US to New Zealand... how?

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Mafoo

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Mafoo
So, I currently live in the states, and in the next two years, I plan to move to New Zealand (Wellington area).

I want to buy a plane, but if I do so, I would most likely have to sell it when I move.

However, if I wanted to take time in the transition (a month or so), and fly the plane there, assuming I had as much time as I wanted to take, what path makes the most sense?

Let's assume the plane has a 1000nm range, and is single engine (if that matters).

Would it be a crazy think to even think about doing?

I could see it as an amazing opportunity for my wife and I to see parts of the world we might not otherwise visit.
 
You may find it more feasible to hire an experienced ferry pilot or even have the airplane shipped over.
 
its probably easier and cheaper to put the airplane in a shipping container along with everything associated with it along with some non-essential personal possessions and ship it -

other than that - its the Bay Area to Hilo. Hilo to American Samoa - to Wellington. Its not that far - the longest leg is to Hilo from the West Coast - about 2150nm - then its 1750nm to Samoa and then another 2000nm more or less to Wellington.

Those are long legs - depending on the airplane you will need 300 gallons or so of Avgas per leg-

If I were doing it in a Comanche I'd need 300 gallons - I have 86 useable so now I need another 214 gallons probably in one large or two smaller tanks in the cabin - fuel weight is 1800# = Airplane is 2000 - I'm 200 with a small bag and survival equipment. So I'm 800# or 25% over gross - so I'm legal for a ferry permit.

Assuming a 20kt headwind its a 15 hour flight from MRY or SMX to ITO.

I'd want to spend aday or two recovering then its another 12 hour day to Samoa - both legs over open ocean. Somewhere in there you are going to cross the ITCZ with monster thunderstorms stretching for thousands of miles. There is no satellite weather over those areas what is easily obtainable - you're essentially either at 12000 trying to stay above and around the 50,000' monsters or you are at 1500 underneath avoiding the rain shafts - this will last for 2-3 hours.

Once you get to Samoa you will likely then get really nice tropical weather until you near the northern island of New Zealand - it will be about 45-50 hours of flying over open ocean - most of it warm 0- but without a raft and sufficient survival and rescue equipment you die if the big fan stops.

Cost for avgas in places like Hilo is $8 a gallon, in Samoa you'll prob pay $10-12 - - total cost for fuel and handling and hotels and food is likely to be close to $8000.

Yes - its a grand [but very boring] adventure because there is no scenery except ocean and clouds. I think it would cost less to ship the aircraft . . .
 
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Yea, I realize shipping it is cheaper and easier (or just waiting a year or so and buying a plane over there).

However the adventure seems like one worth doing :)

Single engine, and large expanses of water scare me however.
 
Anything is possible, I've got a pair of "my" Navajos in Sipan. They got there with the help of ferry tanks. I'm sure you could do the same with you hypothetical plane if you choose.
 
There are not that many fields with AVGAS in New Zealand so even over there you still would need long range capability. Specially if flying to Australia (1000nm). My choice would be a Mooney 201 M20J with long range tanks (1,800nm) or a Mooney Ovation M20R with long range tanks (2,000nm). At 12,000 I can get 150kts at 8gph on my M20J. With 100gals tanks that yield 1,875nm. You will still need a back seat 50 gal tank to make it to Hawaii and HF radio. Keep in mind that many of the small islands in the Pacific has no AVGAS. A light twin will give you less range capability and twice the probability of an engine failure. And with all that fuel (300gals) weight on board it would be unable to sustain flight on one engine.

José
 
My vote goes to the crate.
 
Shorter legs, and perhaps more scenic than open water over the Pacific, by going via North Atlantic, Europe, Turkey, Saudi Arabia or UAE, India, etc.
Probably the trip of a lifetime.
 
Mafoo said:
Yea, I realize shipping it is cheaper and easier (or just waiting a year or so and buying a plane over there).

However the adventure seems like one worth doing :)

Single engine, and large expanses of water scare me however.
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Before you asked the question of how to fly to NZ, would not your fear be the first thing you would need to address? Have you looked at world map to see where you are going? :dunno:

Why not just rent a plane when you get there? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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Jim Logajan said:
Shorter legs, and perhaps more scenic than open water over the Pacific, by going via North Atlantic, Europe, Turkey, Saudi Arabia or UAE, India, etc.
Probably the trip of a lifetime.
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I like this idea a whole lot more than open ocean. It would be an awesome journey.
 
