Ferry Flying – Delivering Aircraft around the world for MAF

To prepare for an early Saturday departure we fuelled and loaded up N717RD

Our destination today is Quebec City. We departed a little later as we needed to find a fuel hose for the ferry tank. Extra fuel tanks are installed in the aircraft for additional fuel for the ferry flight and they are taken out at the destination. Fuel is pumped from these tanks into the right wing en flight to extend the range.

The way these tanks were installed with such a small gap to the ceiling it makes it very difficult to get a fuel nozzle in the tank. So Dylan was able to find the perfect adaptation hose this morning.

So good actually. Fuel nozzles vary all over the world so it is important to have an adaptable device. Not being able to fill the ferry tanks would be a bit of a show stopper- no fuel – no fly:)

When transferring fuel there is a fuel pump we turn on and set a timer for a reminder to turn it off. On such a long flight it is remarkably easy to forget. If it isn’t turned off all the fuel would be pumped out of the aircraft.

We heard a story once of a ferry pilot forgetting this and pumping all his fuel overboard. He landed his plane in the Pacific Ocean just short of Hawaii!! He was rescued and lived to tell his humbling story. He actually had notified officials in flight and they created a lite up landing strip in the ocean with flairs because it was night time.

All the way to Quebec from Winnipeg is pretty well forested. Dylan and I once flew a helicopter from Ottawa to Winnipeg and so we had a birds eye view of many many trees- I was quite surprised actually.