NAFA member, Tripp Thurston, Chief Operating Officer of FLYING Finance, gives his take on cash, traditional financing, and the middle ground most affluent buyers never hear about.
I stood with the Diamond Aircraft team at Oshkosh EAA AirVenture 2026 watching a ceremonious signing for a new twin engine DA62. The gentleman could not have beamed brighter as he shook hands with the Premier Aircraft Sales representative next to the sleek contours that epitomize the glider based frame of the DA62. This buyer had waited all summer for the chance to sign this purchase agreement at AirVenture. He was not the only one.
During the week, I saw Cirrus sell three SF50 Vision Jets in one day, and heard how the team at Aerista was on track to eclipse one hundred of these celebrated signings during the single week. The energy behind these sales continues an expanding growth trend for both new piston and new turbine aircraft. It is a particularly special moment to mark this kind of purchase at AirVenture among your closest 734,000 friends. What follows between the purchase agreement and the aircraft delivery may not be nearly as exciting, but it at least should not take away the enthusiasm.
A Capital Decision
One aspect that does seem to come too often with groans is the decision around whether to pay cash for the aircraft, or whether to navigate the often opaque aircraft finance underwriting environment. For some, that choice may feel predetermined. I am not referring to those with enough liquidity for the minimum 15% down payment, where the most feasible way to fill in the principal gap to the purchase price is an aircraft loan. Instead, I am referring to those with excellent credit and enough resources to pay for half, if not the whole aircraft, but who see the prospect of explaining their real estate portfolio or various business ventures as a nonstarter. In the regulated consumer banking industry where aircraft financing for the owner flown market lives, these affluent individuals that make up a large portion of FLYING's readership are penalized by a debt to income underwriting framework that can be inflexible to the aspects of a personal financial statement that comes naturally to the high net worth pilot.
I saw this early on in my career underwriting for private wealth clients at one of the South's largest financial institutions. And later, as I approved multi-million dollar lines and loans for founders and real estate investors, I understood that complexity in how someone makes their money can often be satisfactorily mitigated by the strength found in their net worth. It is this second step in the approach that separates the consumer banker from the private banker, and for owner flown aircraft financing, it separates a hassle from a loan seamlessly closed.
But does that matter? Why not just pay cash? Is there a middle ground — a Goldilocks scenario — that is right for me?
This article was originally published by FLYING Finance in August 2026.