Aircraft ferry pilots

[sgenie]

Hi,

I wonder if there are ferry pilots who might need a co-pilot (just a CPL with 300 TT) - I am very keen on learning the process.

[Mach E Avelli]

While I hate to rain on a newbie's parade, the way the ferry business commonly works:

Shorter-range (up to say 1500 nm with standard tanks, so that would be King Airs and the like) aircraft are 'tanked' to allow enough fuel to be carried to make the 2300nm crossing from the west coast of the USA to Hawaii. That amount of fuel will put most aircraft types over MTOW with minimum crew aboard. So, the ferry company gets an over-weight permit from the FAA. The permit may have restrictions on it like no take-offs over populated areas etc.
If the aircraft is certified single pilot, only one pilot will normally be aboard. Insurance may even specify that, and of course weight and en-route expenses incurred by excess crew must be considered. If the aircraft requires two pilots, under the FAA system at least one must be type-rated and the other familiar with the type. Insurance will certainly dictate recency on type for the PIC and may do so for the co-pilot. Often the nominal PIC is rated on type but not experienced as a ferry pilot. He/she is what we call 'meat-in-the-seat'. The REAL person calling the shots is employed by the ferry company because of his/her experience in the overall complexities of ferry flying.
With due respect, a 300 hour CPL would only be regarded as unwanted ballast on a long-range ferry.
One exception - many years ago I had to ferry a F27 from New York to Sydney. It had no auto-pilot. My assistant was a very cute female PPL who also could fly very accurately. A great human auto-pilot. Unfortunately, she insisted on her husband accompanying her. He was a CPL but could not fly as well as his wife, so we made him do all the dirty work like re-fuelling.

People in the ferry business are very territorial. The only way I know for low hour pilots to get in to it is in the USA. where, if they know the right people and have some other useful skill - like an A & P Certificate - they start out doing the tanking, then get the odd ferry on light aircraft within the USA itself, then maybe (if they speak Spanish) a few trips south of the border.

[sgenie]

Thanks, Mach E Avelli, I knew it was a long shot. I always wanted to try the ferry business, although, granted, it might be just something that sounds cool but the reality is far grimmer. I am on the other side of the gender axe from your cute autopilot :) so I do not expect there will be too much of an interest but if there is anyone with such a strange request as to have a bit of a balast on the front seat, I would be kin.

Speaking of usefulness, I may be of some use in Eastern Europe and (somewhat, very limited) in South America.

[Mach E Avelli]

Yeh, it can be grim at times. Duty times go out the window for a start. Often the aircraft are in an unknown state of serviceability. Auto-pilots? What auto-pilots? ADFs - oh it's got one somewhere in the cockpit but it hasn't worked for years - we never need them in the good ol' USA.
If you can't handle 20 hours awake and then shoot a hand-flown approach at an unfamiliar airport to a night landing in blowing snow, a ferry career is not for you. And gravity-filling internal tanks that go almost up to the aircraft ceiling is no fun. You squeeze in with the hose and are almost overcome by the fuel fumes. Then it always overflows on to your clothes. Then you sit there stinking of kerosene for the next 15 hours. Taking a piss becomes an exercise in recycling water bottles without spilling too much (piss that is) all over yourself. Then discreetly dumping the bottles at the next landing stop.
Then dealing with Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security - if the Company has organised them in the first place. If not, you sit there making phone calls on an unfamiliar phone network until someone flushes them out. Invariably they are cranky because it is after midnight and they were watching their favourite porn channel when you so inconsiderately arrived.
Then finding transport to a hotel that will take you in at 2 a.m.
Then coming back the next day and battling with a different lot of officialdom who had no idea that you were in the country, so they 'detain' you (i.e. arrest you) until it all gets sorted out.
Then you call ATC for your clearance and they tell you that they don't have a flight plan. More phone calls and you get that sorted. Finally airborne, you are transferred to another FIR where they tell you to bugger off back from whence you came because you either missed your over-flight slot, or they don't know anything about you anyway. Then the temporary HF set-up goes on the fritz and you can't talk to anyone. So by the time you get into VHF range again you are in deep poo. A Karachi jail is no place to spend a night, but that is where I very nearly ended up once after a radio failure. And a buddy of mine reckons Vladivostok is worse. One one trip he was detained there for nearly a week over some misunderstanding with his crew entry visa. On another occasion he was prosecuted by the Australian authorities for allegedly importing an aircraft without a permit, or some such bullsh!t. And another time when he was sent to Mexico to repossess an aircraft on behalf of the leasing company he nearly got caught in crossfire between the angry operators of the aircraft and the local constabulary.

