What the proprietary database is
The PlaneFit Aircraft Database is a proprietary, versioned compilation. PlaneFit researches model identity, specifications, market observations and operating-cost assumptions, then normalizes them into a common schema so aircraft can be compared on the same units and mission logic. The normalized records, confidence gates, derived estimates and editorial trade-offs are PlaneFit's database product.
Record research may use manufacturer specifications, approved or historical flight documentation, type information, public asking-price observations and disclosed calculation assumptions. Each published aircraft page shows its record-specific provenance note and review period.
How fields are normalized
- Speeds and ranges are converted to knots and nautical miles.
- Payload is a comparable mission proxy, not a substitute for weight and balance.
- Prices are converted to indicative euro market anchors for a stated model year.
- Annual cost combines a fixed planning base with a direct hourly estimate.
- Practical range applies a planning reserve and passenger adjustment to advertised range.
Confidence gates and publication
The catalogue can contain a record before it is safe for ranking. Only 94 records currently pass the complete-data gate used by Aircraft Finder. The stricter search-publication gate currently exposes 94 aircraft profiles and 94 cost guides to search engines. Other records remain available for navigation but use noindex,follow until their data and model-specific editorial copy pass review.
Official US public records
PlaneFit has an offline, versioned ingestion path for the FAA Aircraft Registry and aircraft/engine reference tables, FAA Service Difficulty Reports and NTSB aviation accident data. Raw archives stay outside Git. The publishable artifact contains only model-level aggregates plus source URL, acquisition date, version and SHA-256 hash. It never contains owner names, addresses, registration numbers or serial numbers.
Every indexed profile has a mapping review entry: 94 in total, of which 1 currently pass the manual variant/confidence gate. 1 profile currently has a published government aggregate. Pending fuzzy aliases are excluded rather than silently merged. Government evidence supplements the PlaneFit record; it never overwrites proprietary specifications, prices or costs automatically.
- FAA Registry and aircraft/engine reference files — active US fleet and official reference characteristics.
- FAA Service Difficulty Reports — raw report counts and affected systems for a stated period.
- NTSB aviation accident data — event counts for a stated US scope and period.
SDR and NTSB counts are not safety scores. PlaneFit does not calculate accident rates without a defensible exposure denominator such as fleet flight hours, and family-level mappings are labelled as family evidence rather than exact-model evidence.
Limits and verification
PlaneFit figures are decision-support estimates, not approved performance data, maintenance quotations, tax advice or flight planning. Configuration, condition, engine status, weather, loading and local rules can materially change the answer. Verify a candidate against its approved manual, logs, current market evidence and an independent pre-buy inspection.