Verify the delivered new aircraft and handover against the actual contract and intended operation.
Use the executed specification
Compare the delivered aircraft with the agreed configuration, installed equipment, interiors, documentation and included services. Ask the technical adviser to define the acceptance work appropriate to this aircraft and contract. A marketing brochure may describe options that were never ordered. Document deviations and the seller's proposed resolution rather than assume a photograph or model name establishes what must be delivered.
Reconcile staged payments and financing
Track deposits, progress payments, trade-in credits, final price changes and the lender's conditions. Determine how each payment appears in the closing funds flow. A stated loan amount does not establish that every earlier payment can be reimbursed or that a configuration change is automatically financeable. Ask the lender to review material changes before they become commitments.
Work an illustrative delivery difference
Suppose the agreed specification includes a particular connectivity package but the delivered aircraft has a different configuration pending later work. The buyer needs a written technical and contractual resolution, not an assumption that a future upgrade is included. Compare the cost, downtime, coverage and effect on intended use. This example is a checklist problem, not a statement about any manufacturer's delivery practices.
Prepare the first operating period
Confirm insurance, crew training, base arrangements, warranty enrollment and operating documentation before the planned first owner trip. Have counsel and the tax adviser reconcile acceptance, delivery and first-use timing, especially for California-connected acquisitions. Retain the final specification and discrepancy resolution as the starting ownership record. Do not promise that a new aircraft eliminates maintenance, downtime or initial cash reserves.
Working document to prepare
Use the executed specification as a line-by-line acceptance document, recording installed item, promised deliverable, observed result, discrepancy, remedy and responsible party. Reconcile progress payments and final price changes with the closing statement. Track warranty, program, subscription and training items separately. Preserve the completed acceptance record for the operating team rather than rely on a brochure, a delivery photograph or an assumption that all future services are included.
Your next-step checklist
- Use the executed configuration, not the brochure.
- Reconcile deposits and progress payments.
- Document deviations and remedies.
- Align training, insurance and delivery timing.
Sources & further reading
Primary sources support the relevant facts. Our planning questions and illustrative exercises are editorial analysis; they do not replace transaction-specific advice.
- FAA aircraft registration forms · accessed 2026-10-28
- AOPA purchase-agreement guidance · accessed 2026-10-28