Grim describes it perfectly. Sucks is another word that comes to mind.

[sgenie]

Thanks, that sums it up nicely.

[hot ngukurr nights]

If you have a look at the discovery channel series 'dangerous flights' you'll get a look at the life of a ferry pilot. It's up to about episode 9 now of the first series, give you a good understanding of some of the stuff Mach E is talking about. As with most discovery stuff though you have to sift through a lot of added on drama though.

If you're in oz, Clamback and Hennessy at Bankstown used to give their students and instructors the chance to go along on ferry flights (and eventually do them if you worked there). I know a few guys who have gone along on ferries from the US to oz. That probably only applies if you were a student though I'm afraid.

[Mach E Avelli]

Trans-Pac ferries are relatively easy, especially these days with GPS to remove the uncertainty of position and progress. In the bad old days when there was no way of knowing your ground speed, fuel was a constant worry.
Also on the Pacific run you are usually only dealing with three Sovereign States, all of which use English and operate to understandable protocols.

I would certainly recommend that anyone with a fairly modern new aircraft acquisition flew the delivery ferry simply for the experience, either with or without a ferry pilot. The Pacific ain't that hard that any competent IFR pilot could not do it without help. If someone paid me I would even ferry a decent aeroplane on this route myself, or hold someone's hand while they flew it. But nowadays if you gave me the opportunity to take a brand new Wonderjet to Africa or Afghanistan or most places between, I would politely decline. Well, maybe for 50,000 bucks up-front and first class return tickets I would reconsider......

[VH-XXX]

Of course there are plenty of pilots on here that do ferry flights that don't involve massive over water legs if that's what takes your fancy... You just need to ask, like you already have.

[sgenie]

Thanks for your replies, guys. I do understand the difficulties and I am not looking for a romantic adventure - I am after experience and skills.

[Capt Fathom]

ferry flights that don't involve massive over water legs

aka a cross country :E

[VH-XXX]

A cross country ferry.... but ferries belong in the water :ouch:

I've advertised on PPrune for the odd passenger on a ferry flight, got lots of responses and those that came along enjoyed themselves (I believe) :ok:

[training wheels]

Of course there are plenty of pilots on here that do ferry flights that don't involve massive over water legs if that's what takes your fancy... You just need to ask, like you already have.

Yes, I did a few of those when I was just starting out as a new low houred CPL holder. The school where I did my training leased one of their aircraft to a country flying school so they needed someone to ferry it there. I also did a number of ferry flights from small country strips back to the big smoke as the flight school used country LAMES with their own private strip on their property to do the 100 hourly. It was a good experience for a newbie CPL holder and if you're lucky, you might even get a free train ticket to the countryside when picking up the aircraft. As captain XXX said, all you need to do is ask. :)

[Mach E Avelli]

From the wording of Sgenie's first post, I gather that he was really enquiring about how to break in to the ferry business. Domestic deliveries are - as someone suggested - really just cross-country flights. If no money changes hands, any PPL could do these. Not that a 300 hour CPL should knock back the opportunity, should a domestic delivery be on offer.

Back to the REAL ferry business, I have not seen the latest Discovery Channel dramatisations. However, I did think that the 'Ice Pilots' series were pretty good - even down to some of the human rivalries that go on in any aviation enterprise.

