Getting on a ferry trip

[englishal]

I know there are some experienced ferry pilots who browse these forums and I'd be grateful for some advice.

Is there any way to get on a ferry trip across the Atlantic with an experienced ferry pilot - i.e. would they take a pilot passenger (N reg CPL/IR/ME) - happy to do my share of the work and pay my expenses ;) ?

The reason is that it is something that I want to do (the N Atlantic that is) but there is a big catch 22......It is virtually impossible to do it on your own as you'll never get insurance unless you have done it before or have very high hours. No aspirations of doing it for a living, it is just that in the future I may want to import my own aeroplane.

Thanks.......

[Cowboy-76]

There are a couple of Ferry Pilots that will take the odd pilot passenger but not many as most have done this in the past and refuse to do it again unless they are a good friend. Many ferry pilots won't even take the owner along!

Are you a UK or US citizen?

If you are a UK citizen you will need a USA Visa to get into the USA on a private flight.

Depends on how available you are as many ferry flights are very last minute and you need to be able to go at the drop of a hat.

Ferry Pilot

[englishal]

Thanks for the info....I am a UK citizen holding a US visa (B1/OCS)....I am often available at the drop of a hat, my job means that I do 5 weeks on, 5 weeks off. During the 5 weeks off I am normally available anytime for those 5 weeks.

Cheers

[BackPacker]

Just wondering... Why would a ferry pilot take you on as a passenger? The ferry flight is typically paid for by the customer, so there's no financial reward for the pilot in taking you along. At best, it means that he/she can take somewhere between 80 and 100 kilos less in fuel, and at worst you become a liability in case everything goes pear-shaped. (You didn't mention whether you had any arctic/maritime survival training & gear but I guess that would be one of the major factors.) Then there's the coordination as to when the flight is going to take place, visas, hotel arrangements and other things, and maybe even a privacy issue (13 hours without access to a loo, how do you solve that? And how do you solve that with a stranger sitting next to you?) So even in a best-case scenario, if a ferry pilot does not see significant advantages on bringing you along, I guess he won't even consider it.

[Flying Lawyer]

BackPacker13 hours without access to a loo

13 hours without landing for fuel? :confused:



englishal

Nothing to lose by writing to all the ferry pilots you can find but I suspect the chances of success are low unless you know one personally.

Good luck finding someone. It's a wonderful experience.


FL

[BackPacker]

Again, I'm not the ferry specialist, but I have heard, and it sound very logical to me, that if you need to ferry a kinda slower plane (a C-152 or C-172, say), from Canada to Greenland to Iceland, that there are specialist outfits in Canada which will outfit your aircraft with long-range ferry tanks in the cabin, and Transport Canada will grant you permission to take off something like 10 or 15% above MTOW. All that extra weight is fuel, to jack the endurance up to inhumane numbers.

www.earthrounders.com links to a large number of websites from people who have flown around the world (which invariably requires a North-Atlantic crossing) and they all refer to this kind of thing.

[englishal]

Thanks for the info everyone....

My thinking behind it would be that sometimes aeroplanes that can easily be flown across without ferry tanks are flown across and so the extra weight wouldn't cause too much extra hassle.

Other advantages for the ferry pilot ;) I can fly and have all the right tickets, so could do a stint watching the AP or flying while they grab a kip, someone to chat to (I promise to turn my head when they pee into the bottle :) )..

It is catch 22, you can't do it unless you've done it (unless you do it uninsured)!

Cheers...

[BackPacker]

englishal, did you ever do a maritime/arctic survival course? I think that would be the big deciding factor for a ferry pilot to take you along.

[spittingimage]

Assuming you are thinking of SEP on the North Atlantic, if a ferry tank is installed then it is 'required crew only'. No pax thus. It does beg the question slightly of what constitutes 'required crew' but any ferry company wanting to remain on the correct side of the law and in business would say P1 only. Cockpit is usually very cramped with ferry tank anyway.

With standard configuration a passenger(s) is possible but not encouraged. I have let the owner accompany me once transatlantic and it is the last time I do it. Confusion of role and status (his) was very wearing and potentially dangerous at times.

Pick your aircraft carefully too. 1000 nm range recommended. Quite apart from reliability issues, operating inevitably through Greenland is not for the faint-hearted. I cannot recommend Narsarsuaq as a first time routeing as the nearest alternate (Nuuk) is 250 nm further; this is on top of about 680 nm from Goose Bay. Extra weight reduces range. So you have to go further north via Iqaluit-Sondrestrom (490 nm) or Kuujjuaq-Nuuk (610 nm). No fun in winter. Transit of the ice-cap can have MEA of FL150 dependent on conditions although if you are lucky enough to get guaranteed VMC you can scrape by with quite a bit less - maybe 11000ft. So forget C152s !

You could try pestering the ferry companies (please do not mention me) but your best bet is to bring forward your purchase and make the award of the ferry job conditional upon your tagging along !

Finally, for a first time, do it in summer, July or August. Less icing, warmer water (!) and more daylight for the photos.

It is awe-inspiring (and a drug).

SI

[englishal]

Thanks!

englishal, did you ever do a maritime/arctic survival course?
I have done various maritime survival courses and helo underwater escape types of things. I worked offshore in the Grand Banks for a while last year and had to undertake Transport Canada approved survival courses....

I am not limiting it to SEP ;) Multi-engine turbine is also fine by me :)

[robione]

englishal
Is there any way to get on a ferry trip across the Atlantic with an experienced ferry pilot - i.e. would they take a pilot passenger (N reg CPL/IR/ME) - happy to do my share of the work and pay my expenses ?

spitting image
your best bet is to bring forward your purchase and make the award of the ferry job conditional upon your tagging

just read this thread and unless im reading it wrong there seems to be some crossed wires here.
Apologies if im reading it wrong.
Englishal is lookin for a ride and spitting image thinks Englishal wants to purchase a plane ????????????