If you have never hired a ferry pilot, the process can feel like a black box. You hand over the keys to an expensive machine and wait for it to show up somewhere else. Here is what happens in between.
What happens before anyone gets in the airplane?
Most of a ferry flight happens on the ground. It starts with the details: the tail number, where the airplane sits, where it needs to go, and when. From there the planning covers questions like these:
- Is the annual current, and are there open maintenance items or overdue airworthiness directives?
- Does the airplane need a special flight permit to make the trip legally?
- Does your insurance policy cover the pilot who will fly it?
- What route, fuel stops and daylight windows make sense for this airplane’s speed and range?
The answers shape the quote. At Settle Ferry Group a quote is a pilot day rate for the days the trip realistically takes, plus the trip’s own expenses: fuel, airport fees, nights on the road, and the pilot’s travel to the airplane and home again.
How does the pilot get to the airplane?
If the airplane is near the pilot’s base, they drive. Otherwise they usually fly commercially to the nearest airline airport and get a ride to the field. That travel is part of the trip cost, which is why an airplane parked near a major airport can be cheaper to move than one at a remote strip.
Why does the pilot need to see the logbooks?
Because a walkaround cannot tell you whether an airplane is legal to fly. The maintenance records can, and reviewing them is a required part of the job, not a formality. Before the airplane moves, the pilot confirms in the logs that:
- The annual inspection is current, and the 100 hour inspection too if the airplane is flown for hire, under 14 CFR 91.409
- Applicable airworthiness directives have been complied with, under 14 CFR Part 39
- Any recent maintenance was properly approved for return to service, under 14 CFR 91.407
- The transponder check is within 24 calendar months under 14 CFR 91.413, and for instrument flight, the pitot-static and altimeter checks under 14 CFR 91.411
- The emergency locator transmitter and its battery meet 14 CFR 91.207
Plan on giving the pilot access to the logs, or clear photographs of the relevant pages, before departure day. An airplane whose records cannot be found is an airplane whose airworthiness nobody can establish, and that is a trip that does not launch until it is sorted out.
What does the pilot check before the first leg?
A ferry pilot is often flying an airplane for the first time, so the preflight goes further than a quick walkaround. It also has to satisfy 14 CFR 91.103, which requires the pilot in command to become familiar with all available information concerning the flight, including runway lengths, takeoff and landing distances, weather and fuel requirements. Expect a close look at:
- Fuel quantity and contamination
- Oil level, leaks and the condition of the engine compartment
- Tires, brakes and control surfaces
- The airworthiness certificate and registration aboard, required by 14 CFR 91.203, and the flight manual, markings and placards required by 14 CFR 91.9
- The instruments and equipment required for the kind of flight planned, listed in 14 CFR 91.205, with anything inoperative handled under 14 CFR 91.213
- Avionics, radios and anything you flagged as inoperative
If something turns up that makes the airplane unsafe, the flight does not go until it is resolved. That is frustrating on the day, and it is the whole point of a careful preflight.
What happens when the weather does not cooperate?
It waits. The pilot in command has final authority over whether a flight goes, and on a ferry flight that decision carries extra weight: an unfamiliar airplane, an unfamiliar route, and often no autopilot. A delayed leg is cheaper than a damaged airframe.
This is why a flexible delivery window matters. A firm deadline with no buffer puts pressure on a decision that should never feel pressured.
What does delivery look like?
The airplane lands at the destination, gets parked where you arranged, and the pilot secures it. Depending on the trip, that might be your hangar, a shop’s ramp, or a buyer’s tie-down. The pilot then heads home the same way they arrived.
What if you would rather ride along?
Some owners would rather fly the airplane themselves with an instructor beside them, especially after a purchase. That turns the trip into insurance transition training, and the time can count toward what your policy requires.
Ready to plan one? Get a quote with the tail number and both airports.