Lately I’ve been wondering about the logistics of bringing a plane (relatively basic 4-seat IFR tourer – anything from a C177, through an Arrow, to a TB20) from the US over to Europe. The two options are ship in a container or ferry flight. Can anyone please comment on which method makes more sense, what are the benefits and dangers, and expected costs of such an endeavor?
Shipping means dismantling and securing, which means a very thorough inspection is possible without significant extra cost, and a chance to get some repairs / replacements / upgrades done if needed. A 40ft container is under $5k, a 20ft not that much less. How much would the dismantling, securing and loading of a plane cost? Who and what is required to put it back together and make it fly (as in, airworthy) and would anyone care to make a cost guestimate? Assume sticking with N-reg.
Ferrying means a good workout for the plane and avionics, and possibly an adventure if one took the trip too. I figure most, if not all of the planes in question would need a ferry tank (well, perhaps not the TB).
The shipping option will probably end up cheaper.
Longest overwater can actually be gotten down to 450nm on a trans Atlantic trip, so might be possible without installing ferry tanks. But it will compound your Avgas problem as it probably means using Kulusuk airstrip where it needs shipping in. Also, the northern route you don’t need HF radio, but you need to get to FL250, which most smaller planes can’t do. So that means an HF install. Expect to pay ferry pilot around $5K for his services, depending on how long it takes.
All this info just from what I gathered from others, none that I personally have experienced, so take cum grano salis.
A container is OK. I paid US1000 to dismantle my plane, build jigs for the wings for the container and supervise the load. That was about 10 years ago.
Well, seen the evolution of prices in the US and Europe, I wonder what you want to purchase in the US that would be priced lower than in Europe…
From what I see, it seems like the the prices in Europe are pretty similar to the USA (or lower in some instances). Unless it is something special, or you already own it, I am not sure that it is worth the trouble.
Also, if you change the registration country, you might open a whole can of worms. My uncle bought a ‘cheap’ aircraft from the USA and imported it into Canada. It was in good condition (paint, mechanical, etc) so it was not a beater, but still the inspections associated with re-registration involved spending a fair amount extra. You are held over a barrel, because they say ‘fix this or we won’t sign off on the conformance of the type certificate for the new registration…’. He told me that he would not do it again.
You don’t need HF if going CYFB – BGSF – BGKK – BIRK. Longest leg is 487nm. You would need to be able to climb to about FL130 to cross the icecap however.
Your cost is fuel plus a bit of handling.
BGKK has Avgas normally but you would always check in advance. Also to make sure it is in CYFB which sometimes get short.
Be aware you will have to pay VAT on arrival wherever that is.
The advantage to the US aircraft is more choice. It is a much better market for sourcing a range of aircraft particularly if, as the poster said, he think to keep it on N-register.
The selection of available planes in the US is far better than in Europe, which is what prompted me to ask the question. It is more of a mental exercise and idle musings than anything else at this time. The hypothetical plane would stay on N-reg, hence my question about what is needed in terms of reassembly and re-certification. I realize any registry change would require far more planning and additional work.
I personally would do the flight. Thinking of flying myself to NYC next summer (and back), with a DA42
JasonC wrote:
Your cost is fuel plus a bit of handling.
Not to forget the one-way flight to the US, usually booked on short notice (which means rather expensive), local transportation in the US. Hotels in Greenland and Iceland are very expensive as well as food and beverages there. Getting stranded in either Iceland or Greenland for a week due to weather can easily double the cost of your ferry flight. Not to mention a technical issue in a remote place like Greenland or Labrador where mechanics and parts need to be flown in. Then you need to hire survival equipment (liferaft and immersion suit(s) and PLB(s) minimum) and ship it back which will cost you several hundred Dollars. You will need to either buy or borrow charts for the route and might need professional help with your flight planning as well. A bit more than just fuel and handling!
Financially it does not make much sense to ferry a piston single across the Atlantic, unless it is very difficult to dismantle and put in a container or one really wants to do the flight. (I have done it twice in piston twins and both were memorable experiences, but my personal desire to do it again in anything powered by moving pistons is close to zero.)
what_next wrote:
Not to forget the one-way flight to the US, usually booked on short notice (which means rather expensive), local transportation in the US. Hotels in Greenland and Iceland are very expensive as well as food and beverages there. Getting stranded in either Iceland or Greenland for a week due to weather can easily double the cost of your ferry flight. Not to mention a technical issue in a remote place like Greenland or Labrador where mechanics and parts need to be flown in. Then you need to hire survival equipment (liferaft and immersion suit(s) and PLB(s) minimum) and ship it back which will cost you several hundred Dollars. You will need to either buy or borrow charts for the route and might need professional help with your flight planning as well. A bit more than just fuel and handling!
I agree if thing go wrong the cost will of course go up. You must stay in better hotels than me on that route. I would tend to hire from Wick and drop it when you get there.
But it is an experience. And the cost should not be anywhere near as much as a shipping container.
I also really prefer twin turbine on the route now but have done it in a piston single and with proper preparation and a cautious attitude I would not discourage others from doing the same.
Interesting… My back-of-the-napkin guestimates based on the above make the ferry much more expensive than a container.
FL130 in any of these potential planes should be doable; not so sure about the zero-fuel range needed to do a 500nm leg – I guess at least 750nm would be needed?
If I went this route, I’d obviously hire someone to fly [with me], so assume the $5k Adam suggested, and the Canada-to-UK part would be let’s say 3000nm, at 15nm/g would require 200 gallons / 750 liters of avgas, assuming 3EUR/liter that would be 2250EUR, so give or take $10k for the Canada-Scotland part of the ferry, since $2500 should cover food, drink, maps, insurance and survival gear rental. Sounds expensive indeed, and more expensive than a container, but what a rush it would be.
One would have to add the US and European ferry parts, too, as what_next mentions, but I’d expect even a ferry from CA to CYYR (3500nm, 250usg@$6.50=$1625, so $2000 with room and board) and then all of Europe over to Poland (~1500nm, [email protected]=1000EUR, 1500 with a SPA stop on the way) so let’s call it $5000.
So, $15000 for a KLAX to EPKP ferry? Yes, assuming nothing really bad happens, or that insurance takes care of it.
Wonder how much of this I could use towards an IR rating, and what would the requirements to actually make it count be.
ps. yes, forgot the cost to actually pick the plane up, but let’s call that a vacation cost not directly attributable to the aircraft purchase ;)
