Customer Reviews

Illustrated Buyer's Guide to Used Airplanes

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I picked up this book thinking that it would be a price guide. It isn't. To be sure, it has a small section giving a range of prices for various aircraft.

The main part of the book is a guide to the purchase of used airplanes. It's oriented to the smaller types that the individual owner would be likely to find interesting and available.

About a third of the book is on general subjects like do you really want to buy, deciding on the type of airplane, searching for the right plane, inspecting it -- all the things you want to consider regardless of the type of plane that you want. Then there's another large section that covers the various aircraft you're likely to find available and interesting. This is broken down by type. Two passenger, four place, and some interesting categories he calls Complex Airplanes, Heavy Haulers, and Affordable Twins. Within the category he lists the planes by manufacturer and gives some description of the various models and versions produced. I had to read the closing section here on War Birds. He basically said that I can't afford one. He's right. A P-47 uses a gallon of 100 Octane (at about $5 a gallon) every thirty seconds. Finally there is an extensive set of appendicies that cover everything from accidents to the pricing section mentioned earlier.

This is a general guide to buying an airplane which covers a lot of the basics. It'll give you the background information you need to even think about buying.

If you are in the market for a used airplane, this is the place to start. It covers all aspect of buying a used airplane and has summaries of plane types on the market. A great read.

This book was intended to be a replacement for one I had a few years back. It's a very good book, however it does not reflect current pricing accuartely on used aircraft. The prices listed were during the gluttany era of 2006. Airplanes are much like houses. You can't sell what other's can't afford and they can only afford what they can make. It is an Obama-Nation after all.

This book has been re-issued many times but obvious errors still exist throughout the book. Come on Guys! Get your act together and correct the errors!