BBC reporter Poonam Taneja tried to forget about aviation when her father was killed in a crash while delivering a plane from Scotland to Canada in 1999. 17 years later she wanted to learn more about what he did, and understand his passion for it. The result is a thoughtful short documentary that recently aired on BBC Radio 4.
When you’re headed halfway around the world in a single-engine aircraft, you need to pack carefully. In this second lesson in our course on ferry flying, Aidan shows you some of the clothing, gear, and paperwork he takes along.
Whether you’re an aspiring ferry pilot or just curious how small aircraft get moved around the planet, you’ll be interested in our course on ferry flying. In this introductory lesson, veteran oceanic ferry pilot Alex Haynes provides an overview of what ferry flying really is, who ferry pilots are, and what they need to know.
The ferry flying business involves far more than just flying airplanes around the world. Often the weight of an entire deal rests on the ferry pilot’s shoulders. In his first piece for Oddball Pilot, Alex Haynes explores what it’s like working in the high-pressure area at the intersection of aircraft sellers, buyers, and brokers.
If you’ve ever wondered what transoceanic ferry flying entails, here’s a nice introduction. Piper PA46 training specialist Dick Rochfort shot some great videos on one of his ferry flights across the North Atlantic. The entire series will take you about 90 minutes to watch … a small fraction of the time Dick spent sitting in the cockpit on the actual trip.
Pilots, oddball pilots especially, tend to pride themselves on being self-reliant. Sometimes though, you owe everything to the kindness and professionalism of strangers. 13 years ago today, a real-life aviation radio drama unfolded over the Atlantic. Put on some headphones and listen in …
If you’ve seen Plane Xtreme on The Weather Channel you’ve met legendary ferry pilot Steve Hall. After a long battle with cancer, Steve took his last flight on December 15th. In this audio recording, Aidan and Alex Haynes reflect on Steve’s unique contributions to aviation.
Plane Xtreme is a new reality show on The Weather Channel that “chronicles the adventures of an elite group of pilots who deliver small aircraft to points across the globe.” Aidan (who participated in the filming and is in next week’s episode) watched the first two shows and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. Here’s his review.
Flying can be a lonely pursuit at times … especially when the outcome of a long flight is in doubt. In those rare situations, simply being able to connect to another human being via radio can make a big difference. In the powerful short film North Atlantic, an isolated air traffic controller in the Azores receives a distress call from a lost plane. Listen in …
After arriving in Kathmandu, Aidan sat down with Alex Haynes to bring you the inside scoop on becoming a ferry pilot. In this audio interview you’ll learn what the job is like, what the business is like, and the secret to getting started.