Across the Pacific you will get to see a lot of water.
Across the top of the Pacific is (or was, not sure of political situation now) doable.
As would be going the long way round - I'd suggest professional flight planning services to organise the approvals and advise on bribes etc along the way.

My info is not first hand. I know people who have flown Australia-UK or UK-Australia - some without incident, one shot at by a Mig (many years ago so I guess different shooters these days).

One of my friends departed Arizona in a Pitts S-2B on the way to Australia the long way round. Was stopped from flying over the Atlantic so shipped the aeroplane to Ireland. He then flew it to Europe and headed off down to Australia. A week in jail following an unplanned landing at one airfield somewhere in the Middle East caused him to rethink his plans. Back to Germany then shipped it to Darwin. Still a long flight to the other corner of Australia.

I don't know Cliff personally but relevant as he is an NZer who flew a little aeroplane around the world:
http://www.soloflights.org/tait_text_e.html
 
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I read some stories provided in the first link. That would be the coolest trip ever. Seriously. You would have ultimate one-up privileges on anybody for any travel story. Except for astronauts.
 
I see you needing, including a safety margin, 2300 nautical miles of range based on this route if you wanted to minimize your over water legs:

KSFO - PHTO 2013NM San Francisco - Hilo

PHTO - PLCH 1067NM Hilo - Kiribati

PLCH - NSFA 1286NM Kiribati - American Samoa

NSFA - GEA 1327NM American Samoa - New Caledonia

GEA - AKL 983NM New Caledonia - Auckland

Risky but doable. The BIG if is weather. And you would need to pre-position 100LL in Kiribati as I don't recall ever seeing any GA planes there.
 
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Something that may help justify (or not) the idea of purchasing here, rather than there:

Is there any difference in aircraft purchase prices (including tax, etc) between the US and NZ? Would there be any kind of import tax involved in bringing a plane from the US?
 
Rigged4Flight said:
Something that may help justify (or not) the idea of purchasing here, rather than there:

Is there any difference in aircraft purchase prices (including tax, etc) between the US and NZ? Would there be any kind of import tax involved in bringing a plane from the US?
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I checked last night. the cost of aircraft is actually better in NZ, if you take into account the 80% value of the dollar. However there is obviously less selection.

I checked before on cars, and if they are treated the same, as long as you have owned for 6 months, you are fine.

However, the big deal is I am not sure if I have a loan on the plane, that my lender will be all that happy with it being on the other side of the world. Makes repossessing it if they need to a little difficult.

While it seems like an amazing thing to do, logistics seem to be quite high, especially considering in that same span of time I will be moving from one country to the next, finding a home to live in, and getting settled into a new job.

It's going to be crazy as it is.

One nice thing I hear about NZ, is you get a lot of vacation time over there, and they encourage you to take it all at once. I would have plenty of time to take a flying adventure, when I would have more time to dedicate to the details.

I went there for a few weeks last year, and just drove the north island looking for a place I could call home. Roumati Beach took the victory. :)
 
Mafoo said:
One nice thing I hear about NZ, is you get a lot of vacation time over there, and they encourage you to take it all at once. I would have plenty of time to take a flying adventure, when I would have more time to dedicate to the details.

I went there for a few weeks last year, and just drove the north island looking for a place I could call home. Roumati Beach took the victory. :)
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Except for the occasional Ring Wraith, Middle Earth does look like a nice place all on its own to fly, as evidenced by the scenery in this soaring video:

 
I just picked up a book On Silver Wings, I thought, but can't find it on Amazon. Texted my wife to look at it and tell me title/author. A woman who flew a Moony around the world wrote it about her adventure.
 
hopmedic said:
I was close - Upon Silver Wings. I didn't know she had 3 books.

Upon Silver Wings: Global Adventure in a Small Plane by CarolAnn Garratt (Jun 22, 2004)

Upon Silver Wings II: World-Record Adventure by CarolAnn Garratt (Feb 10, 2009)

Upon Silver Wings 3: People and Places Around the World by CarolAnn Garratt (Jun 1, 2012)
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Yeah, I spent time talking with her at a party last Saturday. We've both stayed at www.flyinn.co.nz, who was hosting the party at OSH. IIRC, she said that the longest leg coming back from NZ was the HI to CA leg, at, IIRC, 10+ hours. (Maybe 15?) Remember, she was headed east. Heading over to NZ, you'll be headed west. In the north Pacific, the predominant winds are still from the west, so you'll likely be bucking a headwind.
 