As I mentioned, mechanical and language skills are very useful attributes for anyone wishing to break in to the business. For example my American mate (who in my view is THE best in the business) speaks fluent English, German and Spanish and can get by in four or five other languages including one that is Asian-based and the other Arabic-based. He has that very rare gift whereby he can listen to a foreign language for an hour or so then piece together enough phrases to make basic conversation. Put him in a foreign country for a week and he is gabbling on with the locals like a resident.
Mechanically, he holds a FAA I & A which is a cut above an A & P and allows him to certify the installation and removal of the ferry tank system. Then down the route if something breaks, he usually finds a way to fix it. He has even changed entire engines in the bush.
A high discomfort and patience threshold is also necessary. The ability to sit in an economy seat of some shabby third world airline for hours to position somewhere, take minimum rest in a flea-ridden hotel, wolf down a tin of cold baked beans (which you always carry with you you in case the local food is too dodgy to trust), then head off to do battle with the afore-mentioned officialdom without losing your rag are mandatory qualifications.
As for flying ability, forget endorsement training. If it is below 5700 kg you are expected to just get in it and fly it. Fortunately the sectors are usually long enough for you to have worked out most stuff before you do your first landing. If it is above 5700 kg and you have 'meat in the seat' of unknown or doubtful ability, your diplomatic skills and CRM will be put severely to the test at times. Doubly so, if like me you are challenged in foreign languages and the other guy only speaks Swahili.

i did just enough ferry work to know that it was not the career for me, but I suppose there will always be pilots who seek something less dangerous than bomb disposal but more challenging than flying regular routes. I dips me lid to them.

[sgenie]

Well, I have to confess, my interest was mainly on the hour and skills build side. I am not seeking full time employment in this business but I consider it rather a part-time lifestyle choice. WRT PPL - they cannot do it since any flying where PPL does not pay for is not allowed (apart from glider towing, but then with some reservations).

It's been very interesting presentation of the ferry process and things involved, I appreciate the insights.

[jib]

Mach E Avelli (http://www.pprune.org/members/211776-mach-e-avelli),
Ah the memories! Haggling and collecting stamps on a Gendec at 3am in Bombay. Being locked Up in Port Blair, promising the engine you would give it more fuel tomorrow if it would just use a little less today. Bobing around in the Pacific after throwing away a not so good Chieftain, and I remember it fondly!
I must be mad, but it was kind of fun.
JB

[Mach E Avelli]

So you went for a dip in the briny, Jib? Tell more.

I met one mad Yank who went swimming four times in his career. The last ditching left him with badly banged-up legs. Apparently it was an Islander, which you might think would be OK. Not so; the nose section buckled as the fixed nosegear dug in and squashed him a bit.

[Ovation]

Then there's one ferry operation and flight school based at Bankstown that have plenty of experience ditching planes in the Pacific, and they're happy to take along a student with 2 hrs solo experience and swear on the bible he was competent to fly a high performance single with CS and retract.

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

Gotta love India, eh Jib?
I.N.D.I.A.

I'm
Not
Doing
It
Again

Took bureaucracy from the Brits and made it twice as bad. You think caucasians are racist? Pfffttt.....:


Well, I have to confess, my interest was mainly on the hour and skills build side. I am not seeking full time employment in this business but I consider it rather a part-time lifestyle choice.


I didn't start ferrying until I had 3000+ hrs. It is a specialised and dangerous line of work. Anyone who tells you anything less hasn't done it or has had a very lucky run....of the one they have done.
Example, you are given a 30% overweight allowance on your ferry permit. You have two 160 gal bags of fuel in the fuselage and a 40 gal bag in the nose, giving over 20 hrs endurance. You are allowed a 1.5" range on the CofG while the aircraft is above MTOW. Your longest leg is 2300nm and you don't trust the autopilot. You have solid IFR forecast over the entire route. The owner, who you wouldn't trust to fly a synthetic trainer by himself, wants to come along because he thinks it will be "fun". You have spent the last two weeks replacing fuel taps that are suspect (even thouh the owner thinks they worked fine six months ago when he last flew it), sorting pressure switch troubles (owner again thinks super cheap auto is an approved supplier by continental) and to top it off, even though you quoted for four weeks, after ten weeks working on this numpty's aircraft, he thinks another $500 should cover it.
On top of all this, remember the aircraft may have been built in 1968 and even if it is a two year old multi-engine, if you have an engine problem within the first seven or eight hours, until you burn off enough extra weight, you are going to be swimming. Pretty sure there was a new PAC750 several years ago where the pilot broke his back when it ditched. He didn't get out. Mooney out of Hollister a year or two ago had the bag shift on takeoff. CG rearward, dead pilot.
It is a serious endeavour in many cases and there are plenty of aircraft on the bottom of the Pacific or left on a strip in Turkmenistan because the pilot was not prepared.
Trust me, it isn't a good feeling when you smell a burning hydraulic pump two hours out of Muscat over the Arabic Sea and look back at the 400 litre bag of avgas sitting in the back.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but it is definitely NOT for hour building.

