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June 2020

Used Piston-Single Aircraft Inventory Rebounds from January Lows

LINCOLN, Nebraska — June 5, 2025

Sandhills Global aviation market reports for May show inventory levels were lower year over year across all used aircraft categories. Compared to April totals, however, inventory levels are the same or higher. The reports cover used jets, piston-single aircraft, turboprop aircraft, and Robinson piston helicopters on Controller.com and other Sandhills platforms.

“While inventory remains lower than last year’s levels, the used piston single, turboprop, and large jet markets are showing signs of recovery, rebounding steadily from the lows seen in January and February,” says Controller Department Manager Terrin Mohl.

Sandhills’ aviation products include Controller, Controller EMEA, Executive Controller, Charter Hub, Aviation Trader, Aircraft Cost Calculator, and AircraftEvaluator. AircraftEvaluator is Sandhills’ proprietary asset valuation tool for all types of aircraft, built using the same technology behind Value Insight Portal. Widely used and trusted across equipment, truck, and trailer industries, VIP identifies asset values with unparalleled accuracy.

The key metric in all of Sandhills’ market reports is the Sandhills Equipment Value Index (EVI). Buyers and sellers can use the information in the Sandhills EVI to monitor equipment markets and maximize returns on acquisition, liquidation, and related business decisions. The Sandhills EVI data include equipment available in auction and retail markets, as well as model-year equipment actively in use.

Additional Market Report Takeaways

This report includes detailed analyses of asking values and inventory trends in used aircraft markets, along with charts that help readers visualize the data. It describes and quantifies important trends in the buying and selling of used jet, piston single, turboprop, and Robinson piston helicopter aircraft.


Global Used Jets

  • Inventory levels in the global used jet market increased by 2.37% month over month in May but decreased by 3.25% YOY, continuing a downward trend. The used large jet category showed the largest M/M inventory level increase at 7.87%, while the used super mid jet category led in YOY declines with a 19.46% drop.
  • As of May, asking prices have been trending down for 10 months. Asking values rose 3.05% M/M but fell 3.5% YOY. Used mid jets led other categories in M/M increases with a 4.9% bump. Used super mid jet inventory dropped the most YOY, down 7.62%.

Chart showing current inventory and asking value trends for used jets.


U.S. and Canada Used Piston-Single Aircraft

  • Inventory levels in this market rose 2.73% M/M, fell 17.65% YOY, and are trending sideways.
  • Asking values are also following a sideways trend with decreases of 0.03% M/M and 0.42% YOY in May.

Chart showing current inventory and asking value trends for used piston-single aircraft.


Global Used Turboprop Aircraft

  • Used turboprop aircraft inventory is on a steady trend. This market showed no M/M inventory change in May but posted a 9.01% YOY drop.
  • Asking prices increased by 3.35% M/M and 0.7% YOY and are trending sideways.

Chart showing current inventory and asking value trends for used turboprop aircraft.


Global Used Robinson Piston Helicopters

  • Inventory levels in this market have been trending down for nine months. Significant inventory changes occurred in May, with inventory levels up 24.66% M/M and down 33.09% YOY.
  • Asking values in this market are trending downward, with a 2.12% M/M increase and a 6.52% YOY decrease in May. These changes indicate a short-term fluctuation amidst a broader decline that has been underway for three months.

Chart showing current inventory and asking value trends for used Robinson piston helicopters.

Obtain the Full Reports

For more information or to receive detailed analysis from Sandhills Global, contact us at [email protected].

About the Sandhills Equipment Value Index

The Sandhills Equipment Value Index (EVI) is a principal gauge of the estimated market values of used assets—both currently and over time—across the construction, agricultural, commercial trucking, and aviation industries represented by Sandhills Global marketplaces, including Controller.com, AuctionTime.com, TractorHouse.com, MachineryTrader.com, TruckPaper.com, and other industry-specific equipment platforms. Powered by Value Insight Portal (VIP) and AircraftEvaluator, Sandhills’ proprietary asset valuation tools, Sandhills EVI provides useful insights into the ever-changing supply-and-demand conditions for each industry.