Just remember that the shorter legs to places like New Caledonia and Kiribati don't really reduce the risk at all - and probably increase it because a nicely running engine is probably not going to stop running unless it suffers some catastrophic issue - they make is shorter from a pilot comfort perspective but its pretty ez to live on a low residue diet for a week and install a urine overflow vent . . . plus you would need to pre-position 100LL there - and if for some reason it gets 'borrowed' by someone wanting to run a generator or a vehicle for that matter - you are well and truly screwed.

The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated islands on the entire planet in terms of distance from the next closest major inhabited location. Except possibly for those islands in the roaring 40's and 50's in the South Pacific Ocean but I still they are closer to Australia and South America than Hawaii is to North America.
 
gprellwitz said:
Yeah, I spent time talking with her at a party last Saturday. We've both stayed at www.flyinn.co.nz, who was hosting the party at OSH. IIRC, she said that the longest leg coming back from NZ was the HI to CA leg, at, IIRC, 10+ hours. (Maybe 15?) Remember, she was headed east. Heading over to NZ, you'll be headed west. In the north Pacific, the predominant winds are still from the west, so you'll likely be bucking a headwind.
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Kewl. I've only read the first chapter or two I think. Just to the point where she lands in CA coming from FL. At our chapter breakfast last month, they had put out a bunch of books on a table and said take what you want. I grabbed this autographed copy. :)
 
hopmedic said:
Kewl. I've only read the first chapter or two I think. Just to the point where she lands in CA coming from FL. At our chapter breakfast last month, they had put out a bunch of books on a table and said take what you want. I grabbed this autographed copy. :)
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Great! This was actually the second time I'd had a chance to chat with her. The first was at a Ninety-Nines meeting in OH. When we started chatting, I had no idea she was the featured speaker! She's an accomplished person!
 
Mafoo said:
So, I currently live in the states, and in the next two years, I plan to move to New Zealand (Wellington area).

I want to buy a plane, but if I do so, I would most likely have to sell it when I move.

However, if I wanted to take time in the transition (a month or so), and fly the plane there, assuming I had as much time as I wanted to take, what path makes the most sense?

Let's assume the plane has a 1000nm range, and is single engine (if that matters).

Would it be a crazy think to even think about doing?

I could see it as an amazing opportunity for my wife and I to see parts of the world we might not otherwise visit.
Click to expand...

Two ways to do it, containerized it or fly it. You can do it without ferry tanks in many HP singles by going East, and with ferry tanks by going west. The longest leg if you take the Trans Pacific routing is 2150nm CA to Hawaii. You can go the Bering Sea route but getting AvGas down the Pacific coast of Asia to Korea has been historically expensive as you need to have it trucked there ahead of time (and hope it's there when you are). This may be changing some in China though with their increased interest in GA.
 
Henning said:
Two ways to do it, containerized it or fly it. You can do it without ferry tanks in many HP singles by going East, and with ferry tanks by going west. The longest leg if you take the Trans Pacific routing is 2150nm CA to Hawaii. You can go the Bering Sea route but getting AvGas down the Pacific coast of Asia to Korea has been historically expensive as you need to have it trucked there ahead of time (and hope it's there when you are). This may be changing some in China though with their increased interest in GA.
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There are companies that will set up the entire trip for you including making sure fuel is available at designated stops along the way. They also take care of the customs paperwork, translation issues, clearances, ect,
 
Geico266 said:
There are companies that will set up the entire trip for you including making sure fuel is available at designated stops along the way. They also take care of the customs paperwork, translation issues, clearances, ect,
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Typically these services run by good people are worth way more than what you pay for them.
 
Geico266 said:
There are companies that will set up the entire trip for you including making sure fuel is available at designated stops along the way. They also take care of the customs paperwork, translation issues, clearances, ect,
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Do you have a recommendation for one of these services?
 
FWIW it looks like 2000gal of fuel to get a 182 around the world in 151 hours according to foreflight...
 
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