[mcgrath50]

So MIHC, Mach et. al.

With relatively high minimums (that are needed!) and what sounds like ridiculously hard work, why do people do it? There must be some pretty big upsides to make people risk rotting in a foreign prison!

Sounds like a good setting for an old school adventure novel though :ok:

[tnuc]

Make it happen

In the last few years Lets not forget the new SR20 in the North Atlantic due to frozen engine breather, lost pilot, the A36 from the UK in California just shy of the destination at San Jose very experienced pilot but brown bread no less.
Ferrying is not a simple job and not for hour building or experience.
It is not an adventure or a paid holiday nor should it ever be treated as such.

Given the introduction of modern technologies some aspects of the flight have become simpler but the risk remains.
On the flight from the us mainland to Hawaii it is quite possible that an individual pilot of a ferry is the most remote individual on the planet.

There are no fast tracks to gaining experience. Do the hard yards like everyone else

[ARPs]

Mach E avelli - that mad Yank wasn't Mr Kruger was it?
I ferried a B200 with him in 2010 LA - Port Moresby. He carried a limp from a Islander ditching, and that was his 3rd or 4th time going for a swim

[Mach E Avelli]

Nope. Initials EC.

[27/09]

Pretty sure there was a new PAC750 several years ago where the pilot broke his back when it ditched.

I'm not sure he broke his back, he was a big guy and not as agile as some and might have struggled to get out quickly. Quite possibly got knocked out in the ditching, the PAC 750 nose wheel hangs low and could possibly cause the aircraft to nose in. There was a Coast Guard aircraft overhead when he went in IIRC, but he never got out/came up.

He had initiated a fuel transfer and dropped off to sleep to wake to find he'd pumped fuel overboard and there wasn't enough remaining to get to the US mainland.

[27/09]

Yes, I did a few of those when I was just starting out as a new low houred CPL holder. The school where I did my training leased one of their aircraft to a country flying school so they needed someone to ferry it there. I also did a number of ferry flights from small country strips back to the big smoke as the flight school used country LAMES with their own private strip on their property to do the 100 hourly. It was a good experience for a newbie CPL holder and if you're lucky, you might even get a free train ticket to the countryside when picking up the aircraft. As captain XXX said, all you need to do is ask

That's not real ferry flying.

[27/09]

WRT PPL - they cannot do it since any flying where PPL does not pay for is not allowed (apart from glider towing, but then with some reservations).

Not correct, a PPL can do it so long as he/she doesn't get paid for it.

[sgenie]

Erm... If we are talking about NZ, then any reward is considered to be illegal for PPL, including free flight time. At least this is the interpretation I was given on a number of occasions.

[deadcut]

then any reward is considered to be illegal for PPL, including free flight time

I can see where you are coming from but no, "free" flying time is not a reward.

[Mach E Avelli]

In fact some 'free' flying is punishment. If they are so strict in NZ, what do they say about someone who uses an aircraft for business who only has a PPL? Such as, say, dealing in livestock or working as a country vet.

To answer the question why anyone would go ferry flying if it is such a tough gig, I think in most cases the motivation starts out being to gain a bit of real-world experience and ends up being for the money. There was a time when the turboprops at least paid well. The smaller pistons not so good, but that is where most guys started to gain the real-world experience. By the time I got to ferrying I had a fair share of that already so by-passed that part of the apprenticeship - thankfully!
The only piston-engine aircraft I ever ferried any real distances were DC3s, and they were a delight. So I guess I was pretty fortunate.

