NAAA Certified Appraisal Vs Book Values

Alaska Aircraft Appraisals--Member of the National Aircraft Appraisers Association

The old axiom, "You get what you pay for" is particularly true when making a decision to get a certified appraisal from the Alaska Aircraft Appraisals or to use a published "Blue Book" value. With the appreciating values of aircraft today, and many hidden risks in purchasing an aircraft, it is very important that you make the right decision!

First of all, book values are not appraisals at all; they are only  values set by a publishing company that relies on questionnaires mailed to its book subscribers every three months. These questionnaires are usually comprised of very vague, general questions which may be answered by people who do not have an aviation background!

Aircraft are very complex, to say the least, and it would be a great mistake to base their value on generalities and lack of detailed information. The only way to get a true value of an aircraft is have an on site inspection  by a professional NAAA Certified Inspector! 

Let us look at some of the problems associated with relying upon a book value of an aircraft.

These are some of the important details that may not be addressed:

• Consistency of scheduled maintenance. Was an annual inspection done every year?
• Is Damage History taken into account? Is it buried somewhere in the Log Book?
• What is the condition of the instrument panel? Is it laid out for an easy IFR scan?
• What is the condition of the De-Ice Equipment?  Is the rubber cracking?
• What kind of propeller is on the aircraft?  What is its time since over haul?
• What is the Make and Model of installed Avionics? This alone could easily change the values of an aircraft by thousands of dollars!
• Are the logbook entries complete and up to date?
• How was the Engine over hauled? Was it a new engine, a field overhaul to FAA limits, or was it overhauled to factory new limits?
• Is there corrosion damage on the surface areas?  How much will this cost to repair?
• Were there engine or airframe modifications done? What is their value?

See what I mean....I cannot imagine not taking these details into consideration when doing an evaluation of an aircraft and I don't think you would either! It's a no brainer!