The Aircraft Ledger / Spotlight
Why this one, and not the other four?
Spotlight puts up to five aircraft on one board, measured the same way over the same window. Whether you're choosing between them or selling one of them, you see how each has really been flown.
Included with TailCheck Unlimited, $995 a month.
| Aircraft | Fatigue | Corrosion | Engines and brakes | Utilization | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your aircraftN73••• | Typical | Not graded | Typical | Harsher | 27 daysNeeds an answer |
| D-A••• | Typical | Not graded | Gentler | Not graded | 33 daysNeeds an answer |
| 9H-••• | Harsher | Typical | Typical | Harsher | 39 daysNeeds an answer |
From the live sample board. Grades are against the aircraft's own type; typical is the middle half.
Every jet on the market is competing with four others.
Buyers weigh them against each other. Sellers get asked to. Both sides are usually working from whatever the listings say.
The questions in every deal
Asked by buyers, and asked of sellers
- Why this one, and not the other four?
- Which of them has been flown hardest?
- Why are its hours higher than the one in Geneva?
- Where has it lived, and how close to the sea?
- Why did that one sit for two months last year?
- Is the asking price fair against the alternatives?
What both sides usually have
Five listings, each written by its seller
- Spec sheets, each written by a different seller
- Total hours, which say how much, not how hard
- The seller's account of each aircraft
A busy aircraft isn't a worn one.
Spotlight keeps workload and wear apart. Total hours mix the two together, which is exactly how a well-used aircraft ends up looking like the tired one.
Workload
How much it flies
Busy aircraft rack up hours. On its own, that says little about what each flight has cost the airframe.
Wear
How hard each flight is on it
Short hops, salt air and short, hot runways are what actually wear a jet out, however many hours it flies.
| From the sample board | Utilization | Fatigue |
|---|---|---|
| Your aircraftN73••• | Harsher | Typical |
| D-A••• | Not graded | Typical |
Where the track goes quiet.
Every aircraft on the board has its longest gap shown: a stretch the track can't place, or its longest stay away from base. You know which gaps need an answer before anyone signs.
Your aircraftN73•••
27days
The track can’t place it
Needs an answer
D-A•••
33days
The track can’t place it
Needs an answer
9H-•••
39days
The track can’t place it
Needs an answer
Spotlight shows how long and what kind of place, never why. A long stay is a question to ask, not a verdict on the aircraft.
Built for both sides of the table.
The same board answers a buyer's shortlist and a seller's pitch, because it's measured the same way for everyone.
For buyers and their advisers
If you're buying
The shortlist
Before you fly out to see anythingPut the candidates on one board. You know which to see first, and which to drop, before you've spent a day traveling.
The offer
Before the letter of intentSee where your choice is harsher than its rivals, and where it's gentler. You negotiate on the record, not the listing.
The inspection
Before the pre-purchase inspection startsOrder the full TailCheck report on the one you choose. Your technical team starts with the questions the board raised.
For dealers and brokers
If you're selling
The mandate pitch
Before the seller signs with youPut their aircraft beside everything it will compete with. You win the listing with evidence, not a promise.
The listing
Before it goes to marketLead with what the record actually shows. You know which questions are coming, and which competitor has the harder ones.
The first call
When the buyer asks “why this one?”Answer with the board. You answer the comparison before the buyer's adviser builds one of their own.
The same evidence, whoever reads it.
We don't broker aircraft and we don't take a side in the deal. Every aircraft on a board is measured exactly the same way, from the same flight record, whoever built the board.
So a board a dealer sends to a buyer holds up, and so does one a buyer's adviser brings to the dealer. Either side can check every figure, and none of it was written by anyone in the sale.
Read the full methodologyIt shows
- How each aircraft has been flown
- Workload and wear, kept separate
- Each tail graded against its own type
- Long stays away from base, and the kind of place
- Where each aircraft stands against the others
It never claims to
- Judge mechanical condition
- Verify logged hours or cycles
- Explain why a gap happened
- Value or price any aircraft
- Replace a pre-purchase inspection
Spotlight comes with Unlimited.
Spotlight is part of Unlimited and Team, with every TailCheck report behind each board. Buying? One month covers a whole shortlist. A single report covers one aircraft, without Spotlight.
Single report
For one aircraft you’re serious about.
$395one aircraft
- The full TailCheck report
- Open for three months, kept up to date
- PDF, CSV and a share link
- Paid once, no subscription
Unlimited
For brokers, dealers and buyers working several aircraft at once.
$995a month
- Every TailCheck report you need
- Spotlight, to put up to five tails side by side
- PDF, CSV and share links on everything
- One user
- Cancel any time
Pays for itself from the third report in a month.
Team
Unlimited for a whole firm: brokerages, dealers, lenders and acquisition teams.
From $4,995a month
- Everything in Unlimited
- For your whole team, up to 7 users
- One invoice for the firm
- Cancel any time
Before you build a board.
Anything else, ask us directly. A person replies.
How many aircraft can go on one board?
Up to five registrations, all measured over the same window and graded against their own type.
I'm buying, not selling. Is Spotlight for me?
Yes. If you're choosing between several aircraft of a type, a board shows how each has really been flown before you decide which to see, and which to make an offer on.
Can I put any aircraft on a board?
Yes. Spotlight works from the public flight record, so any tail we track can go on a board, whether you're selling it, buying it, or it's the competition.
Why keep workload and wear apart?
Because they tell different stories. A busy aircraft flying long legs from good airfields can be worked more kindly than a quieter one doing short coastal hops. Total hours can’t tell those apart.
What if one of the aircraft has very little history?
It's shown unranked. We don't grade an aircraft on evidence it doesn't have, and the board tells you which measures are context rather than grades.
Does it value the aircraft or set the price?
No. Pricing and valuation stay with you and your appraiser. Spotlight gives you a clear account of how each aircraft has been used.
Does it replace a pre-purchase inspection?
No. It can't establish mechanical condition, maintenance quality or airworthiness. It shows where an inspection should look hardest.
See them side by side, before anyone signs.
Included with TailCheck Unlimited, $995 a month.