Ferry Pilot jobs/careers

[theplanegeek]

Hi there,


I'm doing my PPL at the moment (only on 5 hours) and I'm just starting to look into differents careers as a pilot, such as commercial pilot etc and now I'm looking at a ferry pilot by being inspired by a documentary on them. Just wondering how I might become a ferry pilot and what the requirements are? Also can you be one with a PPL.

[debiassi]

Ferry Pilot

Hey Ben, looks like you didn't get too many takers.
Let me try to assist you.
Realistically to become a viable risk to the insurance companies, you would need to have the following.

• Commercial Pilots License
• Instrument Rating
• 1000hrs PIC
• A Minimum Of 5 Oceanic Crossings
• Oceanic RNP Logbook Endorsement
• RNP1/2 Logbook Endorsement
• PRNAV/BRNAV Logbook Endorsement
• Icing Logbook Endorsement
• RVSM/MNPS (Type Dependent)
• Mountain Endorsement
• Icing Endorsement
• High Performance Endorsement
• High Altitude Endorsement

A fair amount of the above logbook endorsements can be purchased as online completion bundles at relatively sensible money.


It would also be advisable to have both EASA and FAA licenses otherwise a large amount of applications for foreign verifications would be needed.


The insurers prerequisites are stringent and for very good reason.
This is not something that is attainable for rookie pilots looking for a quick way to build hours.
This is some of the most unforgiving and challenging flying over inhospitable terrain with no help usually within hundreds of miles.
If a ferry pilot makes a bad decision, they may end up paying the ultimate price.
Certainly not a career to undertake lightly but their is of course the other side of the coin and you will see some of the most breathtaking sites known to any pilot and of course join an elite group.

[OhNoCB]

I agree with the CPL, the IR, the hours for insurance and the oceanic crossings for similar reasons (assuming you are looking to do it seriously and do the trans oceanic stuff). A lot of the endorsements I would say are more dependent on what exactly you are doing. If you get a job ferrying particularly equipped aircraft for a particular company then some of them I might agree with, but for more ad hoc ferrying I wouldn't say you would need them all, and quite a few can be exempted from for unique flights. I have to admit I have never heard of an icing endorsement or BRNAV endorsements, can you tell me more? I fly an BRNAV FIKI aircraft and while it is true that the aircraft is endorsed as such, I have nothing in my logbook to show for it. Anyway.

Just to raise one more point, the question of whether it can be done with a PPL has caused arguments in the past, but it can be answered quite simply if you ask yourself do you want to earn money? If you do, then you are legally required to hold a CPL at least for this type of flying.

[grounded27]

Not from personal experience, just knowing the few who do. They are usually old folks who have more hours than most can dream of and can do nothing else but fly part 91 from my US experience. One old guy I knew did the rest of his time flying B-17 etc: when he was not flying act out of our MRO at the time.

[debiassi]

Icing Endorsement

I have to admit I have never heard of an icing endorsement or BRNAV endorsements, can you tell me more? I fly an BRNAV FIKI aircraft and while it is true that the aircraft is endorsed as such, I have nothing in my logbook to show for it. Anyway.

Icing Operations Pilot Certification—for your ground and in-flight operations

Download Your FREE Icing Operations Syllabus

Get required FAA initial and recurrent training for pilots for ground and in-flight icing conditions when operating under Part 91K, Part 125 and Part 135.
This course, along with company and aircraft-specific training, can be used to meet annual training requirements when approved by your FAA Principal Operations Inspector (POI). Satisfies IS-BAO recurrent training requirements.

Practical and Easy Learning

The Icing Operations course provides the information pilots need to know for safe operations in adverse conditions in an efficient, effective, practical, and easy to understand format ... with a downloadable cockpit reference card, a course completion certificate and a logbook endorsement.

You'll Learn...

• Introduction to Operations in Icing Conditions
• Rules and the Basics about Icing Conditions
• Preflight Planning
• Ground Operations
• Flight Operations with Icing Conditions Present

This Course Covers...

