If I’m not qualified to fly an airplane, can I still buy it?

This is a question I have received from many students of mine. Many people get their pilots license and plan to buy a used airplane that they can take their family on vacation and take themselves on business trips with. They quickly realize that the Cessna 172 that they have been training in is not going to be the best aircraft for them. Maybe they have their eye on a nice used Piper Malibu, or a Cessna 310; neither of which they are qualified to fly. The first question is often, “Can I still buy this airplane?” Followed with, “How do I test fly it?”

Once you have found the airplane that seems like it is right for you, see if you can talk to some owners of the airplane. Not just ones trying to sell, but people that own the airplane and have for years. You will get quality insight from them. They can tell you specific quirks and some airplane specific things to be aware of and expect. If you are not qualified to fly the airplane or aren’t comfortable flying it, talk to the insurance company you plan on using first, and then speak with a flight instructor. Sometimes, the insurane company will require you to go to a specific flight training school, such as SimCom or Flight Safety, or they may just require you to do 5 hours with a qualified instructor.

If you find the particular airplane for sale that you would like, have the owner and the flight instructor, if possible, go along for the flight. As a flight instructor, I have helped a few students/pilots go up in high performance single engine pistons that they weren’t comfortable in yet. I took the airplane up and did a few maneuvers to see how it handled. These are things that they were not comfortable doing on their own, but wanted to see be done. It is nice to see how the airplane handles in a stall, slow flight, etc. before you make the purchase.

If the test flight and pre-buy inspection go well, you can purchase the airplane. Make sure you know what you are getting into with the insurance. Take care of that quickly so that you will be able to fly around in your new-used airplane soon. Keep in mind, if you are only rated in a single engine airplane, you can buy a twin engine airplane and get instruction in it. You may also use it to take your checkride. Many insurance companies will require you to have around 25 hours in type before they will insure you, so doing your training in the airplane should count towards that. If you have any other questions, ask your insurance company, a flight instructor, or leave a comment and I’ll find out the answer for you!

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