Ferry Tank in a PA32-300 Cherokee Six

[alan_mcmahon]

We are flying the atlantic and pacific in a Piper Cherokee Six PA32-300 and have just secured a 150USGAL ferry tank which we are planning to but in place of the back four seats. With 84USGAL in the main tanks and with the right tailwind we should be ok but we are considering a tank in the nose as well. 2 POB. The ferry will be properly installed by a ferry company and tested.

Getting the ferry tank approved by a European Authority is becoming a long and expensive affair. Will we be asked to prove certification of the ferry tank in the countries we land in around the world ?

One way around this may be to NOT connect the tank and fly it as cargo until we need to use it for the Pacifc and Atlantic crossings - therefore the tank is cargo for most of the trip and require no certification, this may get us out of any bother and leaves just having to deal with the US and Canadian authorities.

Our worry is if we arrive on the Dutch regsiter in the USA and do not have the paperwork to show the ferry tank has been approved by the Dutch authroity, will we be asked for this in the US and again when we leave Canada to cross the Atlantic ?

Is it possibly if we do not have the ferry tank mod paperwork or a ferry permit will we be impounded. We have heard different stories that once you are a foreign registered aircraft, insured with all aircraft docs etc there will be no problem and no one is going to question the ferry tank in US and Canada. But for example if you are N reg flying into the US, yes you will be ramp checked and must have a ferry permit - foreign aircraft are not looked at.

Thanks for the help and any links anyone has to the regulations would be most helpful. We are proceeding with getting the tank approved at the moment.

[Genghis the Engineer]

A fair and reasonable question to ask, but posting it to a large number of forums is a serious breach of Pprune etiquette. Could I politely suggest you might rectify that.

G

[A and C]

The authoritys in the USA have taken drastic action to enforce the regulations about ferry tanks because these have become popular with drug smuggerlers , and to be caught with an unauthorised ferry tank in the USA puts you in the frame as a suspect drug smuggerler , so dont even think about flying without a permit for such equipment.

The best place to break into the PA32 fuel system is FWD of the main spar in the center section you might even find that you have AN spec "T" unions already fitted ( and blanked off ) if the aircraft was ferryed to europe.

[Doghouse]

Taking an unauthorised ferry tank in the US is seriously bad news. Last time I did a ferry run (and this was pre 9/11) they told me they were banging people up who didn't have the correct paperwork!

If you're going from Canada to Europe, having 'just enough' won't do. I seem to remember the Canadians insisting on you planning to have 3 hours remaining at your destination (check this though, as I'm not sure of the numbers).

Note: make sure the vent pipe can be de-iced easily - they tend to block up over the N Atlantic in icing conditions.

Outside the US, no one seems to care about ferry tanks except for the fact that you'll have to refuel it yourself.

Have a great trip.