Ferrying a C-337 to Thailand

[Pistlpetet]

In the next couple of years I would like to buy a C-337 and bring it over to Thailand where I live.

My question is for some of you experienced Ferry guys. What would be the best route (Safest and least amount of Hassle) to take. I would not really be concerned with how long it would take, as I would be doing it myself, taking my time, and enjoying the various stops.

Quite a bit of my flying experience has been overseas in various locations, but no trips over the pond. I would not be taking on this mission lightly, and would take all the necessary Survival precautions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[OPECJet]

Good Lord! I flew a couple of SkyDisasters for a 135 company. I thought my BHM-DAL-PHX flight was a long one!

 

[Pistlpetet]

Thanks, but not looking for comments on the 337. Is it that hard to ask a professional question, and get a professional answer here?

 

[ultrarunner]

In the next couple of years I would like to buy a C-337 and bring it over to Thailand where I live.

My question is for some of you experienced Ferry guys. What would be the best route (Safest and least amount of Hassle) to take.

I am assuming you would be departing from the US?

Are you planning on tanking the plane? That would likely determine which direction you go. If you buy a G or an H model that have the large tanks, you could fly that trip eastbound likely without having to tank. West bound will require tanks.

It's all in what you're looking for and what your planning.

Flying it west bound with tanks, and you're looking at some really long over water legs....Calif-Hawaii is about 14 hrs. And that's your first leg.

Give some more information, and folks that know much more than me can chime in.

 

[CaptSeth]

Anchorage - Shemya - Petrapovlosk - Japan, etc....one extra tank would do the trick, don't know if they have avgas at Shemya though.

 

[L'il J.Seinfeld]

Cali to hawaii!! Are you crazy?

 

[Spooky 2]

Tribal knowledge

First of all I have never ferried a light plane on the Pacific, but I have several friends who have done just that including ferrying Skymasters to Vietnam back in the 60's. They of course had the support of the DOD so money was not an object.

In their case they picked up the aircraft at the factory and flew them out to an AFB just north of SFO. The place has been long closed, so the name escapes me now. They checked the ferry tanks on this first leg to make sure that they would continue to provide fuel throughout the next leg, which was from the AFB to PHNL. That was the longest leg and pretty much defined the experience. From there on they island hopped the rest of the way.

I'm sure that you can obtain an aux tank for this mission for several source on the west coast. Take a look in Trade A Plane and see what there is available.
DO NOT plan to land at any island airport after sunset as some of them use generator power for runway lighting, and we all know happens to anything that is mechanical just when you need it most. A friend of mine tells a story of taking off from some small island in the So. Pacific in a Twin Otter on a ferry flight to the US. He did this right after sunset and had to turn abck for a mechanical reason. The lights were off at the airport and could not find the place (Pre GPS days). He said it was the scariest thing that he had ever encounterd and this guy had done a lot of world wide ferrying including AG Cats form the West Coast to PHNL. 24 hours, no autopilot and no GPS!

Might try to find someone else who is going your way at the same time. If you had to ditch, the other guys could assist in the recovery by giving updated info for as long as he could loiter. In the case of the AG Cats in the above paragraph it was agreed that if one guy went down, the other would circle until the resuce personnel were on the scene and then he would ditch along side and hoepfully get recovered as well!

Flying back and forth between the mainland and HNL I was always amazed at how much traffic was down at those lower levels going back and forth across that body of water. Coming of PHNL one night we heard a guy in a Bonanza ditching. His last words were that he could see the water in his landing lights. Unfortunetly, he was never found.

If you can get a hold of a guy by the name of John Lear, probably in Las Vegas, NV I'm sure he would share his experiences in ferrying Skymasters to Vietnam. Guys a liitle strange, but knows his sh^t very well. Do a Google search and I bet you find him.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[bocefus]

Yah get a hold of John Lear, quite the lad he is. I flew with him at the Rosie.
Actually this type of info is pretty much considered proprietary by the folks who do this stuff for a living. PM me with an email address and I'll give you some contacts that might be worth your time.

 

[Pistlpetet]

Thanks for the input guys, and sorry for not providing more info on my desires.

I kinda assumed that it would be a longer and "easier" route going over the atlantic. More places to stop, and more places to find fuel and maintenance.

That is a good idea about joining up with someone else for the trip over. I would probably opt for not tanking up the aircraft (Probably Take a Friend Along). Like I said, time would not be a vital consideration, and it would be part of the adventure stopping in different places.

I would definately do my homework for this mission. Thanks again for the input.

 

[Black Hawk]

A ferry flight across the Pacific takes more guts than I've got. What is the cost to ship it vs. flying it?