Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

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daviojk
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Aircraft Type: DA40
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Airports: CAMDEN, NSW, AUSTRALIA

Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by daviojk »

Hope people find this interesting, something I did in April last year. Pretty sure it was the first DA40 to do it. Photos are on the 'my album tab' on
http://www.diamondaviation.com.au

yes, I am that bonkers...... :-D


"N604US cleared to DOVERR, RUDEE, N40.00 W157.30, WOSLU to Christmas Island…Good luck" With clearance from Honolulu, a heavy N604US, lined up on 4R at 7am on 17th April. After nearly 5 months, I was finally going to fly my aircraft to across the Pacific to Australia!

After converting my FAA PPL to its Australian equivalent, I was keen to explore Australia from 3,500 feet. Despite the famous saying, "to earn a small fortune start with a big one & then buy a plane", I wanted to do the touring in my own aircraft. The majority of local aircraft for sale were older than me, and probably designed before my Dad was born, so my search lead me to something newer in the US. Having learnt to fly in a DA40 at Long Beach in California, they were the first people I turned to for advice. As I eventually wanted to get my instrument rating, we quickly discarded the DA20, and focused our search on a IFR rated DA40. Thanks to the strong Aussie FX rate, my budget (just) stretched to a low hour 06 - 07 model, ideally with the coveted GFC700 a/p. The entrepreneurial Seosamh from Angel City Flyers took up the quest to find me an aircraft. After a few false starts, he located an excellent example from Premier Air Sales in Florida. It ticked all the boxes; low hours, GFC700, LR tanks, and the missus even liked the stripes ("it’s cute"). Perfect.

So in Nov 2009, despite living in Sydney Australia, I was now the owner of an aircraft in Fort Lauderdale, East Coast USA. Hmmmm….Pretty sure I talked Seosamh into talking me into talking him into to flying it back across the Pacific :) I mean it happens all the time, how hard can it be. Oh, the optimism of the ignorant….However, we overcame every obstacle, and by mid December the aircraft was tanked up & ready to go. The first leg to Hawaii is the longest at 2,100nm, and even allowing for the new 195gal capacity, the winds need to be right before you attempt it….. So Mother Nature obliged and gave us a consistent 20- 30 knots headwind till April! :shock: But we kept the faith….

Day1 (13th April) - Santa Barbara (KSBA) to Hilo (PHTO) - 2,114nm - 18.5 hrs Tach Time
This was Seosamh's solo leg, and the longest flight of the ferry. Leaving at the crack of dawn, he spent almost 19hrs in the cockpit with only a 'Wilson' like smiley face drawn on the forward ferry tank for company. Problems with the HF radio meant all his position reports were sent by VHF via airliners overhead. I spent the day trying not to look at the flightaware website every 30 seconds, and panicking completely when it showed the aircraft pointing the wrong way, or disappearing entirely. It was a huge relief to hear his dulcet Irish tones when he phoned from Hilo. Poor chap sounded exhausted, but was more concerned with the puncture he picked up. I was ecstatic that he made it safely!

Day2 - 4 - Honolulu
After repairing the puncture, he flew to Honolulu to meet up with me & so we could put the other front seat back in. The weather looked abit suspect, but we should be ok, as it looked like we would miss the next weather front. We were a go for the next day. I am not sure I slept a wink the night before the next leg. I had the excitement of a 5yr on Christmas Eve, tinged with the dread of a student before their final exams.

Day 5 (T/O 17th April, landing 18th April!) - Honolulu Intl (PHNL) to Cassidy Int'l, Christmas Island, Kiribati (PLCH) - 1,155nm - 10.5hrs TT
After refueling, which meant I had to sit in front to ensure the plane didn’t tip on its tail, we were ready to go. No turning back now. Cleared for takeoff, full power, still not enough right rudder, and we slowly climbed into the Hawaiian sky. We had been going for an hour, when I realised in our eagerness to go I hadn’t checked the mags :shock: But everything was in the green, and was fun watching the fuel gauge increase at 8,000ft when we initiated the first fuel transfer. However, the problems with the HF radio continued, and most of our position reports were by sat phone. We had to dodge under two weather fronts which entailed flying at 1,000' in IMC, 500nm from any land. Nervously 'interesting' for me, just another day in the office for Seosamh. After 10hrs, and spotting a Cruise Ship (the only boat we saw on the entire trip), the coral atoll of Christmas Island meandered into view. I was a little nervous as their phone lines had been down for weeks, so no idea if they were expecting us. However, Oakland Oceanic had notified them, so we were delighted when the 'tower' (basically a shed with a radio) cleared us for landing (our alternate was Kona back in Hawaii, so would have been in trouble if they said no!). After filling up with green avgas (our favourite coloured avgas of the trip), clearing customs and chasing away inquisitive crabs, we retired to the only hotel on the island, to enjoy sashimi & meatballs (!). Over a few tins of liquid refreshment, we mused on our options if we got the puncture here. Not a bad place to get stranded in my opinion.

Day 6 (T/O 19th April, landing 18th April…again…!) - PLCH to Pago Pago, American Samoa (NSTU) - 1,258nm - 9.3hrs TT
After a stunning sunrise, we made our way back to air strip for my longest leg. The weather was benign, and the wind gods blessed us with a 10 -15kt tailwind. Flying downwind over the coral atoll was stunning, but within 10 minutes, it was back to the familiar view of ocean & fluffy clouds. Confusingly, we crossed the dateline again, but George, the autopilot, took it in his stride. With surprising speed, the islands of American Samoa were upon us and we got a fantastic view of the harbour before landing. Good to see green avgas is as reliable as its blue cousin. After waking up customs & immigration, we retired for more liquid refreshment. It is reassuring to see the place getting back on its feet post tsunami, although our hotel was full of medical staff.