My Yank mate (not the one who keeps ditching; the multi-linguist) is in his 70's and still works quite hard as a ferry pilot. He still has the stamina to do it, which would be impressive at any age. But he is kinda nuts, too, as he still loves any form of flying, even that.

[27/09]

Erm... If we are talking about NZ, then any reward is considered to be illegal for PPL, including free flight time. At least this is the interpretation I was given on a number of occasions.

So was I talking about NZ. The interpretations you got are wrong. Free flying is not compensation or reward.

The minute the PPL receives any money for services rendered then that's a different story but there are some grey areas there as well.

[NW_Pilot]

27/09 Not correct, A PPL cannot ferry unless it is their own aircraft.. The FAA has determined that Flight Time is Compensation on many accounts. I have a copy if the interpretation some place here I will dig it up..

1992, The FAA has historically taken the position that building-up flight time is a form of receiving compensation when the pilot does not have to pay the cost, or pays a reduced cost, of operation.

1990, With regard to this second prong of Section 61.118, the agency has repeatedly taken the position that building up flight time is considered compensatory in nature when the pilot does not have to pay the costs of operating the aircraft and would, therefore, be deemed a form of "compensation" to the private pilot under Section 61.118

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/1990/lincoln%20-%20%281990%29%20legal%20interpretation.pdf

and

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/agc/pol_adjudication/agc200/interpretations/data/interps/1997/harrington%20-%20%281997%29%20legal%20interpretation.pdf

[Mach E Avelli]

That FAA position is an interesting interpretation. The argument appears to hang on whether or not there was some benefit to be had by the PPL.

Consider a situation where the private pilot can show no advantage has been gained from the flight. For example: a 25,000 hour former ATPL who has reverted to a PPL medical standard. Old mate asks him to ferry his new Wundertwin from the factory because he does not want some gorilla from the local ferry company messing with his turbines or turbochargers.
Now, they are good mates, so the ATPL/now PPL does the job for costs-only. i.e. no profit, no benefit and it could hardly be said that with 25,000 hours he is doing it to build experience, or for the thrill of crossing the Pacific one more time.
Another (unlikely) scenario. A PPL is a member of the Ah's Bin Saved Church. The church buys a new BJ so that they can travel around preaching the Good Word according to Guru Bin Saved (quite possible in today's world). Our PPL just happens to be rated on the BJ (it IS possible!). Being one of the Saved herself, she volunteers her time to fly it (the fact that she has multiple orgasms every time she pushes the thrust levers up is incidental and not seen as a benefit).
Though I am no lawyer, here in Oz I believe that both of the above situations would be legal.

[sgenie]

Nope, this is not a correct example - in fact, it would be a PPL flying for hire - it just happened to be very cheap hire :)

[27/09]

NW Pilot

If you bothered to read what I wrote you will notice I was talking about New Zealand, last time I looked the FAA rules didn't apply in New Zealand. Your post was irrelevant to the discussion.

[27/09]

Mach E Avelli

I do believe your examples in post #31 are valid at least for NZ and I guess Oz.

[Mach E Avelli]

27/09. I, for one found NW Pilot's input enlightening. Considering that the original part of this thread pertained to ferry flying and considering that -whether we like to admit it or not - the USA is still the hub of the general aviation universe; hence probably over 50% of small to medium aircraft ferry flights originate there, it is useful to know the FAA's position.

Most ferry flights that do originate in the USA - and many going the other way - are done on private flight plans, in N- registered aircraft. The reason for staying with the N rego is that the FAA are better to deal with for overweight ferry permits and temprorary tank installations. Try that on with our CASA....good luck!

I have been ramp checked by the FAA when ferrying on at least three occasions; once in distant Majuro. Good to know that, unless I am the registered owner, I'd better have a current class one medical that enables me to use either my FAA CPL or validated foreign ATPL.

On the other hand, if I am ferrying on the VH register, and doing the job for a mate with no money directly changing hands, I will do so on a PPL if so inclined.

[27/09]

Mach E Avelli

Might I also suggest that for someone in your position it would be very hard to prove ( I would say impossible) that there was any reward being gained by you if you were not being paid for the job. You have no need of the hours. Therefore I can see no reason why you couldn't do it on an PPL in this case even under the FAA's jurisdiction.

