How do you transport a plane?

Question

Say a small plane like a cessna from (for example) Texas to Ottawa (Canada)......does it make the most financial sense to actually fly it there? or how else is it done?

Answer 1

on a bigger plane?

Answer 2

Most of the time if the plane is put together in the factory, and ordered from someone they most likely have a contracted pilot fly it to the nearest airport or airstrip. They do the same thing with expensive cars that are customized. But they also ship the plane to you by ground. Most of the time the planes are pretty small. You might be getting the mental image of a full plane on a flatbed truck, that doesn't happen. They dismantle it first then ship it.

Answer 3

I'd fly it, or hire a delivery pilot !!

Houston to Ottawa is only 1,058 air-miles... at a Cessna 172T's cruise speed of 145 knots (166) mph, that's 6.5 hours of flight time, and well within the max range of 1070 miles. Could be done in two nice little hops.

To me, dismantling the bird and "shipping" it is a foolish waste of money and potential flight time !

I used to fly commercial to the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Connecticut, and then serve as the plane-captain/ flight crew for the return trip to NAS North Island, San Diego, California with a new or re-built SH-60B Seahawk (similar cruise speed and range to a Cessna)

Answer 4

For Texas to Ottawa, ferry tanks may be fitted and the seats removed. The Ferry tanks simply allow for more fuel. An on board fuel pump transfers it to the mains.

Flying is the Most feasible way to transport an airplane. Many commercial rated pilots would do it without hassle...

Answer 5

You can fly it, or get someone else to fly it, there are specialist delivery services that will do this, same as with yachts. Or you can drain the fluids and containerize it, wings off and all that like the others said.

Personally I'd rather not go pulling the wings off unnecessarily.

Try the link below, see if one of them works for you.

If it was me I'd probably just fly it up there myself though, even with the occasionally interesting weather at this time of year.

Answer 6

Definitely fly it. There are dozens of people if you ask around who would be qualified and would fly it for next to nothing. A lot of people are just waiting for an excuse to go flying. The only reason to take it apart and trailer it is if it has been damaged and it is on its way to get rebuilt some where.

Answer 7

Aircraft are either picked up at the factory by the customer or customer rep or delivered by a ferry pilot or crew and extended range are often temporally installed for extra fuel. Disassembling an aircraft could lead to more problems with the aircraft

Answer 8

I used to drive a truck for a specialized carrier many years ago and actually hauled a small sabre jet one time. It took 2 trucks and it was already prepped when we picked it up. They had taken off the wings and tail and had them banded to a huge wooden pallet and had the fuselage banded to another. They picked the pallets up with a giant fork lift and slid them in the trailer then nailed the pallets to the floor. Took them off the same way.

Answer 9

Fly it or Take the wings and bladder off and ship it by truck or train. Go to a rail yard and talk to an engineer about getting it shipped.

Answer 10

The wings would probably be temporarily removed and it would be shipped on or in a semi-truck or train, or inside a larger plane.

Answer 11

Flying it would make the most sense... ;) Could probably make that in a day .