Aircraft Valuation Guide

Powered by the RAMP™ engine — Real-time Aircraft Market Pricing

PlaneLists offers three tiers of aircraft valuation, each designed for different use cases, budgets, and levels of formality. All three are powered by the same underlying RAMP engine, which draws live comparable data from 10+ aviation marketplaces.

The Three Tiers

Tier 1

Market Benchmark — $2.99

An instant, AI-generated market position estimate for any aircraft by N-number. The benchmark searches active listings across Controller.com, Trade-A-Plane, Barnstormers, and 7+ additional sources, then produces a price range, confidence score, and comparable aircraft summary.

Best for:

Tier 2

Appraisal Workfile — Starting at $29.99

A USPAP-supportive market valuation workfile with detailed comparable analysis, configuration adjustments, modification review, reconciliation narrative, and exportable PDF. The workfile goes beyond the benchmark by incorporating your aircraft's specific configuration: TTSN, engine time, avionics tier, paint/interior condition, and damage history.

Best for:

Tier 3

Appraiser-Signed Valuation — Quote-based

A complete, appraiser-reviewed and digitally signed valuation report. The appraiser receives a secure review link, examines the workfile, and signs the final report. Each signed report includes a unique verification code, QR code, and SHA-256 content hash for independent verification of authenticity.

Best for:

Methodology: The RAMP Engine

All three tiers are powered by the RAMP (Real-time Aircraft Market Pricing) engine. RAMP is a rules-based valuation system, not a black-box AI model. Here is how it works:

Live Market Data

RAMP searches 10+ aviation marketplaces in real time, including Controller.com, Trade-A-Plane, Barnstormers, ASO, GlobalAir, AeroTrader, and others. It identifies comparable aircraft based on make, model, year, and configuration.

Model Normalization

Aircraft models are normalized against a rules database of 60+ model entries to ensure accurate matching. A 1977 Cessna 172N is matched against other 172N and 172-family aircraft, not against unrelated types.

Tiered Comparable Scoring

Each comparable is scored on a 0-100 scale based on model match, year proximity, configuration similarity, evidence quality, and listing source reliability. Tier 1 comps (direct match) carry the most weight in reconciliation.

Configuration Adjustments

For workfiles and signed valuations, the engine applies adjustments for TTSN, engine time since overhaul, avionics tier, paint and interior condition, and damage history. These adjustments are documented in the reconciliation narrative.

Modification & STC Review

Detected modifications and STCs are identified from listing data and FAA records. Each detected mod is reviewed for value relevance, and confirmed mods are factored into the indicated value through a catalog-based adjustment system.

Confidence Scoring

Every valuation includes a confidence score (0-100) reflecting the quantity and quality of available comparable data. A high-confidence result has many direct-match comparables with consistent pricing. A low-confidence result may have limited data and should be interpreted with caution.

Which Tier Do I Need?

If you need a quick sanity check on an aircraft's market position, start with the Market Benchmark. If you are buying, selling, or financing an aircraft and need documented support, get the Appraisal Workfile. If the valuation will be used in a legal, estate, insurance, or regulatory context that requires an appraiser's signature, request the Appraiser-Signed Valuation.

Get Market Benchmark — $2.99 Get Appraisal Workfile Request Signed Valuation

PlaneLists.com — Aviation Data Intelligence
All valuations powered by the RAMP™ engine