Flying ferries

Single-engine domestic is my cup of tea. I do not have the qualifications or credits of a certain person I know to do overseas ferry flights (FFs), and knowing what I do about them he has my total admiration.

By trade I am a flight instructor, but on occasion I am asked to do FFs of light aircraft within Australia. If you look at the movement of aircraft owners on the civil aircraft register, FFs are taking place on an almost daily basis. Some are done via the good ‘old boys’ network or perhaps from those seeking a pilot at the aero club bar. I figure that for a serious long-distance flight in perhaps a strange aircraft you need someone with a bit more experience to carry out the job, properly.

And a job it is. I have long said that a ferry flyer needs to be properly organised: that 90 per cent of the job is the planning and 10 per cent the flying.

Now there is no such thing as a ferry pilots’ school. There is just not enough demand here in Australia and, besides, who would want to give away their trade secrets to create competition.

Me? I picked up the bibs and bobs of ferry flying over a period of time doing on-request short flights and then longer more complex ones.

I learned on the job so to speak; I learned how to refine my kit so that I have all that is needed for the flight – no steamer trunk with excess.

Remember, what you take on the job has to be carried on the ferry aircraft and needs to be returned with you at the end of the flight. You need to cut your cloth to suit the mission.

Planning is vital, but with experience you can automatically think of things that maybe the average pilot may not think about. In my role as a flight instructor, I continue to come across pilots who are unaware that an ELT is required if flying more than 50nm from home base. True! Having good cross-country experience, particularly long distance, is a must for a good ferry pilot. Being able to look after one’s self a long distance from home and home base support is vital. I find it hard to know that there are flight instructors out there who are teaching guys and gals to be commercial pilots and yet they have never flown outside their home state.

Old or new aircraft can have glitches you need to be able to tackle

Ferrying, or repositioning as some would call it, can be fascinating.

Meeting new people, flying a new type of aircraft, maybe one that that you have not flown before and will never see again. See sights enroute that others will never see. Keep that camera handy. On the other hand you can have issues. Weather? It changes and the forecast is not always right.

‘Being able to look after one’s self a long distance from home … is vital’

The aircraft? Do you have a Plan B to work with? The aircraft? New or used they all have glitches. Maybe it is a mechanical issue that the old owner hopes the new owner will fix – such as the fuel selector that has a tired seal and drips fuel. Are you expected to fly this aircraft for hours on end with fumes up your nose the whole time? Or should you put up with the slight headache that comes from the holes in the exhaust pipe that was signed off at the 100-hourly a few hours ago? Even new aircraft can have issues, for example a gauge that is giving readings that are probably erroneous but worrying.

Picking up a ferry job comes from various sources … most often it will be from word of mouth. First you get some idea of what is required. Are you able to fly the aircraft type? Do you have experience on the type, or is it close enough to a type you have flown in the past. I have flown more than 200 light aircraft, but still think of myself as being a boy who knows a little and would like to know a lot.

When getting involved with the ferry of an aircraft it is not just the weather and the route that you must question but also the aircraft. Are you being loaded with someone else’s problem to move somewhere else? It is your butt in the sling if it all goes wrong! You must enter a ferry with a certain amount of “doubting Thomas”. Ask questions. Look over the aircraft very thoroughly. What is the oil consumption? Is the engine going to do the distance? Having some mechanical knowledge is vital.

I have never walked away from a ferry enroute yet but came close to it once when a lack of maintenance on my mount came to light. One of the issues of a ferry is that you are usually devoid of having maintenance backup once it has started. It can be good to have a few tools with you. A screwdriver, a leatherman – to name just two – can be good to carry. Tiedowns are an item often forgotten about. Ropes, stakes and a hammer.

At the end of the day, ferry flying can be fun, an experience, and maybe pay a few dollars. When the ferry finishes it is still nice to come home to kiss the wife and pat the dog. They will never know what you have experienced.

Instructor tip of the month

If travelling in company with another aircraft, be it a private flight or commercial, always try to look after one another. When departing from a remote airstrip ensure that both engines get started at the same time.

Look to see that the other aircraft has his engine started. Make radio comms and try and depart closely after each other. Maintain radio contact if at all possible. All this is to try and prevent a situation where one aircraft has an issue, like the engine will not start, or a glitch with one aircraft while the other departs unknowingly leaving the other stranded. It does happen.