Why Maintenance History Matters More Than Airframe Time

When selling an aircraft, many owners lead with total time. But experienced buyers know better.

Airframe hours only tell part of the story — and in some cases, they can be misleading. What truly drives buyer confidence today is the quality, clarity, and completeness of your logbooks.

Here's why:

• Maintenance tells the real story.A well-maintained aircraft with 4,000 hours will outperform a poorly tracked 2,000-hour airplane every time in terms of value and buyer trust.

• Missing entries = missed opportunity.Buyers (and their lenders) don’t like surprises. Gaps in logbooks, unsigned ADs, or vague write-ups lead to delays — or worse, renegotiation.

• Due diligence starts with the docs.By the time a buyer books a prebuy, they've likely already made up their mind. Clean logs give them the green light early.

What sellers can do:

• Get a third-party review before listing

• Highlight maintenance strengths in your ad copy

• Consider an AeroScore HX report to validate your records and back your asking price

At AeroScore, we specialize in reviewing logbooks and creating structured, buyer-friendly reports that help aircraft move faster — and often, for more.

📞 Ready to order? Start your report here.