Airport & Hangar Selection Workbook

Establish the exact physical requirement

Provide the aircraft model, dimensions and relevant servicing needs to the provider and qualified aviation team. Ask for confirmation of the actual space, access and any restrictions. A listing described as jet-sized is not proof that a specific aircraft can be accommodated. The financial comparison should use verified suitability; a low quote for unusable space is not a meaningful saving.

Itemize occupancy costs

Obtain written rent, deposit, escalation, handling, towing, utilities, insurance requirements and other quoted charges. Identify which costs are paid to the airport and which to an FBO or private hangar provider. Airport sources such as Oakland publish application and fee processes, but they do not substitute for an individual agreement. Save the quote date and expiration and ask how long the offered terms can be held.

Review the rights and exit terms

Understand exclusive versus shared space, access hours, movement responsibilities, permitted work, sublease rights and termination provisions. A shorter commitment may provide flexibility at a higher rate; a longer agreement may create obligations after the aircraft is sold. Ask counsel and the insurance broker to review relevant liability and indemnity provisions. Do not compare a cancellable monthly arrangement with a long commitment as if the only difference were rent.

Connect basing with the whole mission

Consider professional operational assessment, ground access, maintenance logistics and the actual tax questions associated with the base. Avoid invented commute times or availability claims. Compare the same occupancy period and include moving costs if a temporary arrangement is required. Keep alternative-base options in the plan before the aircraft closes, especially when no signed suitable space is secured.

Compare the actual recurring trips

List frequent origin and destination pairs, passengers, baggage, schedule flexibility, cabin needs and annual trip frequency. Separate common missions from rare aspirations. A buyer can then evaluate how often a larger aircraft would provide useful capability and what it costs to own throughout the year. Do not choose solely from a maximum-range number or finance payment before clarifying what the aircraft is meant to accomplish.

Published dimensions, range and runway information are not a dispatch decision. Qualified crew and technical advisers need aircraft configuration, weight, weather, airport conditions and relevant restrictions. Use current official airport information and approved aircraft data with the operating team; airport access and nonstop capability require assessment of the particular mission.

Make provider proposals comparable

List which party handles staffing, scheduling, maintenance administration, accounting, insurance coordination and vendor procurement. Separate services performed by the manager from obligations retained by the owner or operator. Ask aviation counsel to review the proposed legal structure and operational-control allocation. A comprehensive marketing description should be translated into contract responsibilities that match the actual aircraft use and financing arrangement.

Request the management fee, markups, commissions, affiliate charges, reserve requirements and treatment of vendor discounts. Ask whether quoted costs are fixed, estimated or passed through at actual amounts. Compare invoices and reporting examples. A proposal with a low stated fee can still differ materially through purchasing arrangements or excluded staff costs. Do not assume negotiated discounts flow to the owner without a contractual explanation.

Address insurance before signing a space agreement

Give the aviation insurance broker the actual aircraft, ownership entities, intended uses, pilots, bases and travel plans. Mixed personal and business use, charter, leases or international travel should be disclosed as relevant. Do not copy a premium from another owner or assume a lender-required policy can be arranged at the last moment. The broker needs enough facts to obtain a meaningful indication and explain remaining conditions.

Review hull and liability limits, deductibles, exclusions, permitted operations and relevant endorsements with the broker and counsel. Confirm who is insured and how lender interests are addressed. Two premiums are not comparable if coverage or conditions differ. Use this checklist to organize the coverage discussion; the issued policy and endorsements determine the binding terms.

Model the cost of substitute travel

Identify which trips are time-sensitive, which can move and which can use other transport or remote attendance. The owner should make this distinction before an interruption occurs. Aircraft ownership should not be modeled as a guarantee that every planned flight will happen. A clear fallback policy lets the business preserve critical work while the qualified crew and maintenance team retain independent authority over safe operation.

Obtain suitable charter indications or commercial-travel estimates for representative missions, including applicable fees and ground transport. Do not assume replacement aircraft will be available immediately at a published hourly price. A management contract may provide assistance without guaranteeing supply. Record what is contractual, what is merely an estimate and whether substitution uses a different base or schedule. Update important assumptions as actual quotes become available.

Keep local assessment obligations distinct

County aircraft property tax is different from sales/use tax paid on acquisition and from income taxes affected by depreciation. Do not remove the annual budget line merely because an acquisition exclusion is being discussed. Obtain county guidance for the aircraft and intended base, identify the assessment account and establish who receives notices. A financed aircraft does not cease to be assessable simply because a lender holds a security interest.

County guidance describes aircraft assessment by ownership, location and value as of January 1. That date does not mean the aircraft is valued only when it is purchased or that the lender appraisal automatically becomes the assessment. The owner should preserve a snapshot of configuration, condition, hours and maintenance status around the relevant date. Changes afterward should be clearly dated so evidence is not mistakenly applied to the wrong valuation period.

Your decision worksheet

Request comparable written proposals for the exact aircraft. A familiar airport name, advertised runway or generic hangar price does not establish suitability, availability or total cost.

For each line, record the known facts, the evidence or quote supporting them, who is responsible for confirmation and the next action. Date each entry so that a later reader can distinguish a current quote from an old assumption.

Before you commit

Resolve material unknowns with the professional responsible for that subject before taking the next irreversible step. Keep aircraft technical acceptance, lender requirements, insurance and tax advice distinct in the transaction file.

Use the related calculators to compare a base case with a less favorable case. Bring the complete inputs and assumptions into the next conversation, rather than relying only on the headline result.