How do you get into ferry flying??

[rupertmaclachlan]

Hey I'm just finishing off my CPL and really want to get into ferry flying. I know you need a lot of experience so am keen as to go along with someone if they have a spare seat.

If you have any information or suggestions on how to get into it could you please send me a quick e-mail?

[email protected]

[dusk2dawn]

I really think you should post your question in "Biz Jets, Ag Flying, GA etc (http://www.pprune.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=36) " The type of guys you want to get in contact with are unlikely to be browsing here in "Airlines, Airports & Routes Topics about airports, routes and airline business."

[duveldrinker]

A spare seat, they will have, but I am not so sure about the spare weight. You will represent around 90 liter Avgass (+-24 usgallon) .

Perhaps also inform any aircraft dealers or manufactures about your intentions, it might help, you never know.

[plinkton]

Somewhere on the web there is a ferry pilots blog or site that includes quite a bit of info about ferrying aircraft, which I found though this site.

After 30 Min's of looking I cannot find it :rolleyes:. I think I stumbled upon this when reading about an aircraft that crashed into the sea on a ferry flight late last year or early this year.

Maybe someone can remember the site / blog or knows the one I'm on about.

[plinkton]

http://www.ferryflight.info/

...also http://www.ferrypilotservice.com/

Look at the 'Other Ferry Pilot WebSites & Flight Services aprt.' part for some more links.

[rupertmaclachlan]

Thanks heaps for your help, will get in touch with them:)

[CirrusF]

The ferry flying that I do is insured only for aircrew (ie me). It is not permitted even to take a second pilot, unless s/he also meets entirely the minimum hours experience needed to be P1.

Ferry flying is a great job if you like being your own boss - don't just regard it as a way to get experience. I have to do all my own flight preparation, take all routing and logistics decisions myself, I get to spend lots of time at aeroplane factories, and meet loads of interesting people on route and at destinations. There is no sitting around waiting for hours for late passengers, nor do you generally have to be up at wtf am, as in bizjet flying. I also find that other people and other pilots that I meet on route always take a lot of interest in what I do, which I find rewarding.

The downside is having to use airlines to position for and return from deliveries. Trying to get the airlines to carry lifejackets and dinghies is always problematic at checkin, to the extent that I no longer carry a self-inflating lifejacket. One airline lost my dinghy which I had put in the hold luggage - even after I sent all the receipts they refused to compensate me because they said that I shouldn't have put it in the hold as it contained compressed gas!

[Roy Bouchier]

I would endorse the views of CirrusFrance. Many years ago I did a good deal of trans-atlantic ferrying in twins and bizjets.
The latter did, of course, require a two man crew and personally I always ensured that the other crew member was an experienced one.
On a couple of occasions I was prevailed upon by the client to carry a 'co-pilot' who wished to gain experience. Unfortunately, this proved to be something that I never repeated! It's fine when everything goes to plan but, in the event of an unscheduled mechanical or weather problem, the second body is just an expensive liability. And an expense that the client is unlikely to appreciate, even if he instigated it.
For example, delivering a Beagle 206 to Florida, I lost an engine (in a snowstorm, of course) over Labrador.
Shooting the NDB approach into Labrador City, by the time we made it to the terminal building, the aircraft was a snow covered igloo.
Now I have the problem of what to do with my passenger who had not planned (or dressed for) an extended vacation in the frozen north.
And, as CirrusFrance says, there's the knotty problem of life raft, bad enough in itself but not helped by having a spare body into the bargain.
I wish you all the best - although I question whether ferry flying, where i suspect you will be little more than an interested observer, is the way to build experience. Hours perhaps, but not experience.

[Prophead]

Im also interested in getting into ferry flying. I understand all the comments above but how then do you get into it.

[Roy Bouchier]

Prophead - that's a hard one. I've no idea what the market is like nowadays but I doubt that it's easy.
I always free-lanced in my time off from airline flying and only got into it because I was asked to deliver an aircraft. I was high time and had trans atlantic experience, all of which made the insurance doable. I suspect that insurance might be the stumbling block otherwise.
It's probably worthwhile checking with one of the regular ferrying companies such as Globe (used to be Phil Waldman) out of Lakeland, FL. and see what they require.
Good luck.