of the same model and the same year can land at opposite ends of the range, one because it has an engine program and a clean history, the other because it does not. The exact number only comes out with your aircraft's data.

How does an online valuation work, and is it reliable?

In broad terms, an online valuation follows three steps:

1. You provide the data: model, year, airframe and engine hours, maintenance status, enrolled programs, avionics and configuration.
2. The system cross-checks against its base: listing comparables (and, on some platforms, transactions), depreciation by age, and adjustments for the factors that move value.
3. You receive an estimated range, not a guaranteed price.

It is reliable as a first read: it helps you decide whether it is worth selling now, to negotiate on firmer ground and to set the initial asking price. It does not replace an on-site inspection, because an online tool does not see an oil leak, corrosion, a worn interior or an incomplete logbook. Use the result as a starting point for negotiation, not as a verdict.

How the Jet Tracker tool works, what it uses and where it stops, is detailed in online aircraft valuation.

When do I need a professional appraisal instead of an online valuation?

Rule of thumb: the larger the value involved and the more outside parties take part, the more you need a formal appraisal.

A professional appraisal involves a physical inspection of the aircraft, analysis of the logbooks and documented market research, with the appraiser's technical responsibility. It costs more and takes longer than an online valuation, but it is the document a bank, an insurer or a court may ask for when it wants a formal appraisal. The automatic estimate does not replace the appraisal in those cases, and whoever asked decides what to accept.

How do I add value to my aircraft before selling?

If the sale is coming in the next few months, a few steps tend to pay off in negotiation:

• Maintenance up to date, no open items. An expired or soon-to-expire inspection is the first discount the buyer asks for.
• Organized documentation. Complete logbooks, proof of maintenance program enrollment, ADs and SBs complied with. Sort it all out before you list.
• Honest photos and listing. Clean, well-photographed paint and interior help, and a listing with complete data (hours, programs, location) tends to generate more qualified inquiries.
• Active maintenance program. If the engine is near TBO, compare the cost of enrolling the aircraft in a program with the discount the buyer would apply.
• Realistic asking price. An aircraft priced well above the market tends to sit listed for months. Start from a well-calculated estimate and compare it with what is live in the Radar.

How do I find my aircraft's value right now?

The shortest path is to run an online valuation with the aircraft's real data and compare the result against active listings of similar airplanes. That alone puts you in a position to negotiate. If the next step is buying, selling or financing, validate with a professional appraisal before closing the deal.

To see what is listed for your model, the catalog has the market tab for each one. Anyone on the buying side will find the full roadmap in how to buy an airplane.