19 Days Later, He Owned an Airplane

Three months after Steven Miano obtained his private pilot license in October 2025, he earned
his taildragger endorsement. Then 19 days later he became the proud owner of a 2002 Vans
RV-6. “I’m a big fan of the book Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche. It’s a visceral
feeling when you’ve got stick and rudder and the tail wheel.

This was Steven’s first airplane purchase. “I had the opportunity to buy outright, but I actually
walked that back and decided I wanted to finance the purchase. I wanted to make sure that
everything was done correctly and accurately.” Steven decided AOPA had the best support.

“My understanding [with cash] is I just need a bill of sale and an application for registration, and
basically you’re off to the races, transfer the logbooks and all that.” But with AOPA Finance, he
learned how much more there is to the process. He discovered that lenders often require
evidence of complete logbooks, a copy of the most recent annual, and a quality pre-buy
inspection to make sure everything is as it should be.

AOPA helped him with resources to get the pre-buy and connected him to a lender to finance
his experimental airplane. “I was able to call AOPA Finance and pester them continuously,
finding out where things were, all of the documents that they needed.”

Steven’s RV-6 had sustained damage in the past. Damage history can stymie or even stop an
aircraft lender from financing, particularly with an experimental airplane. His RV-6 had suffered
a prop strike and had run off a taxiway, hitting a taxiway light and ruining the original wooden
propeller. The propeller was replaced with a two-blade constant speed one. And while the prop
was off, the engine was overhauled.

When the lender discovered the damage history, the process was paused to get more
information. After Steven called the lender and explained exactly how the fix corrected the
damage, the lender moved forward with the transaction. “So escrow got started, and we made it
happen. And I’m super pumped about it. Really happy with how all of it wound up falling into
place.”

Not all aircraft line up perfectly with a lender’s standard checklist for documentation. For
example, Steven noted “Experimental aircraft don’t need annuals. They need a condition
inspection, which is different from an annual. When running down a checklist, that can throw
people off a little bit if they’re not used to that type of documentation .”

Steven’s advice to AOPA members who wish to buy an experimental aircraft: Make sure the
logbooks are as detailed as possible, including noting the engine and propeller’s serial numbers,
along with any stickers or tags on them.

“I would do it again. When I was confused and unsure where we were, what I could do, how to
get the next step going, Karen was super helpful, really kind. Even if I had cash, I would
leverage that layer of AOPA experience, insight and references.”

Great advice. Great rates. Helpful and responsive reps you can trust. Three good reasons to
turn to AOPA Aviation Finance when you are buying or refinancing an airplane. If you need a
dependable source of financing with people who are on your side, just call 800.62.PLANE
(800.627.5263), or click here to request a quote