Aviation Law
Closings, financing, leasing, and registration — for aircraft owners, brokers, and operators.
About this practice
Aircraft transactions are unforgiving. Federal registration rules, state sales and use tax exposure, and the unique mechanics of moving title and money through a third-party FAA escrow agent in Oklahoma City turn what looks like a simple purchase into a multi-jurisdiction legal project. Polo | Pimentel Law represents buyers, sellers, brokers, charter operators, and aircraft owners across Florida and beyond.
Our aviation practice is built on real deals. We currently represent a private jet charter broker, work with charter operators, and counsel a client whose business is aviation acquisitions and buy-sell transactions. We have closed transactions on Cessna Citations, light jets, midsize jets, and the surrounding ecosystem of pre-buy inspections, escrow agents, FAA registry filings, hangar leases, and operating agreements.
Like every other practice at the firm, our aviation work is anchored by attorneys who also litigate. The same team that drafts your purchase agreement and handles the FAA registration will pursue or defend the broker dispute, escrow dispute, or undisclosed-defect claim if a deal goes wrong post-closing.
Matters we take on
Aircraft sale and purchase
Letter of intent, purchase agreement, deposit and escrow structure, pre-buy inspection coordination, delivery condition negotiation, technical and logbook record review, and closing through an FAA-registered escrow agent. Representation for both buyers and sellers — never both sides of the same deal.
Aircraft financing
Representing borrowers and lenders on aircraft loans — promissory notes, security agreements, financing statements, and FAA-recordable security instruments. Coordination with aviation-specific lenders and finance brokers, including handling of the FAA Aircraft Registry filings that protect lien priority.
Leasing — dry leases, wet leases, lease-backs
Drafting and negotiating dry leases (aircraft only) and wet leases (aircraft with crew), owner-pilot lease-back arrangements, and the operational compliance work needed to keep dry leases on the right side of FAA Part 91 versus Part 135 rules.
FAA title work and registration
We work directly with FAA-approved escrow agents in Oklahoma City — Insured Aircraft Title Service and equivalent — to coordinate title searches, deregistration, registration applications, bills of sale, AC Form 8050-1 and 8050-2 filings, and the recording of liens and releases at the FAA Aircraft Registry.
Florida aviation tax planning
Florida sales and use tax on aircraft is a significant exposure if structured incorrectly. We advise on the fly-away exemption, isolated sale exemption, common-carrier exemption, Delaware LLC and other holding-entity structures, and the documentation and timing required to qualify. Coordination with tax counsel where indicated.
Operating structures and Part 91 vs. Part 135
Owner-trustee structures, single-purpose LLCs, dry-lease operating agreements, and counseling on the boundary between FAA Part 91 (private operations) and Part 135 (commercial charter). Get this wrong and you create regulatory exposure no insurance policy will cover.
Charter and aircraft management agreements
Reviewing and negotiating charter management agreements between aircraft owners and Part 135 operators, broker engagement agreements, and the operational documents that govern how an aircraft is flown, maintained, and revenue-shared between owner and operator.
Hangar leases and FBO agreements
Hangar lease drafting and negotiation, FBO service agreements, and ground-based agreements that complement aircraft ownership. This is where the aviation practice meets our commercial real estate practice — the same team handles both.
Aviation litigation and disputes
Post-closing claims for undisclosed defects, broker disputes, escrow disputes, lien priority litigation, and disputes between aircraft co-owners or between owners and management companies. Our litigation team handles them without referring out.
Why clients choose us for aviation law
- Active aviation practice — charter brokers, charter operators, and aviation acquisition clients on the books.
- Direct working relationships with FAA-approved escrow agents in Oklahoma City.
- Florida sales and use tax fluency — fly-away exemption, isolated sale, and structuring through proper holding entities.
- Same attorneys handle the deal and any litigation — broker disputes, undisclosed defects, lien priority — without handing the file to another firm.
- Trilingual representation for foreign-national aircraft buyers — a substantial share of the South Florida aviation market.
Aviation Law — questions we hear
Related services
Real Estate
Residential and commercial transactions, closings, leases, due diligence, zoning, and the litigation that follows when a deal goes wrong. $100M+ in transactions closed.
Business Formation
LLC, corporation, and partnership formation, operating agreements, governance, and regulatory compliance for Miami-Dade entrepreneurs.
Commercial Litigation
Contract disputes, partnership disputes, fraud claims, real estate litigation, and IP disputes — handled by the same attorneys who draft the deals.
Have a aviation law matter to discuss?
Free consultation. Representation in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.