• Surface contaminates and how they affect aircraft performance
• Conditions conducive to icing
• Types of ice formation
• Techniques for recognizing contamination
• Cold weather preflight inspection procedures
• Hidden hazards for deicing operations
• Aircraft deicing/anti-icing procedures
  • Including inspection procedures and responsibilities
• Types and characteristics of approved deicing/anti-icing fluids
• The use of holdover timetables
• Required company guidance
• Required communications between pilots and ground crews
• Flight planning techniques for icing conditions
• Severe weather avoidance and escape

Thats the first.


P-RNAV / B-RNAV Pilot Certification—for European terminal airspace

Download Your FREE P-RNAV / B-RNAV Syllabus

The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) and EUROCONTROL require pilot training and authorization to fly Precision and Basic Area Navigation (P-RNAV / B-RNAV) procedures in Europe.
This course provides all the general information required in JAA TGL-10 for pilot authorization. Just add company and aircraft specific information to obtain P-RNAV authorization from your national aviation authority in accordance with ICAO and JAA regulations (for U.S. operators, the FAA). Satisfies IS-BAO recurrent training requirements.

You'll Learn...

• Aircraft certification and authorization requirements
• Operational authorization requirements
• Pilot training and authorization requirements
• RNAV waypoints and path terminators
• RNAV departure and arrival Procedures
• Normal operations in an RNAV environment
• Required flight plan Information for RNAV operations
• Standard RNAV radio phraseology
• Terrain clearance considerations in an RNAV environment
• Contingency operations for RNAV
• JAA incident reporting criteria

And there is the second.
Just because you havent heard of it, doesnt mean it doesnt exist!!
You would be surprised what some insurers ask for prior to issuing cover.
You can bet if they are requesting it, then if there was ever the need of a claim, and you didnt have it, then my take is they would use that lack of an item to try and wriggle out of the claim.
Fortunately I have never had to put it into practice but I personally feel its better to have more than you need and risk being over qualified.

[EARSA]

operating under Part 91K, Part 125 and Part 135.

So therefore this course is not required for a ferry pilot legally, as ferrying is none of the above. A nicety, maybe.

Also, P-RNAV probably won't be required as no puddle jumper has this capability. Many jets don't. B-RNAV seems the only relevant course. Let's not forget you need approvals, not just training, for P-RNAV, so a course on its own is worthless. As a ferry pilot, are you the holder of these approvals? P-RNAV I doubt it.

Also, if you say you need MNPS courses, you'd still need an approval to operate (LOA/Opspec under FAA etc) At NAT MNPS levels, you'd also need RVSM which you have not mentioned. All a bit unnecessary in my opinion for ferrying piston singles and twins. Worthwhile for TBM's, Malibus, JetProp DLX's and the like no doubt.

[Sam Rutherford]

We do ferry pilot training, always on the look out for good people wanting to be involved in this challenging but rewarding sector...

[B2N2]

Originally Posted by Sam Rutherford

We do ferry pilot training, always on the look out for good people wanting to be involved in this challenging but rewarding sector...

Ah the pay to fly as "second in command"....

[Sam Rutherford]

Not necessarily (though sometimes).

Mostly it's a combination on our group trips of:

Owner-pilot looking for some to help fly their aircraft (and pay their share of costs)
We spend time with them explaining the function of the crossing
We get to see who is good/effective/enthusiastic/capable/safe
We can add them to our database

So, yes, they pay for the experience but if they're good it's a win-win.

In any and all events, it's an incredible trip - regardless of whether they do more later or not.

[Intruder]

Owner-pilot looking for some to help fly their aircraft

Hmmm... I would expect that if someone was "looking for some help", he would be willing to PAY for that help, NOT be paid for it...

[Sam Rutherford]

Then your expectations would be incorrect! Lots of people want help flying their planes, and lots of people want to help fly them. Indeed, lots of people happy to pay their share of costs to fly them - the CAA even have legislation to cover this.

The short answer is that doing this is a great way for a non-owner to get some great flying for a fraction of what it normally costs.

If you don't like it, then no problem - but you'll miss out on these sorts of flights. At least the choice is there to be taken or left...

[Rick777]

Of course this all depends on where you live. I had a friend who used ferry flying to build time flying around the US. He worked for a major airline and so could travel free to get home or to the ferry plane.