How to buy an aircraft in Canada
Buying your first aeroplane is a good day. It is also where first-time buyers lose the most money, usually on things nobody warned them about. Here is the whole process, step by step, written for Canada. We make nothing on your purchase, so there is no version of this where we push you at an aircraft.
Set a real budget before you fall for an airframe
The purchase price is the small part. Insurance, hangar or tie-down, the annual, fuel and oil, and an engine reserve (money set aside every flying hour toward the eventual overhaul) all land whether you fly or not. If the purchase price already stretches you, the running costs will finish the job. A partner or a co-ownership halves every fixed cost.
Choose the mission, then the aircraft
Two people to a fishing camp on floats is a completely different aeroplane from family trips across three provinces. Short grass strips point at bush and STOL types. Real cross-country work points at faster tourers with IFR avionics. Be honest about which one you'll actually fly, because a bargain on the wrong type is not a bargain.
Learn what the numbers mean
Listings run on abbreviations: TTAF, SMOH, TBO. The glossary below decodes them. Airframe hours tell you how much life the aircraft has seen. Engine hours since overhaul, measured against TBO, tell you how close the biggest bill is. Complete logbooks decide the value.
Research real Canadian prices
US price guides mislead Canadian buyers, because exchange, import costs and a different market change everything. Check our Canadian market prices by model, and run any US listing through the import cost calculator before you get attached. The converted sticker price usually sits 10–20% below what the aircraft costs you landed.
Ask sellers the right questions
Are the logbooks complete since new? Any damage history, and was the repair documented? When was the last annual, and were there snags? Any outstanding ADs? How many hours in the last year, because regular flying is healthier for an engine than sitting. A serious seller is glad to be asked.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection
Non-negotiable. A licensed AME with no relationship to the seller goes over the aircraft and the records before you commit. It routinely saves buyers many times what it costs. Our pre-purchase inspection guide covers what it should include, what to ask, and how to find a shop.
Make the offer and paper the deal
Make the offer conditional on that inspection. Use a written agreement and a bill of sale. Be careful with deposits: a lawyer or an escrow-style arrangement for anything substantial, and never wire money to someone you have not verified. If it feels rushed, walk away. Good aircraft sell to careful buyers too.
After the handshake, the paperwork clock starts
Three things have deadlines the moment the aircraft changes hands. The seller has to notify Transport Canada of the transfer within days, so make sure that actually happens. You'll fly on an interim registration while your Certificate of Registration is processed, so understand what it permits before the trip home. And the 406 MHz ELT has to be updated to you with the Canadian Beacon Registry. Search-and-rescue reads that database when a beacon goes off, and it should not still be pointing at the previous owner. Confirm current requirements on Transport Canada's site; the rules, not this page, are authoritative.
Insure, get checked out, and go fly
Arrange insurance before the ferry flight home, and budget for a proper checkout with an instructor if the type is new to you. Most insurers will insist on one anyway. Then fly it. Aircraft that sit are the ones that cost money.
Do I need a pilot licence to buy an aircraft in Canada?
No. Anyone can own a Canadian-registered aircraft. You need the appropriate licence to fly it, and insurers will want to see your qualifications, usually along with a type checkout, before they will cover you as the pilot.
How much does a small airplane cost in Canada?
The range is enormous. Older two-seat trainers turn up well under $100k CAD, capable four-seaters commonly run $100k to $300k, and floatplanes, STOL machines and turbines go up from there. What you spend keeping it (insurance, storage, the annual, fuel, engine reserves) usually matters more than what you spend buying it.
What paperwork is involved in buying an aircraft?
At minimum: a written purchase agreement, a bill of sale, and transfer of registration with Transport Canada. Most buyers make the deal conditional on an independent pre-purchase inspection, and arrange insurance before flying the aircraft home.
Are aircraft with damage history worth buying?
Often yes, provided the repair was done properly, it is fully documented in the logbooks, and the price reflects it. The real red flags are undocumented damage and missing logbooks. Both permanently hurt what the aircraft is worth, and both leave you guessing about what was actually done.
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