Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Net annual cash flow to you
$1,200
Your revenue share
$46,200
Variable cost at this utilization
$26,000
Accelerated wear reserve set aside
$4,000
Breakeven hours rented per year
370
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter hours rented per year.
- 2Enter rental rate charged to renters ($/hr).
- 3Enter your revenue share (%).
- 4Enter your annual fixed costs ($).
- 5Enter variable cost per hour at heavy use ($/hr).
- 6Enter extra accelerated-wear reserve ($/hr).
- 7Read your net annual cash flow to you on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Leaseback arrangements put your airplane on a flight school's rental line in exchange for a share of the rental revenue, with the pitch being that renters cover your fixed costs. The math only works if utilization is high enough, because leaseback aircraft see much harder use — multiple students per day, less gentle handling — which accelerates wear and shortens engine and airframe life relative to your revenue share. This calculator nets your revenue share against fixed costs, variable costs at leaseback utilization, and an accelerated wear reserve to show real annual cash flow.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Hours rented per year: 400
- Rental rate charged to renters: 165 $/hr
- Your revenue share: 70 %
- Your annual fixed costs: 15000 $
- Variable cost per hour at heavy use: 65 $/hr
- Extra accelerated-wear reserve: 10 $/hr
Results
- Net annual cash flow to you: $1,200
- Your revenue share: $46,200
- Variable cost at this utilization: $26,000
- Accelerated wear reserve set aside: $4,000
- Breakeven hours rented per year: 370
What each field means
Inputs
- Hours rented per year
- The hours rented per year used in the calculation. Starts at 400 so you have a working example on load.
- Rental rate charged to renters ($/hr)
- The rental rate charged to renters used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 165 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- Your revenue share (%)
- The your revenue share used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 70 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Your annual fixed costs ($)
- The your annual fixed costs used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 15000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Variable cost per hour at heavy use ($/hr)
- The variable cost per hour at heavy use used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 65 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- Extra accelerated-wear reserve ($/hr)
- The extra accelerated-wear reserve used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 10 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Net annual cash flow to you
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Your revenue share
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Variable cost at this utilization
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Accelerated wear reserve set aside
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Breakeven hours rented per year
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What's a typical revenue share split?
50/50 to 80/20 in the owner's favor is common, depending on who pays for fuel, maintenance, and insurance. A school-managed leaseback where the school handles scheduling, fuel, and routine maintenance usually takes a bigger cut (30-50%) than an arrangement where the owner still manages maintenance directly.
Why is the wear reserve separate from normal variable cost?
Leaseback aircraft used for primary training absorb harder landings, more cycles, and less gentle power management than a typical owner-flown airplane, which measurably shortens engine TBO achievement and increases airframe fatigue. Setting aside an extra $8-15/hr beyond a normal maintenance reserve accounts for this accelerated wear so you're not surprised by an early overhaul.
Does leaseback increase or decrease resale value?
It generally decreases resale value relative to an identical airframe with lower total time and a private-use-only logbook history, because buyers discount heavy trainer use and multiple-owner wear patterns. Factor this resale discount into your overall return, not just the annual cash flow.
Is 400 hours per year realistic for a leaseback trainer?
Well-utilized trainers at busy flight schools can hit 500-800 hours annually, while a poorly marketed or older airframe might only see 150-250. Ask the school for actual utilization data on comparable aircraft on their line before committing, since this single number drives whether leaseback cash flow is positive or negative.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Aircraft Partnership Cost Share Calculator
Split fixed and variable ownership costs fairly across partners.
Aircraft Ownership Cost Per Hour Calculator
True cost per flight hour once fixed and variable costs are combined.
Engine Reserve Fund Calculator
How much to set aside per flight hour to fund the next overhaul.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Aircraft Leaseback ROI Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-leaseback-roi
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-leaseback-roi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aircraft Leaseback ROI Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Aircraft Leaseback ROI Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/aircraft-leaseback-roi) (2026).