Fly a cessna to america?
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Fly a cessna to america?
Hi, im currently a student pilot and I was just curious on weather it would be possible to fly a cessna from england to america. Obviously not direct, but looking at google maps i figured youd go to scotland first, then the faroe islands, iceland, greenland and finally canada and then america. Anyone know if this is possible or would it exceed the maximum range of a cessna.
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Yes, it's perfectly possible although you don't state which type of Cessna. It takes a lot of planning and you'd need several things:
1. Almost certainly the back seats removed and ferry tanks installed to give a suitable safety margin in terms of range.
2. An IR.
3. An experienced transatlantic ferry pilot aboard before you stand any chance of getting insurance.
4. A lot of patience sat around waiting for the weather and winds to be right at your various stopping points. Flying in a 60kt headwind and/or solid sub-zero cloud you can't get out of is likely to end undesirably.
5. A Mr Blobby immersion suit, a robust liferaft and a personal locator beacon.
All that aside, I know a couple of folks who've done it and it really is the trip of a lifetime. Should the opportunity arise I would love to do it myself.
1. Almost certainly the back seats removed and ferry tanks installed to give a suitable safety margin in terms of range.
2. An IR.
3. An experienced transatlantic ferry pilot aboard before you stand any chance of getting insurance.
4. A lot of patience sat around waiting for the weather and winds to be right at your various stopping points. Flying in a 60kt headwind and/or solid sub-zero cloud you can't get out of is likely to end undesirably.
5. A Mr Blobby immersion suit, a robust liferaft and a personal locator beacon.
All that aside, I know a couple of folks who've done it and it really is the trip of a lifetime. Should the opportunity arise I would love to do it myself.
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Ominator
I see you are 16 and a student pilot? Shunters advice is good. "usually" not always the winds are more favourable the other way.
I have done the crossing but in the relative comfort of a corporate jet at FL390 if you PM me i can give you access to pictures i took and placed on the net. I have friends who do ferry work in singles but they are braver than I as that expanse of inhospitable sea must be a very lonely place in a single.
I would go with Shunter on the fact that you really need to tank the small Cessnas weather winds etc can change very quickly.
Good luck
Pace
I see you are 16 and a student pilot? Shunters advice is good. "usually" not always the winds are more favourable the other way.
I have done the crossing but in the relative comfort of a corporate jet at FL390 if you PM me i can give you access to pictures i took and placed on the net. I have friends who do ferry work in singles but they are braver than I as that expanse of inhospitable sea must be a very lonely place in a single.
I would go with Shunter on the fact that you really need to tank the small Cessnas weather winds etc can change very quickly.
Good luck
Pace
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Earthrounders: round the world flights in light aircraft has lots of stories and references of folks who have done it.
Because of the weather in the North Atlantic I know some folks prefer to do the Azores-Newfoundland route instead of Iceland-Greenland. But you have to have sufficient range for that.
Because of the weather in the North Atlantic I know some folks prefer to do the Azores-Newfoundland route instead of Iceland-Greenland. But you have to have sufficient range for that.
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I've done eastbound transatlantic 3 times, and westbound once, in propeller powered aircraft One eastbound I flew much of the way was a Cessna 303, the smallest I flew. We did that with internal fuel only. My fellow pilot on that flight flew lots of singles across eastbound, but those were always solo flights. It requires considerable experience, planning and resources. As mentioned, you just will not get insurance, or the required clearances without the experience. Westbound in most light singles would really be pushing it! Friends of mind took a Lake Amphib last summer, and a Renegade across earlier this year, spending more than a week in Greenland waiting for weather each trip.
That having been said, a representative flight can easily be done by renting a plane in Iceland, having flown there commercial, and flying around a portion of the island. I did that last year, and it was a delight.
Pilot DAR
That having been said, a representative flight can easily be done by renting a plane in Iceland, having flown there commercial, and flying around a portion of the island. I did that last year, and it was a delight.
Pilot DAR
not so difficult...
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Cheers for the replies guys and some interesting links too. Nice to see it can be done and looks like quite a fun adventure too! Also, I saw someone mentioning insurance and is aircraft insurance a requirement like car insurance in U.K or is a just reccommended?
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Very doable indeed.
Ditto Shunter.
Not the sort of area for inexperienced pilots in singles, and even twin, pistons.
Oh, and the experienced ferry pilot bit, it's like an insurance, but on your life!
