The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) recently launched AOPA Aviation Finance (AAF) Company, a loan brokerage venture aimed at matching association members who require aircraft purchase financing with suitable lenders. It will also help facilitate member loans for avionics updates, either through straight loans using the aircraft as collateral when it is fully owned, or through refinancing of the aircraft while it is still being paid off. “AAF is making flying more affordable and accessible by improving the aircraft financing process for our members,” said AOPA president and CEO Craig Fuller.
The association has been providing a similar service using a single lender for the past 20 years, but AAF will work with a syndicate of financiers to find the one best suited for the particular aircraft transaction. “[By] having one lender, which is what we had for two decades, we weren’t really doing anything to help anybody that didn’t fit into that one credit box,” said AAF president Adam Meredith. “Using a wide variety of banks gives AAF greater flexibility in arranging affordable financing and refinancing for AOPA members.”
