When you need to ferry your aircraft
Here's the scenario: Joe Pilot owns a 1981 Cessna 152. It's March and since the winter has been so rough, he hasn't been near the hangar since before Christmas. As the weather starts to turn, something starts to nag at Joe's mind. Oh yeah, the annual! Checking his logbooks, he discovers the annual was due in February — and there's no mechanic on his field. He's a 50-mile flight away. What should Joe do?
"Well, he can't fly the aircraft — it has an expired annual," says Craig Brown, an AOPA aviation technical specialist. "The FAA considers that Cessna an unairworthy airplane."
What Joe needs to do is apply for a special flight permit, commonly referred to as a "ferry permit." FAR Part 21 covers this FAA rule. A special flight permit may be issued for an aircraft that may not currently meet applicable airworthiness requirements but is capable of safe flight.
Applying for a special flight permit is simple. All it takes is a call to the local flight standards district office (FSDO). Many FSDOs accept the request over the phone, or you may need to stop by and pick up FAA Form 8130-6. A mechanic must then certify that the aircraft is capable of safe flight by completing block IV on the form. You must carry that form on your flight.
That's it? Almost. Make sure your mechanic has also filled out your airframe logbooks indicating that the aircraft is safe to fly. In addition to carrying the special flight permit, you also must have on board the mechanic's record — signed by the mechanic. "That paper isn't worth anything unless a mechanic has signed your logbooks indicating that your aircraft is safe to fly," says Brown.
Can you make this trip a little more interesting? Take a friend along for the ride? "There's no free ride on the permit," says Brown. The pilot is the only necessary crew, so — in 99 percent of GA cases — no one else is needed on the flight (unless this is a two-pilot aircraft). No other pilot, no buddies, no friends. And you have to be going to the place the permit says that you are.
"Need to stop?" adds Brown. "Yes, you may make stops as necessary."
Other reasons for the special flight permit include delivering or exporting aircraft; flight testing new production aircraft; evacuating aircraft from areas of impending danger (such as a hurricane); conducting customer demonstration flights in new production aircraft that have successfully completed flight tests; and operating an aircraft at a weight in excess of its maximum certificated weight for a flight beyond the normal range over water or over land areas where adequate facilities or appropriate fuel is not available.
As an AOPA member, you have access to the best resources anywhere for information and answers for pilots. AOPA provides information for its members through a vast array of communications technologies. You can reach experts in all fields of aviation via AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/members/), the AOPA Pilot Information Center (800/USA-AOPA), and e-mail ( [email protected]). Aviation technical specialists respond promptly to member requests while AOPA Online provides members with access to information and resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The toll-free AOPA Pilot Information Center gives you direct access to specialists in every area of aviation. The center is available to members from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
AOPA Web resources
These subject reports provide answers to frequently asked questions. The AOPA Aviation Services department (800/872-2672) answers more than 100,000 calls a year from members needing assistance with a variety of aviation-related issues.
www.aopa.org/members/files/topics/
A subject report, "Applying for a Ferry Permit," that discusses the steps to take when applying for a special flight permit.
www.aopa.org/members/files/topics/ferry.html
This document includes the FAA rules for special flight permits (see paragraph 21.197) and rules for issuing the permits (see paragraph 21.199).
www.aopa.org/members/files/fars/far-21.html
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