Pre-Buy Inspection Checklist
Interactive pre-buy inspection checklist with tick-off progress saved in your browser — built around the misses that actually happen.
A pre-buy is not an annual — it's targeted reconnaissance: records first (most disqualifications live in paper), corrosion second, big-ticket components third.
Records review
Physical inspection
Decision
⚠️ Not for operational decisions. This is a record-keeping and planning aid only — not certified avionics, not a source of regulatory truth. Always verify against official sources (FAA) and your operator's approved documents before flying.
Free interactive pre-buy inspection checklist for aircraft buyers: every item tickable with progress saved in your browser — built around the misses that actually happen.
About Pre-Buy Inspection Checklist
The difference between a checklist and a suggestion is whether you actually tick it. This one makes ticking effortless for aircraft buyers — sections in working order, progress persisted locally, a counter that shows what remains — and its content earns the time: a pre-buy is not an annual — it's targeted reconnaissance: records first (most disqualifications live in paper), corrosion second, big-ticket components third. Use it live during the task, not as bedtime reading afterwards.
How to use Pre-Buy Inspection Checklist
- 1Open the checklist at the start of the task, not the end.
- 2Tick items as actually completed — the counter keeps you honest.
- 3Reset for next time; the structure is the discipline.
Why use Pre-Buy Inspection Checklist?
- ✓Interactive ticking with progress saved in your browser
- ✓Content built around real failure points for aircraft buyers
- ✓Sectioned in working order — use it live during the task
- ✓Reset once, reuse forever
- ✓Free, private, no account
Frequently asked questions
How is a pre-buy different from an annual inspection?+
Purpose: an annual certifies airworthiness against Appendix D; a pre-buy hunts for reasons not to buy, in order of disqualification probability — records gaps, damage history mismatches, corrosion, and component-time claims that don't reconcile. Many deal-killers are pure paperwork an annual barely grades. Choose a pre-buy inspector who works for YOU (never the seller's shop) and let this checklist's records section run before money or aircraft moves.
Should I adapt this checklist to my specific aircraft?+
Yes — treat it as the airworthy baseline and extend it: your model's known weak points, your shop's or kit maker's supplemental items, the quirks your aircraft has taught you. The structure (sectioned, ordered, ticked live) matters more than any single item, and a checklist that reflects YOUR aircraft gets used, which is the only metric that counts.
Why doesn't this tool sync to the cloud?+
By design: operational records are sensitive, and the simplest privacy guarantee is never transmitting them. Local-only storage means zero servers, zero breach surface and zero subscription. If you work from several devices, keep one as the master record and move snapshots with the CSV export.
Can I get my data out if I switch systems later?+
Always — the CSV export is a complete, lossless dump of your checklist record, generated locally in one click. Import it into commercial software, archive it with your files, or post-process it in a spreadsheet. No lock-in is deliberate: data you can't take with you isn't really yours.
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