Meet the Ferry Pilot! $486,000 C-172 to Hawaii!
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2022
- A phone interview with ferry pilot Tom Lopes answeres many of your questions about this amazing 18 hour ferry flight!
"I believe he said he had to go to the bathroom..."
LINKS:
Flightaware: flightaware.com/live/flight/N...
George's Aviation: www.georgesaviation.com/
$486,000 2020 C-172: • Brand New 2021 Cessna ...
PATREON: www.patreon.com/user?u=529500...
Learning The Finer Points: www.learnthefinerpoints.c
om/
Flying Eyes: flyingeyesoptics.com/
Theme: "Weightless" www.arambedrosian.com 
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PLEASE WATCH ENTIRE VIDEO BEFORE COMMENTING BELOW!
If you pay attention-your questions will be answered.
The flight departs Merced because that is where Tom's company is based. The difference on a 2500mile flight is nominal.
No time for sleep then?!
I couldn't recall that aspect of the flight mentioned?
I believe the shortest distance between Hawaii (not sure what Island) to the United States is somewhere 10-20 miles North or South of San Francisco. From Merced, add an additional 50 miles?
No reason to be nasty about it. Relax Juan. No need to get worked up over a dang question!
@@julesviolin Leave at 8pm. Turn on auto pilot, wake up every few hours to look things over, back to sleep, awake at 8am, look things over and land at 6pm ready for a Luau.
Nice video Juan. Just a suggestion that you were talking to the wrong side of the mic. The heart shape pattern should face towards you for optimum pick up. Anyway, I really enjoy the content of this channel, keep up the good work👍
Wow. 18 hours of demanding work, with no breaks, in cramped space, and the scenery never changes. This guy is one helluva pilot.
I cant even stare at a screen for that long....
Sounds like me in my cubical.
Pooping would be a problem.
That was the first word out of my mouth.......WOW.
@@philiphorner31 Pooping is the easy part. It's what comes next that will test your endurance.
I would regularly fly the 17-18 hours non-stop Dubai to Auckland as a pilot of the A380. 4 crew. Autopilot. Plenty fuel. Lots of electronics. Proper breaks. First class food. Huge respect for his achievement. Amazing.
Hopefully this guy made way more money per 18 hour trip than the 4 person crew combined.
I don't know if you'd still be here today if you regularly flew Dubai to Auckland in a 172. That's pushing the boundaries.
Just when I had come to the conclusion that aviation has been totally replaced by button pushing, accounting, and disgruntled passengers, Juan finds a present day example of heroic flight across open ocean. Thank you.
Using an autopilot where software and monitoring systems do 95% of the work?
A 5 hour stint in the SUV without getting out is long enough for me at 55. 18 hours cramped up in a cockpit is nuts. Hats off to Tom!
LOL. Tom wasn't wearing just any old shirt but a "flyfishing" shirt!
Your enthusiasm and passion for flying really shows in this video Juan.
THAT'S why I LOVE this channel!
He has my greatest respect, 18 hours, and I think that 6 hours non stop in a car is quite a long trip!
Longest I ever did was 24 hours, Chicago to Salt Lake City in a '91 Miata; but at least I was able to stretch my legs during fuel stops. Kudos to this gentleman 👍
6 hours non stop is a long trip. My Cherokee 180😮 can easily outlast my Bladder
@@wlbrobinson I don't know how - yesterday I was at a steam fair, and my bladder was still fine after 10 hours. I must be slightly dehydrated all the day, to do that at 67 years.
that's incredible being an old 172 flyer I applaud him. I've had a few cross the content flights in the last 30 years but 3 hours is my normal max I couldn't imagine 18 hours.
That kind of parallels Harley riders Iron Butt Rides with fewer gas stations. LOL
@@LuvBorderCollies Don't have to be Harley riders! I read of one guy who did it on a Kawasaki Ninja 250 (old style).
@@awuma I had a 1978 Honda 750F Super Sport and about 100 miles was the sore rear point. It had a flat seat not designed for long distance riding. Other than that it was well balanced fun bike and handled like a 350cc. Its the only motorcycleI never wrecked.
During Desert Shield, F-16s from Hill flew from Shaw to Al Minhad in the UAE without stopping. If I remember correctly, it was a 15 hour flight with, I think, 5 air refuelings. If you want to talk about awful, I think that sums it up!
that was fun my dad and friend flew a piper 210 round the world and it was an adventure, included crimped tank vent causing fuel to piddle round the cockpit and pilots side window blowing out and hitting the horizontal stabilizer making a stop at Truck island necessary. finally ending up back at Skymanor airport in New Jersey. Dad always wanted to go round the world as he had gone half way during ww2 as a ferry pilot from Ireland to Cairo. So Hats off to Tom life can get sketchy up there. nice job
Im glad your dad was able to make his dream come true!!!
That would have been a fine story to hear. I'd recommend the book, "Into the Wind: The Story of Max Conrad" by Sally Buegeleisen. Conrad was another long-distance Piper man. Several times I had to put the book down and look up records of Conrad's flights to be sure I was still reading nonfiction.
