User reviews

I love the premise of the show and I wish it weren't fake but if you watch it, you can completely see that its not a real situation. One episode, the plane lacked batteries. So Danny Thompson goes and gets 2 car batteries and wires them together with jumper cables. Now, that sounds feasible up until he just touches the two leads to the wing where there is clearly no kind of battery or leads or any kind of device that might connect to the battery, he was just touching the hull of the plane. Wouldn't those batteries need to be.. ya know.. installed into the plane to be of any kind of use? I'm no aviation expert by any measure but I'm pretty sure you cannot jump start a plane by touching the wing with jumper cables.

Yes, it's mostly faux drama, but it's also fun faux TV. Actually they have some talented editors on this series. It's cut like an old-time serial where you can't imagine how these guys will get out of an impossible situation. You know they will because it's more script than actual danger, but the hook is in. Kevin Lacey is the pilot you always hope is flying your jet. He's calm, cool, collected, and just seems like the guy you want in the pilot seat when you're the passenger. Don't take it seriously. Just sit back and enjoy getting hooked for the hour.

They sneak onto airports, into marinas, lie to security people and all with a cameraman and a guy holding a mic over their heads. No one questions why there's a cameraman? I seriously thought that this was going to be a great show but instead it's beyond phony and insulting to viewers and the producers should be ashamed.

As a pilot who used to do bank repossessions I can tell you with no question this is one of the most scripted fake reality shows made. I would speculate almost all the repocessions are setup for the show in some way. A good way to know is the logbooks. Logbooks are never carried with aircraft and looking for them was always a problem and that part of the show is portrayed somewhat correct. It falls apart where the fake goon that is owed money that is somehow talked down then conveniently has the books in his car or laying on the desk. This was totally setup. In some episodes you can see the cops that come up dont actually have badges and are clearly actors. Also, I would say almost all the aircraft emergencies are setup and fake. Running low on fuel, radios that wont work all fake. If I where the actors or producers of this I would be ashamed to portray anything other than fiction.

This is clearly one of the most staged fake "reality" TV shows ever made. Being a big fan of general aviation and expensive toys (not that I can afford them) This show is a joke, the drama that the producers create is so far fetched even a B-rated movie has more credibility. This goes beyond entertainment, the actors are horrible. Could be a joke that the audience hasn't been made aware of. Not worth the replay!!

These shows are so fake and set up. It's amazing anyone could possibly believe it's real. If these guys are in such a rush to get planes out quickly. When did they have time to mount cameras all over the plane for aerial shots. And how did they happen to get elevated shots from a high point at airports where they land. Where supposedly cops were also waiting?? Show is total BS!!!!! There are clues all over the shows that indicate they are really scripted and set up. I would even go so far as saying the planes were probably already secured and they filmed after they had already been repossessed!

And the 3 reviews that give it rave reviews is absolutely FAKE!!!

Yes it's scripted. Yes it's obviously dramatizesed. Some people watch the kardashians I watch airplane repo.

The "real" first season of this show was the best. It showed Nick P. And his team doing things the correct way. They obtained the right paperwork, contacted the proper authorities, and essentially did things the way they are supposed to be done. I would rather watch more of that. Somehow that season has gotten buried like it never existed. The remaining seasons while entertaining, ans others have mentioned, are highly scripted and blatantly fake. All you can do is suspend your disbelief and enjoy it for its entertainment value.

Side bar question. I'd like to know how so many people are able to submit short two or three sentence reviews. Every time I try to submit a review I have a six hundred character minimum. Excessive minimums only serve to make the reviews way longer than necessary (like this paragraph just to get me to the minimum). Most times two or three sentences serve the purpose.

An odd, but interesting show. Suspense, reality, wry humor, pathos, people with colorful pasts, most importantly flying and airplanes.

Also what a range of airplanes and locales.

Has it all. A show that doesn't need anything added to quicken the pulse rate.

It's real. It has a number of personalities who have differing MOs for dealing with difficult situations.

What an interesting career path.

Nick Popovich has quite a knack for assembling teams of people who are specialists in their fields.

Go Nick, keep collecting from the deadbeats and dreamers.