Might I also suggest there are the rules then there's the various interpretations of those rules. The FAA, CASA or CAA inspector may have their own interpretation but this isn't necessarily correct as I have discovered.

P.S. Perhaps I was a bit sharp with NW Pilot. The tone of his post bugged me by implying the FAA rules were universal.

[Mach E Avelli]

I have also discovered that CASA inspectors can put their own spin on the rules. Even to the point of putting patently wrong instructions in writing. But they roll over quickly enough when challenged. Alternatively, with CASA being as dysfunctional as it is, sometimes simply ignoring an individual inspector's directive and playing 'catch me if you can' lightens up the drab work day.

However, the FAA is one organisation I would not want to challenge. As clear as most of their rules are, they can be quite heavy-handed at times, as my buddy in the ferry business once discovered at great inconvenience and expense. It is a long story, but worth relating even at the risk of thread drift.
At the time the BAC for driving in Nevada was .08 while in next-door California it was .05. He was driving somewhere on the border and had crossed the line by a mile or so when the California Highway Patrol pulled him over and put the bag on him. He blew somewhere between .05 and .08. Being the sort of guy he is, he gave the cop a spray about the USA being all one country, so why didn't those pussies in California bring back the death penalty for rapists etc etc. and get in line with public sentiment etc etc. So, they chuck him in the slammer to cool off over the weekend. Come Monday, he gets charged with offensive language to a police officer, or some such, but the arresting cop has not filed the paperwork for the DUI because he was so rattled about the sledging he had received. Now, it's too late, as the bird has flown the coop back to Nevada.
Some considerable time later he gets a summons from the FAA who want to jail him for falsifying a statement on one of their forms. Seems he had re-applied for a Check Airman Certificate, and in the box asking if he had been charged or convicted of DUI, he ticked 'No'. Which was the truth - he had not been formally charged, and certainly not convicted. But it took two years and a lot of his own money funding lawyers to stay out of jail and to eventually get his Check Approval reinstated. No chance of redress for lost income, either.

Another yarn - not as serious as the above - which illustrates the far-reaching tentacles of the FAA, and by extension the USA Government in general. I was ferrying an aircraft and stopped in Albuquerque for fuel. Awaiting us on the ramp was the Sheriff with an arrest warrant. Apparently, under its previous ownership the aircraft had been in Canada for some retro-fitting and upon return to the USA the Customs Duties on the value of the new gear had not been declared or paid. The aircraft then went into storage for a couple of years, so the 'system' had lost trace of it. When I filed a flight plan the computers latched on to it and tracked it to the first point of landing. The aircraft was impounded where it stood until the buyer's and seller's lawyers got it sorted with the Feds.

So, no, don't mess with the FAA.

[nasa]

Mach E Avelli-------- EC is a bloody good man. Has done a good number of aircraft movements for me. Doesn't mind a beer, married to a Kiwi and lives in Mena AK, which happens to be a dry county :eek:

[jib]

Mach E Avelli,
Sorry, Don't look at PPRUNE that much.
I lost the right engine in a dog of a PA-31 exactly half way from PHNL to KOAK and didn't quiet make it back, I got to within 160nm which wasn't a bad effort. Ended up spending several hours in a raft (after the Chieftain had its last shot and sank the first raft, cut in half after sliding down a wave and impaling the raft on the fin).
Got found by an Aloha B737, that cost a case of scotch and picked up by a coast guard Helo after about 6 hours and was then taught to surf by the skipper.
If you did it often enough it was going to happen, I remember spending 6 hours on one engine in a PA-60 which was a mind focusing event.
Also a 19.7 leg in a BE-33 with no autopilot and no back on the seat to get the tanks a bit further forward.
Ahh the days, as I said I remember most of it fondly!
Cheers,
JB

[Mach E Avelli]

My multi-lingual mate had an interesting close shave in a F27. While still overweight, it crapped an engine, which in itself is unusual enough for a R.R. Dart. Anyway, it was descending and he had no idea whether it would level off before it hit the drink.

