Contracts are legally enforceable agreements between parties. They require mutual assent, and anyone considering signing a contract should ensure they understand all of its terms beforehand. AOPA’s Legal Services Plan offers benefits to members contemplating entering into certain types of contracts.
Under Benefit F, Plan participants are entitled to a review and critique, prior to signing, of the following agreement types by a staff attorney: one hangar or tie-down agreement that an airport operator/FBO has asked you to execute, one aircraft rental agreement you have been asked to execute where you are the lessee, and one aircraft leaseback agreement that you wish to enter into with an FBO. This benefit is available once per enrollment period if you have an annual enrollment, and once every 12 months if you have a monthly enrollment period.
For those specific documents that you have been asked to sign, our staff can point out and explain general issues. For example, when assessing a hangar lease at an airport which receives federal grant money, we may point out whether terms in the lease comport with FAA policy on hangar usage.
Although our staff are unable to review documents outside of those specified under Benefit F, we can provide other resources to help ensure your interests are protected. When buying or selling an aircraft, members entitled to Benefit D can use their covered time with an AOPA Panel Attorney to help review a purchase/sale agreement. For other aviation-related legal matters, Benefit G provides for a free half-hour consultation with an AOPA Panel Attorney.
A full description of benefits available as part of the Pilot Protection Services membership is available here.
