Adobe StockMonthly piston aircraft ownership transfers, counted from FAA aircraft registry filings.
The National Piston Aircraft Transaction Index counts piston aircraft ownership transfers each month from FAA aircraft registry filings. Most market trackers cover jets; this one is built for the piston market, where most owner-flown aircraft trade.
Roughly 1,600 to 1,700 piston aircraft change hands in a typical month, a little under 1% of the active piston fleet. That pace is a useful check on market liquidity: when transfers hold steady, sellers can price with confidence and lenders view piston collateral as easy to resell, which supports longer terms and lower down payments.
Want to know how a specific airframe has traded? The aircraft history lookup shows registration history by N-number, and will this aircraft finance? checks lender fit before you make an offer.
Each month we compare the FAA aircraft registry with the previous month's snapshot and count piston-powered airframes whose registered owner changed. Changes are checked against a cleaned list of about 201,000 valid piston aircraft so duplicate and invalid records do not inflate the count. A month is published only after it closes and passes completeness checks. Owner names are never published.
At 1,600 to 1,700 transfers a month, roughly 19,000 to 20,000 piston aircraft change hands a year, close to one in ten of the tracked fleet. That is a liquid market. For a buyer it means comparable sales exist for most common models, which helps appraisals and lender approvals. For a seller it means pricing is visible and well-kept aircraft move.
Liquidity also explains why lenders are comfortable with long terms on certified pistons: if they ever need to resell the collateral, there is a deep pool of buyers. Less common types, older airframes and experimental aircraft trade less often, which is one reason their rates and down payments run higher.
GAMA members delivered 1,782 new piston airplanes in 2025. At the current pace, roughly 19,000 to 20,000 piston aircraft change owners in a year, which means the pre-owned market is about eleven times the size of the new market. Most financed piston purchases are pre-owned, so this index is a better read on the market most buyers actually shop in than new-delivery data alone.
It also helps explain pricing. When new production is flat and transfer volume holds steady, buyers compete for the same pool of good pre-owned aircraft, which supports values. If transfers fell sharply while listings rose, that would be the first sign of softening prices.
| Month | Piston transfers | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10 | 56 | Partial month in progress |
| 2026-09 | 1,692 | Reliable baseline |
| 2026-07 | 1,626 | Reliable baseline |
"I read this data every day. Ask me what it means for the aircraft you are shopping for, your rate or your timing."
Coverage of this data from FLYING and other Firecrown aviation titles.
It counts ownership changes on piston aircraft recorded in the FAA aircraft registry each month, matched to a cleaned list of valid piston airframes. Partial months are flagged until the month closes.
Months are published only when the registry data for that month passes our completeness checks. Months that fail are left out rather than estimated.
Most transfers are sales, but the registry also records transfers between related parties, into trusts or LLCs, and to estates. The index counts all valid ownership changes.
Use the FLYING Finance aircraft history lookup to see an aircraft's registration history by N-number or serial number.
Talk to a specialist
Every aircraft and every buyer is a little different. Tell us how to reach you and a FLYING Finance specialist will follow up to talk through your aircraft, your numbers and your timing.
Prefer to call? (702) 757-1176