There was no fuel dump system. So, he depressurized, opened the rear door and took to the aluminium ferry tanks with the crash axe, allowing fuel to run down the floor and out the door.

After that one, he designed a primitive but effective dump system.

[jib]

Mach E Avelli,
I remember standing next to the tanks with my Leatherman thinking the same thing, but an old Chieftain and avgas convinced me to go with the devil I knew. Who knew what was under the floor.
I went to the bag tanks with a long filler neck after that. The plan was to put the filler neck out the door and throw something on the tank. Fortunately I never had to prove it.
There has got to be a good book in all this stuff!
Jb

[bogdantheturnipboy]

How refreshing to get a straight forward informative response without sarcasm or nastiness on Pprune.

Wonders will never cease.

Thumbs up to Mach E Avelli :ok:

[Mach E Avelli]

Why thank you. Always willing to answer sensible and genuine questions as best as possible. But only within my personal sphere of knowledge. I rarely get into the Tech Log stuff these days because I fear technology has passed me by....but ferry flying and jurassic jets can do.
You refer to the nastiness that pervades Pprune at times. Sometimes, though, the attitude or turn of phrase of some posters does invite ridicule or a good old wind-up. We could just ignore it, but there's no fun to be had in that.
For those on the receiving end, the moral being engage brain before hitting the 'send' button. Try to view your post the way others will read it. Or if you intend a deliberate wind-up, ask "will some sucker take the bait and will it spur further debate?"
But trading insults or engaging in 'mine is bigger than yours' is simply juvenile.

[debiassi]

Do it yourself for the experience, with or without a ferry pilot? Easy ferrying across the Pacific.
I guess your insurers may view it differently.
They usually require a minimum of 5 trans-oceanic flights before they will even consider cover.
Yes ferry pilots are territorial but on long range ferry flights, there is bigger issue.
Weight, ie the lack of useful load. Especially if the range of the aircraft has been extended.
I get countless requests for low time pilots wanting to get into ferrying.
I can understand the attraction in that it presents a great opportunity to build hours.
What they don't realise however is the special skill set that's needed.
The insurance Pre requisites are in place for very good reason.
Also being in very close proximity to someone who your not familiar with on long legs with long days and short nights can be challenging in itself.
Trans Oceanic flights aren't for inexperienced pilots, if someone is lucky enough to want their aircraft ferrying and they're lucky enough to be along for the ride, they will without doubt have a great time but will see for sure their money was well spent and the trip made much more enjoyable by the skills of a good ferry pilot.

[Mach E Avelli]

Debiassi, there are a few good ferry pilots out there, and some who I would never trust with my turbos or turbines. As I said in an earlier post, ferrying as a profession does require certain qualities, but I don't think exceptional flying skill - or even smarts - is essential. A few of the guys I associated with were, to put it kindly, pretty damn ordinary. Some, to the point of being downright rough.
Many moons ago I was at Tarawa when a C337 came through in an awful hurry. He topped off the tanks and blasted off. Lucky for him I was next at the fuel point and noticed the wing tank fuel cap on the ground. It took another hour of frantic to and fro with Nadi on HF to get the silly bugger turned around. There are other horror stories, but I won't bore you.
Now that we have GPS, a competent IFR pilot can most certainly tackle the Pacific. There is nothing in ICAO or state rules that says otherwise.

Whether insurers would accept a particular pilot would depend on many factors, such as overall experience, time on type, recency etc. Knowing insurers, there would probably be a loading on the premium if the aircraft was tanked to an overweight condition. If the trip was within the normal fuel range of the aircraft, any excess would be more likely a result of the territory being traversed e.g. politically-unstable countries.

But 'competent' is the key-word. I would rather trust someone I knew to be responsible, safe and with time on type to deliver my pride and joy in preference to an unknown, no matter what spin the ferry company may give me.

If only the GPS system collapsed and we had to return to astro, there would be a stronger case to claim ferrying as an exclusive skill.

[gw_aviator]

Your descriptions remind me of an average day deployed in various parts of the world, sounds great. I'm still completing my CPL/ATPL but will certainly be looking for trans-ocean ferry flying spots.