Career as a ferry pilot where and how to start...

[Flying_Mozart]

Hello Everyone,

I am looking to start a new chapter in my life and follow my dream to start a career as a ferry pilot (Single and Multi engine piston). Life is too short to not to do what we really like and live it.

I am looking for some advice where and how to start. I have already made the first step and registered myself as a "freelance" pilot but I know that this is only the first step on a long-long journey.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

All the Best,

Flying_Mozart

[drag king]

I am looking for some advice where and how to start.

I dare to say...send your CV to Skyferry! :}

DK...running for cover! :}

[maxphlyer]

You beat me to it :D

Good one, DK!

[darkroomsource]

They're really proud of how long they've been "providing affordable aircraft ferrying"

Twice in the top of the page, "For over half a decade we have been providing affordable aircraft ferrying for our existing and new customers across the globe"

Over half a decade!
Wow, how long is that, it's sounds like a really long time, OK, let me look up decade...
ooh, a decade is 10 hears, OK, so half of that is 5, so they've been in business for over half a decade, but I would think that they'd say over a decade if it was more than that, or they might even use three quarters of a decade, so what? it's been like 6 years they've been providing this service?

Why state that?
Why not just say "We provide..."
Because they're really proud of being in business for 6 years now.

OK. good for them!

(I just realised I should let people know that this was a sarcastic email, and no harm was intended in any way to any party or parties, I just have a very strange sense of humour, and thought this line of thought was good for a laugh, and that someone, somewhere might also enjoy the thought)

[drag king]

Jokes aside, I suggest you look is some "odd" places such as Facebook. There are aircraft ferry and pilots' group, some are run by and for EU-based pilots and they might help you to find out who's who.

For the technical and legal aspect of the business I shall leave it to the experts. My ferry experience is limited to positioning and...surrender the a/c and the job to the lessor! :{


DK :ok:

[spittingimage]

You have PM.

SI

[sapperkenno]

What do you mean by "registered as a freelance pilot?" Registered where, and with whom?

It seems with all of this, it's the insurance that will pose problems as you need ferry experience to get the decent jobs, but you'll never get that experience and so won't get insurance to make a trip! Plus, nobody will allow you to tag along with them, as it adds to the risk for the insurers, and I don't think the guys doing this for a living are all that keen to let anyone else have a bite at the cherry, and like to run a closed shop and corner the market.

That said, you could always go rogue and accept the lower end of the work, flying in death traps that nobody else wants to take, teach yourself how to sort out all the paperwork, and everything else that goes with it, and barely make any money until you've built up some experience.

Would be interested to hear if you get anywhere. There's obviously work there, but seems like a difficult world to get into, and not one that anyone will go out of their way to help you with.

[MungoP]

Also .. give some serious thought to what you're getting into.. not just have a vague idea that you'd like to be paid for tooling along looking out of the window. There's an element of Russian Roulette about ferry flying.. I'm referring to the more basic aircraft here..
Single engine flights in small piston a/c across Greenland can be lethal and often have been. Looking at my log-book I see that I've crossed that route exactly 20 times... but with one exception always with a multi-turbo-prop a/c.. and I've had my moments even then... On the one occasion I set off from France in a piston single with the intention making it to Mississippi the engine tore itself apart en-route to Wick and I made it in at night by the skin of my teeth. Had it happened the following day on the way to iceland i would have been history.
A friend and professional ferry-pilot had completed over 70 crossings of the Arctic before icing got him.
Of course there are many out there doing this work successfully and in a very professional manner and it won't be there fault if some inadequate work carried out on the engine 200 hrs before finally gives way out over the Arctic Ocean.. or the weather briefers get it wrong and low cloud with icing end the flight en-approach to Narsarsuaq...
In short.. this work is not to be undertaken lightly.
Very best Wishes with your career, wherever it takes you..
MungoP :ok:

[drag king]

Then my next question is: how did others get started, if safety is so paramount?

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that it is a risky business (very risky if done on a SE or an old twin) and newbies are insures' worse nightmare but then there is no shortage of companies offering ferry experience for a fee. So where do we draw the line?

DK

[Jwscud]

To give you an idea of how dangerous, a friend of mine had an engine failure in a single halfway between Iceland and Greenland at about 9000ft that restarted again at 2000ft. They fly for Delta now with a much lower heart rate I imagine.

[Pace]

And a friend of mine ferrying a 150 with a ferry tank had a fuel problem in IMC spiralled down, broke cloud at 400 feet over the Atlantic above the only fishing ship in 200 miles.
They picked him up and made him work for his keep for a week before returning to base.
sadly the aircraft was lost but not the pilot.

How lucky was that?

don't knock the guy for wanting to do ferry work! It takes a certain personality to undertake this sort of work and IMO a lot of guts

I have ferried jets across the Atlantic both ways, never singles and have a lot of admiration for the poor guys/and gals battling along low level over such vast expanses of freezing ocean in SEP aircraft.

Yes you will need experience and crossings before the insurance will touch you.
Contact all the ferry companies you can and beg steal or borrow rides.

You may have to finance your own accommodation and return airfares but like any aviation from singles to jets its all about networking, people liking you and admiring your determination and enthusiasm and then wanting to help.

You will probably do better getting rides on more advanced singles or twins where weight is not so crucial.

Pace

[Global_Global]

Interesting... Lots of answers but no interaction from the thread starter....

IMHO you have all been giving advice to a spotty teenager who has seen a program on Discovery and who after posting this went back to his Playstation... :E