Ditto Shunter.
Not the sort of area for inexperienced pilots in singles, and even twin, pistons.
Oh, and the experienced ferry pilot bit, it's like an insurance, but on your life!
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Fly a cessna to america?
Most insurance companies state at least 5 atlantic crossings before they will touch you. Iceland require 25k additional coverage search and rescue as a pre requisite. At this time of year heating and de icing will be needed probably in Greenland and Northern Canada. VFR is possible below 5500ft but at that altitude, very unlikely to maintain VMC conditions for the whole route. If you need a cheap ferry pilot pm me.
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Not Cessnas, but I think they're good photos of the crossing:
https://www.cirrus147.com/index.php?...Itemid=1000149
https://www.cirrus147.com/index.php?...Itemid=1000149
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In 1995 Torquil Norman & Henry Labouchere flew East-West trans-Atlantic in a (then) 59 year old de Havilland Dragonfly. They were both awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Royal Aero Club.
As if that weren't enough, Sir Torquil flew a DH Leopard Moth across the Atlantic, writing about it in Pilot magazine in June 1996.
Put that in your Cessna and smoke it!!
WW
As if that weren't enough, Sir Torquil flew a DH Leopard Moth across the Atlantic, writing about it in Pilot magazine in June 1996.
Put that in your Cessna and smoke it!!
WW
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That's cheating, that is like rowing across the atlantic on the Queen Mary
What do you mean cheating? You try rowing the Queen Mary across the Atlantic single handed
Pace
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Atlantic Crossing on a Single Engine Airplane
Hi Skip Undo,
They are right, I did it on a Pilatus PC12. The first photo on the first part is actually a Cessna, and I guess its misleading. Sorry
However I met a fellow ferry pilot in Iceland and he was doing the crossing on a V tail 1964 Bonanza, Well..... You can read about him on my Part 3 Atlantic Crossing on a Single Engine Airplane Part3
Thank you anyway and enjoy flying
Remember Flying is dangerous cause you drive to the airport
They are right, I did it on a Pilatus PC12. The first photo on the first part is actually a Cessna, and I guess its misleading. Sorry
However I met a fellow ferry pilot in Iceland and he was doing the crossing on a V tail 1964 Bonanza, Well..... You can read about him on my Part 3 Atlantic Crossing on a Single Engine Airplane Part3
Thank you anyway and enjoy flying
Remember Flying is dangerous cause you drive to the airport
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Try and get hold of "Flight of the Kiwi" by Cliff Tait.
He flew solo around the world in an Airtourer (single engine piston low wing) back in 1969, crossing from Canada to Scotland via Greenland and Iceland, at low level (from memory he liked to stay around 3 to 5000 ft).
He wrote a second book "Water Under My Wings" about his later ferry flights (once he'd proven to himself and the world that it could be done and he could do it, he made a lot of ferry flights of light singles).
He flew solo around the world in an Airtourer (single engine piston low wing) back in 1969, crossing from Canada to Scotland via Greenland and Iceland, at low level (from memory he liked to stay around 3 to 5000 ft).
He wrote a second book "Water Under My Wings" about his later ferry flights (once he'd proven to himself and the world that it could be done and he could do it, he made a lot of ferry flights of light singles).
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I did it for a year as a job, and flew 19 crossings. One trick I was taught by a very experienced ferry pilot was to time your arrival at each stopover early in the morning, until you are very confident of the route and all destinations. His thinking was that flying into improving daylight when things may not be going right and you are tired provides a level of mental comfort that flying into growing darkness does not. So long as you aren't caught by early morning mist/fog (common in high latitudes) then I believe he is right.
These days I wouldn't try it without a cruise level above fl360, a speed below m.8 and a pretty face to deliver tea/coffee/ jokes to me and my mate.
I met some amazing people in that year and learned a huge amount from them. The pay wasn't bad, but we were paid by the trip and I was broke, hence the number of trips. I got home for a total of twelve days in the year, but those trips are some of the logbook entries I am proudest of.
These days I wouldn't try it without a cruise level above fl360, a speed below m.8 and a pretty face to deliver tea/coffee/ jokes to me and my mate.
I met some amazing people in that year and learned a huge amount from them. The pay wasn't bad, but we were paid by the trip and I was broke, hence the number of trips. I got home for a total of twelve days in the year, but those trips are some of the logbook entries I am proudest of.