Day 7 (T/O 19th April, landing 20th April) - NSTU to Nadi Int'l, Fiji (NFFN) - 714nm - 6.7hrs TT
After crossing the date line (again), it was a real treat to fly over the coral reefs and islands of Fiji. However, the circuit for Nadi Int'l was rather busy, with a 737 number 2 behind us. The runway for Nadi int'l is nearly 11,000' long, with the exit right at the end. So if you land within 1500 ft, you have a heck of long taxi to exit. Not surprisingly, the 737 behind us was a little concerned he would have to go-around. We made it, (just), and were directed to gate one. It felt like that the whole airport was interested in our 'little' aircraft, but the handing agents were brilliant & everything was sorted out quickly. I introduced Seosamh to an old friend of mine, Fiji Bitter and after a surprisingly good curry (probably a mistake in hindsight) we retired when our collection of bottles hit double figures….

Day 8 (21st April) - NFFN to La Tontouta, New Caledonia (NWWW) - 704nm - 6.6hrs TT
This was the shortest leg of the trip, and we were getting stir crazy by now. The flight was also abit fragrant after the previous nights vittles, but we had a few clouds to dodge to distract us. The HF radio was really useless today, so the Sat Phone really earned its corn. Customs here were very thorough, and were the only ones to look at ALL our paperwork, although I suspect more out of boredom than officialdom. But they were all friendly enough even if the lack of our French & their English meant communication was interesting. We had a very pleasant hop to the Domestic airport of Magenta to get some avgas (refreshingly cheap for a change). Though did feel abit strange being over land the whole time. The Magenta aero club had an ex student of Seosamh, so we had an excellent meal and saw the sights of Noumea, the Paris of the Pacific.

Day 9 (22nd April) - NWWW to Kempsey, NSW (YKMP) via Brisbane Int'l (YBBN) - 1,008nm - 9.2hrs TT
Another early start, as we needed to fly back to La Tontouta to clear Customs, before we could start the flight to Australia. After lavishing a quart of oil on N604US (in hindsight, it was amazing how little oil we needed), we were off. More ocean & clouds. Only 130nm to go, almost there….. How easy & problem free has this been, we were discussing….

Then the fuel pressure warning went off, and the engine stopped….then started….then stopped, then started surging…quick hands sorted out the problem (we had left the ferry fuel transfer lever slightly open), but it did wake us up (!) We laughed (nervously) afterwards, but there was an unspoken undercurrent of stress till we saw Moreton Island come into view. If we had gone in after getting so far, I would have tied the aircraft to the raft & paddled the rest of the way. A friendly controller got us into YBBN quickly and I entertained the tower & the waiting Qantas jets by impersonating a kangaroo and bouncing down the runway as I landed. Welcome to Australia, Seosamh! A 2hr hop to the FBO at Kempsey and we were home, safe & sound.

All in all, N604US covered 10,141nm from Fort Lauderdale to its new home in Australia. It flew through 15 time zones, crossed the International Date Line three times, the equator once & cleared customs six times. It was an unforgettable experience, and I was lucky enough to do it with a great friend and an excellent pilot. I learnt an enormous amount about flying, my DA40, weather, custom procedures (i.e. patience & $$$$!) and also increased my total time by 50% in the process.

Ironically, after a week of obsessing about fuel consumption & leaning, my car ran out of petrol the next day….

We both said never again, but he is now telling me I should be getting a Twinstar as they are still too cheap……
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markfnkl
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by markfnkl »

Hats off to you: what an adventure!

My dream is to do a long ferry flight along similar lines.

Could you say a bit about your ferry tanks, beginning with the 195 gallon arrangement for Seosamh's solo to Hilo?
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Kai
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by Kai »

Damn. What a trip! Really amazing! Thank you very much for sharing this adventure!
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Kai
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by Kai »

Those pictures are just great!

The stick is very close to the tanks... could you still move it freely?
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Rick
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by Rick »

Wow! What wonderful pictures, and what an adventure! Very jealous! Thanks for sharing your story with us, David.
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Graham
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by Graham »

Thanks for sharing! I get uncomfortable in a single engine over the middle of the great lakes!
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amaniu1
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by amaniu1 »

Fabulous adventure! My dream is US to Europe, maybe when I upgrade to DA42. Thank you for sharing! Adrian
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daviojk
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by daviojk »

Hi, the fwd ferry tank did look a bit close to the joystick, but abut of an illusion, as had full motion control, although when that overweight, you pull the stick back very slowly!!
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by Antoine »

Terrific trip David. Congratulations on this achievement and thanks for sharing the story and pics with us.
It is so nice to read about our little planes criss-crossing the world in a way that is waaay beyond their design criteria! Of course it is a bit crazy and dangerous, but what the heck!

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Tim
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Re: Jet Lag in a DA40 - Ferrying a DA40 from USA to Sydney

Post by Tim »

Great write up and pictures. Thanks for posting.

Good to see another iWeb user out there.
I use it for my flying adventures too (which are NOT in the class of yours!) here:
http://www.burlings.org/burlings.org/Fl ... _Blog.html

I would like to do a long trip like that, but as someone else said, maybe in a DA42.
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