How long does it take to sell an airplane in Canada?

Honestly priced, well-photographed common types often move in weeks; unusual aircraft, project planes, or optimistic pricing can sit for many months. Days-on-market is mostly a pricing signal: if you're getting views but no inquiries, the market is telling you the number is wrong.

What documents do I need to sell my aircraft?

At minimum: complete airframe and engine logbooks, the journey log, weight and balance, a record of AD compliance, and the Certificate of Registration. For the sale itself: a written purchase agreement and a bill of sale, then the registration transfer with Transport Canada.

Should I fix squawks before selling?

Fix cheap, visible things — they pay for themselves in buyer confidence. Big-ticket items are usually better handled as price negotiation, honestly disclosed up front. What kills deals isn't a known squawk; it's a squawk the buyer's inspection finds that you didn't mention.

Do I have to pay tax when I sell my plane?

It depends on how the aircraft was owned and used (personal vs business, depreciation claimed, etc.). Talk to your accountant before the sale — not after.

How to sell your airplane in Canada

Price it right, get the logbooks ready, take photos that sell, and handle the paperwork — a practical guide to selling an aircraft in Canada without paying commission.

1. Price it with evidence, not attachment

Every owner believes their plane is the good one. Buyers, meanwhile, are comparing your ad against every similar aircraft for sale in the country. Start from the market: check current Canadian asking prices for your model, then adjust honestly for what actually moves value — engine time against TBO, avionics, damage history, paint and interior, floats or skis, and how complete your logbooks are. A realistic price sells planes; a "testing the market" price ages them. Long days-on-market itself becomes a red flag buyers notice.

2. Get the paperwork ready before the ad goes up

Serious buyers ask for the same things every time: complete logbooks since new, AD compliance, the status of the last annual, and any damage repair records. Have them scanned and ready — a seller who produces documents within an hour reads as trustworthy, and trust is what closes private aircraft sales. If your logbooks have a gap, disclose it early and price for it; discovered gaps end negotiations, disclosed ones just shape them.

3. Take photos like they're worth thousands — because they are

Wash the plane. Pull it out of the dark hangar into open light (overcast is ideal). Then shoot: all four quarters of the exterior, the full panel with avionics powered up, every row of seats, the baggage area, engine with cowling off if you can, and the logbook stack. Ten to fifteen photos minimum. Phone cameras are perfectly good — dark, cluttered, three-photo ads are what buyers scroll past.

4. Write the ad by the numbers

Buyers filter with numbers first, feelings second. Lead with what they scan for: year, make, model, TTAF, SMOH (and TBO), prop time, avionics list, IFR or VFR, useful load, damage history, annual date, and where it's based. Then one honest paragraph about what the plane does well. Skip the poetry — "always hangared, all logs since new, no damage history" is worth more than any adjective.

5. List where buyers can actually find it

Facebook groups reach real pilots, but a post is buried within days and invisible to anyone searching Google. A proper listing works around the clock: it's searchable, shareable, keeps your photos and numbers organized, and shows up when someone Googles your model. Listing on MarketPlane.ca is free with no commission — buyers contact you directly, and you can keep your Facebook post running too. They reinforce each other.

6. Expect — and welcome — the pre-purchase inspection

A buyer who wants an independent inspection is a buyer who's serious. Cooperate: it's the fastest path to a firm deal. If your plane is in good shape, the PPI is your friend — it converts a hesitant buyer into a committed one. Read what buyers are told to look for in our pre-purchase inspection guide and get ahead of it.

7. Close it cleanly

Use a written agreement and bill of sale, and be careful with deposits from strangers. Two legal duties land on you the moment custody transfers: notify Transport Canada of the sale promptly (the requirement is measured in days, not weeks — check the current rules on their site), and update the 406 MHz ELT with the Canadian Beacon Registry so search-and-rescue records stop pointing at you. Tell your insurer the moment the aircraft changes hands. Then — this is the part sellers forget — let the marketplace know it sold and what it sold for. Real sold prices make the whole Canadian market smarter.