Contract pilot ferrying airliners worldwide
 

Good work if you can get it. But like most good pilot jobs - getting them, well, it's all a bit incestiuos.

For tp's you usually get a phone call about a week before the event asking if your available and legal to fly the type. Sometimes you get asked to provide the other crew others its assigned.

Then if your not on file you email in your papers and sign a contract.

A couple of days before you get through the cunning plan and travel tickets.

At some point you will meet someone and pick up an expenses float and fuel card.

You head off and if your lucky the plane will be waiting for you all signed off and ready to go. If its just out of storage there can be various ball aches until its legal to be flown. Then depending on where you have picked it up from or where you going to the flight can be a complete nightmare of red tape or it could just be a case of light em up fly land and hand the paper work in at the other end.

The specialist ferry boys are masters at the red tape and legalities of getting airframes in and out of various authorites.

I have done 2 one was a doddle and one was a ball ache. Both were good fun but you have to be alot more savy about legalities (and not the stuff the teach you in your ATPLs than you average line pilot).

How did i get them? Word of mouth, someone else couldn't do it and gave them my number.

So if you have a JAA license or FAA, and the aircraft is registered in India, and your ferrying it to China. How do you fly it? Do you get a validation for the Indian License?

And I assume you only meet your crew when you arrrive at the plane?

You generally won't be asked to move an airframe that your licence privileges do not cover. As for meeting the crew? you are the crew and generally positon out together to the a/c. Speak to Mr Hanley at Parc, he will give you the heads up. Good money if you are the chosen few..

I've ferried A320s, DC-10s, B-767s and B-757s, but it is very sporadic work. Not a steady paycheck at all, and timing & luck play a huge part if you get hired.

I did quite a few A310 ferries worldwide, mostly from or to the Mohave Desert.They all came in ad hoc on a weeks notice, and lasted between 2 to 7 days. Once you do a few and "get things done" without too much hassle, you will get more offers. Forget your company standards and S.O.P. s. You might have no correct database in the FMS, no t.o. analysis etc. (120-130-145 usual works), and planes could have been sitting in the rain outside for a couple of months. Expect discrepancies or things not working at all.
I would say not really for the unexperienced ones.
And no, even is the occasional pay is well, you cannot bank on it to make a living. You also should schow up with a valid license and medical, not to forget recency of experience on type.
But it is great fun! Nothing like crossing the pacific in an old non etops A300B2 and overnight in some remote atolls!

I was phoned about a year ago about a potential ferry in a BAe 146. My number was passed on by the IPA/IPF who were contacted to see if they had any guys who were current and out of work on their books.

Certainly interesting and at times rewarding since you often have to do your own flight planning and sort out handling etc. Not a long term career option though.

Besides flight pay, ensure that you are guaranteed a minimum daily rate of compensation, because long parked airplanes are never ready to fly when you're ready. Typically $500/day, plus 4 star hotel, plus business class travel. . . . unless you're flush with cash and are flying just for fun. :ooh: