I recently took my family to Van Bortel Aircraft at Arlington Municipal Airport to see a couple of airplanes I had been eyeing online. I couldn't believe how lovely and pristine the showroom full of airplanes was. The staff and the salesman helping me out were very friendly! They educated me on the types of aircraft that could potentially fit my needs and provided me with financing options. read more

Van Bortel Aircraft - Airplanes - Aircraft Dealers Near Me - Arlington, Texas

This was a very long time ago, but Van Bortel Aircraft REALLY came through for me on a very small parts order. In the '90s,I was inspecting my 1960 C172 prior to a trip into the mountains of Idaho and Montana (from California). I discovered one of the landing gear U-bolts was broken. It corroded at the bend in the bolt and eventually gave up the ghost. I looked online for the bolt without success, but I had the Cessna part number and called Van Bortel, based on reputation, alone. I was told the bolts were i stock. I asked for ands paid for Fedex priority overnight with Saturday delivery, because we wanted to get going. As long as I didn't have the bolts (I elected to replace both at the same time) I was AOG, and nobody wants that. Saturday came and was just about gone, and I didn't have my delivery from Fedex. I called the business, hoping against hope someone would answer the phone. As it happened, the maintenance engineer answered the phone. I explained the situation and that guy said he'd call the owner. About 30 minutes later, i get a call from Howard Van Bortel, explaining someone had spaced out on my bolts and they were sitting on the shipping desk. Mr. Van Bortel boxed up those bolts himself, and put them on an American Airlines flight from DFW to OAK. He told me to go to the freight desk and sure enough, there were my bolts. I installed them the next morning, got my IA to sign off my work and we departed a day late, but secure in the knowledge our landing geat was again, intact. Now keep in mind, this was about a $100 sale. It wasn't high-dollar in any way and I really didn't expect the bolts until Tuesday or Wednesday (and I was very close to rage over this nonsense) but Mr. Van Bortel came through in such a huge way, I sent them a letter praising the business. I wouldn't be surprised if it's not still up on the wall, but i wanted to re-write and update the story a bit, for folks. Now I see some things about aircraft here in the reviews and I cannot address those issues as i was never a potential aircraft buyer. But for a penny-ante customer like me, they came through like the cavalry. I lost my flying privilege 20 years ago (medical) but I alway remembered how well they took care of me, and wanted to share. Hi Mr. Van Bortel. read more

I'm so tired of seeing advertisements for airplanes everywhere for these guys yet there is NEVER a price listed. You have to call and get a high pressure sales pitch from one of their salesman to find out they are gouging you to death. Avoid this place at all cost! read more

A difficult situation, but in the end Van Bortel worked to resolve the issues. I will now consider Van Bortel for the purchase and service of my next aircraft. Special thanks to Mickea, she is very professional and worked very hard to resolve my concerns. read more

Buying my Cessna 182S from Van Bortel was the right decision for me! Buying a plane is such a huge investment and there are so many costly ways to get burned. That's why I found buying my plane from Van Bortel with their purchase protection plan was absolutely the way to go for me. I purchased a plane that gets compliments pretty much every place I land, paid a fair price and most importantly I found they really stood behind their purchase protection plan with integrity. That's probably why every single person that I've mentioned buying my plane from Van Bortel has also spoken very highly of them including other pilots, instructors, my insurance company and even the DPE for my instrument rating. I also can't speak highly enough of Blake Childs from Van Bortel who helped me buy my plane and followed through on every single item during and after the sale. I highly recommend Blake and the Van Bortel team if you want to buy a plane with confidence at a fair price. I know I'll be calling Blake when it's time to upgrade. Sincerely, Hank Yost read more

I called about Van Bortel in regards to a Columbia 350 advertised on Controller.com. The salesman I spoke to was incredibly uninterested, and it felt as though I was talking to someone who was getting ready to leave the company. I'm sure some of this was due to the fact that the airplane I called about was under contract, however any decent salesman would take the potential customer's information and/or instill a desire for the potential customer to seek Van Bortel out again in the future. When I asked how much annual inspections typically run for Columbia 350s he said $6,000. I later learned a more likely baseline annual inspection cost is closer to $2,000 (obviously, if the inspection found mx issues, the price would increase). All in all, it felt as though the salesman was more interested in ending the phone call than selling airplanes. Van Bortel may benefit from monitoring the phone calls of their sales staff, as I'm sure they would likely be surprised/disappointed in what they hear. read more

Van Bortel Aircraft bills themselves as the world's largest Cessna dealer and has been established at the Arlington Airport for many years. Over the course of their existence, they have expanded into the parts, engines, and avionics markets. Unfortunately, like so many 'too big to fail' business, they're size has caused them to neglect or forget their customers. I own four antique aircraft and fly them all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico with my family and friends. Although they are collectible antiques, I have elected to equip them with modern avionics for safety and practical reasons. Years ago, I bought some avionics from Van Bortel and the experience was generally positive. One of my airplanes is in need of an avionics update, so I thought I'd use Van Bortel again. Mistake. You can't get an avionics salesperson to answer the phone. When you leave a message, they don't return your call. Lastly, their prices and labor rates are no longer competitive. Howard Van Bortel, I hope you're reading this. Your arrogance has spread to your employees and is costing you business. Good luck with that...... read more

Not one but five planes purchased from Van Bortel in the last three years. Highly recommend their service, respect their integrity and their drive to exceed their customers expectations. Any issues have been addressed promptly and beyond what was expected. My confidence in Randall Funston and Van Bortels guarantee has grown to the point that the last two planes I have bought were site unseen. That is confidence in an otherwise skeptical buyer. read more

Where do I start? We have owned several airplanes and helicopters over the years, and this establishment provides the simplest purchasing experience we have ever seen. The airplane is turn-key at delivery making the entire process worry-free. Van Bortel is a one stop shop for everything you could need including financing. Ever since my Dad and I met with Randall Funston a few years ago looking for our first G1000 Cessna, we have received nothing short of excellence from Van Bortel. Their professionalism and customer service is unparalleled, and no matter what you need day or night, they are always available. Their service facility is fantastic, and has to be the best in the country. Bottom line: if you are looking for the nicest airplane money can buy, this is the place to go. They will assure that you are in a pristine airplane and they make the entire buying experience a lot of fun. read more