#Airplane repo how to#
#Airplane repo series#

It's a lot different from the feeling when you repossess a private plane from some billionaire in West Palm Beach who defaulted on payments and is hiding from you. There are always mixed emotions when we have to repossess a commercial aircraft, because it's like the ultimate death knell for a business when you take their plane away. We take note of any damage or discrepancies and then follow the owner's wishes, which may involve contracting to sell the plane at their facility or at public auction. Once we repossess the plane and get it to a secure location, we assess the aircraft. If they are flexible and can do all that, they can essentially name their price.įor repo jobs, we have a team lead, a mechanic, two pilots, and a fixer whose job is to ensure everything goes smoothly between us, the police, and the airport officials or fixed base operators, who handle private planes' landing strips. On top of our team, we have a database of 12,000 pilots we contract with.Ī good repo pilot is willing to do what it takes to get the job done without putting anyone a risk. The Sage-Popovich core staff consists of 45 people covering everything from operations, mechanics, and flight coordination to sales and accounting. We follow up with the airport personnel and pay any outstanding fees, notify the FAA, file a flight plan, and head on out. Once they file the report, technically the plane is ours. An officer arrives to file a report detailing the date and time the aircraft was repossessed. In these instances, we slap a repossession notice on the aircraft and then contact the local police to request an incident report. If we don't have a court order, the process is known as self-help repossession, which is what we primarily do in our business. We also have contact numbers for the local police, hospitals, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

#Airplane repo how to#

Once we know for sure where the aircraft is and its condition, we plan out each step of the recovery process, including where we need to go, how to get our crew there and back, and how much fuel we need. Our repo plans are organized with military-like precision. We've got eyes and ears all over the world looking out for us.

#Airplane repo series#

We have a database with thousands of people worldwide who essentially act as spotters for us for hidden planes.Įver since I starred in the Discovery Channel's 'Airplane Repo' TV series in 2015, our database has grown exponentially.

One time we found a helicopter hidden inside a shed. Sometimes they're hidden in a private hangar. Then we work with scouts to help track its whereabouts, because in some cases the planes are hidden to avoid being repossessed. We begin by researching the aircraft and going through our records to determine what we already might know about it and its condition. Once a client calls us for a job, the first thing we do is get our team together and come up with a recovery plan.

Yet if the insurance has lapsed or the aircraft aren't being maintained, there's no choice but to move in fast and get the aircraft back. Most of the aircraft that Popovich repossesses are the result of the owners defaulting on the payments.īefore we're called in to do a job, the bank has already notified the client that they've defaulted on payment and ideally tried to work something out. We're seeing more bankruptcies than we've seen in the past decades. We got it done in 24 hours.Īirlines are in a lot of trouble during the pandemic because limited travel means a lot of planes are sitting around all over the world. Our biggest job was for a bank client and involved securing 223 helicopters in 52 locations after a flight-training school was busted as a pyramid scheme and shut down. Since 1979, we've repossessed 1,986 aircraft. Our lowest-paying job was to repo a single helicopter for $20,000, and our highest-paying one brought in $3 million. If we aren't able to find the aircraft, we don't get paid.

Some repo jobs have taken three years, others four hours. But when a client is faced with no alternative, that's when we come in to get the aircraft and get out. If the aircraft are insured and well maintained, we recommend trying to work something out. We advise our clients that repossession should be considered only as a last resort, after they've exhausted all other possibilities. Our clients all come by word of mouth because, to put it simply, we go places other people won't. Our business is based on my 120-acre ranch in Valparaiso, Indiana.