I am not sure how this show is made, but if genuine, what about airport security. If I fly I want airfield to be very secure. Can the show makers clarify. It is very interesting that these repo (show word) guys seem to enter airfields and take aircraft without being challenged or authorized ( British English). Can someone tell me how things are controlled.

I've watched every season up to now. I used to like this show but this season has gotten so fake (much worse than prior seasons) that this is the last one I will watch. I think the producers think up every conceivable thing that could possibly happen on any given repo and then write it into each episode. Every episode this season I've went, "jeez give me a break" with all the stuff I'm seeing. It's just gotten really really bad to the point of not being the least bit believable anymore or even entertaining. It's really a slap in the face to the viewer to think he/she is actually buying into this stuff. Later Airplane Repo, you guys have lost a viewer.

This whole plot is a joke... They bring camera men in on secret missions really? Don't be fooled by this scripted terrible story. Once they found an alligator in the desert... Even if you ignore the scripted sides of things, this thing still has a terrible story. Make a real documentary about how it is in real life or make an interesting show. You have failed to do both here. This needs some work ...

This whole plot is a joke... They bring camera men in on secret missions really? Don't be fooled by this scripted terrible story. Once they found an alligator in the desert... Even if you ignore the scripted sides of things, this thing still has a terrible story. Make a real documentary about how it is in real life or make an interesting show. You have failed to do both here. This needs some work ...

Calling this show garbage is a disservice to garbage! Completely staged, Horrible "acting" , Unlikable characters!

Do you people who have posted "fake" and "scripted" reviews know how to read? It clearly says that these are recreations. Of course, they don't have camera men and boom mikes with them on repos. They trying to give you an example of what they do. I personally find it interesting.

I've watched reality shows ever since MTV introduced them in the early 1990"s and admitted to the viewers that most dialogue was scripted. In addition most segments were reshot, edited, rewritten etc. Airplane Repo is sadly a total fake, please. I know the real deal when I see it!! Don't waste your time with this ridiculous show!!

Very well produced series details the enormity of what one may mistakenly take for granted; aircraft repos. The problems and solutions faced by the crew are unimaginable; except to perhaps a pilot and a leasing financier.

The international, multi-million dollar repos of TWO Airbus aircraft was captivating. Customs, trans oceanic flights, logistics, customs, defaulter's bankruptcy efforts, part failures, master mechanics' international parts delivery; EVERYTHING!

Quite well done and extremely educational. No personality battles or ego tripping. Just serious professionals who know their jobs and work in a very high stakes business.

Kudos !

I guess I don't understand all the poor reviews. I have a buddy who's a pilot, not me though. But watching this show, makes me want to learn, and steal airplanes back for the legitimate owners. Maybe some of the stuff is staged, don't care. It could be just as real the next time they try and repo a plane. The one episode I just watched, they got stopped by the FBI trying to take off with a repo'ed plane. They got back in the plane, taxiing down the runway *again*, and the local cops show up and try and bust them. I just chuckle when they whip out all the official paperwork to get the plane back. And I love the little schemes they come up with sometimes, either as a distraction to get the plane back, or faking a charter flight, etc. Great show!

I watched about 5 minutes. Even half-blind I can see how fake this show is. A guy on a dirt bike, alone, is going to rush in and repo a plane??? What happens to his bike? Two guys pulling a crop duster plane hitch a ride with another plane?? What happens to their truck? That they left on the farmer's land?? Idiot show. Zero stars!

This is a fun show. But each season is worse than the others. By the 3rd season they don't even hide what is being staged. Starting in the 2nd season one of the Repo men suddenly starts yelling Yahtzee all the time. Super annoying but I don't recall it being used season one.

They all drive extremely nice cars to the Repo sites and escape with the plane. But who drives the cars out?

This would have been a lot more fun if the producers, and clearly at least one of the Repo Men (Ken Cage) did not go so Hollywood.

Cameraman Are totally ignored when the repo guys are caught in the act of repo the plane. What I mean by that is the cops and or owners don't even look at the camera when approaching the repo guys like really first instinct would be who the hell are you like totally staged.