@@joelamb3581 He was called Lucky Max because of a French plane delivery he was talked into that put him on a north route to USA that arched over the ice flows when it turned out to be a beautiful day and he decided to divert to a glacier he had never seen but heard of. So over the glacier - his windshield became covered with oil. He set her down and looked out to sea and there was a cargo ship turning his way. Got on board and the capt said he only takes this rout once a month and has never seen the glacier due to the horrible weather. so ya lucky
@@williamoorejr Wow! Thx for that share
Super cool but respectfully, there is no such plane, you must mean a Cessna 210. Incredible job by your father, not many have made that trek in a single engine plane.
A testimony to Tom's long experience and fortitude, and also to the build quality of that aircraft. That engine ran continuously for
18 hours, much of it at full power, with no issues. I hope Tom had a chance to chat with airliners flying above him. I like to think they kept a protective eye on him. Bravo Tom!
Piece of cake for a huge, slow turning engine like that.
@@mrbmp09 Displacement, max RPM's? horsepower? How does the torque-curve figure into propellers? You can feel it on wheels.
I don't care what anyone says those ferry pilots are a rare breed.
That's not only a ferry flight delivery service, but also quite a thorough run-in for the aircraft!!
My husband has well over 130 ferry flights all over the world with nothing more than a compass and a cabin full of fuel. The book Air Vagabond: Oceans, Airmen, and a Quest for Adventure by Anthony J. Vallone details aircraft deliveries in the 70s and 80s.
Another book I love is "Shark Bait: The Misadventures of an Oceanic Ferry Pilot" by an old Ozark Airlines dispatcher...
@@ds2112 and hope lee OK, two more books to add to my list.
Hope Lee . Thx for sharing. My hats off to your husband big time. I did only one daylight (VFR no radio) till dark ferry in a PW-450hp A model AgCat using a "wobble hand pump". Interesting story and kinda foolish but it was fun.
All the best!
Incredible, ferry flying is really some of the coolest flying in my opinion. Got to find that book now too...
I was out in Honolulu last October and actually rented their SR20 for fun. They had a very active operation there. I also really enjoyed the CFI who came along with me (Ian Choe). I never asked how they got that plane across (at the time, the Cirrus was their newest to the fleet). Now I know!
My friend flew one of their Cirruses as well when visiting Hawaii. I saw a video a year or two ago of a ferry pilot flying a Cirrus to Hawaii who had to activate CAPs due to an engine e failure. He parachuted down near a ship, so they had good video of it. The Cirrus at least allows the pilot to fly at a much higher altitude and TAS. I also think its range is close to 800-1000 miles with its own tanks, so the fuel system mods aren’t as intense. Still, respect to anyone who flies a single piston over that much water. I’d do it on a boat, but not a single piston.
Juan, your enthusiasm for taking on this type of challenge is only barely concealed throughout the video. The level of joy evident in relating Tom George’s feat is all over your voice and face. I smiled the entire length of the video.
A friend of mine did a ferry flight in a 172/180 hp from L.A. to Hilo on the big island. At that time he was a California highway patrol officer in charge of the northern division aviation unit. He currently flies the OV-10 Bronco for Cal -Fire.
Something else that’s worth pointing out in regards to his takeoff weight and fuel consumption during those first few hours.. not only is a relatively lighter aircraft carrying much more fuel for a long trip like that, but it also has to carry the massive balls this man has across the Pacific Ocean. All jokes aside, I’m fascinated that there are pilots out there that are willing to make a trip like this regardless of the compensation. Awesome story
People have been doing this for 50+ years, just not commonly known by most people...
okay, this is just beyond amazing.... The mental and physical drain it takes to do this is just unimaginable! Tom is a MACHINE!!!
Also the mental drain, it seems like tom couldnt sleep during it, juan said he barely had time for a sandwich, i cant imagine not falling asleep with the drone of the engine and nothing around except sky and water, thats a unique form of torture
exactly! Just imagine flying a Cessna on microsoft flight simulator for 18 hours sitting in a lay-z-boy with a couple of potty breaks knowing it would be punishing, then think about what this Man actually accomplished!
Thanks Juan, I remember when I was a youngster in the early 70's I had an uncle that ferried new Beechcraft prop aircraft from the factory at Wichita Kansas to the NAC Beech distributor in Johannesburg South Africa. I would be enthralled listening to his recount of his multi-leg flight, refueling at Gander Newfoundland, the flight over the Atlantic to the UK, over Europe and down the West coast of Africa. He basically only had ferry tanks. No GPS back in the day. His experiences with all the Third World countries bureaucracy, regulations and corruption was an adventure of it's own. We lived approximately 15 km from the airport and would notice on occasion a light twin would circle our suburb, wag the wing's and disappear towards the airport. Later my uncle would contact my parents to let us know he was back. Fond memories. Thank you for your channel.
Omg Juan! This is some of the best content ever! This is all stuff the non ferry pilot doesn’t have to think about to this degree during a “normal” flight. My longest ferry flight was from the Beechcraft factory in Kansas to the West Coast, and that was enough for me. My hats off to George (Tom) for performing this mission successfully. Wow! There’s no way in hell I would put my can in this can for 18 hours and suffer all the discomforts of this whole nightmare. Thank you Juan for the continuing education 👍
I thought this guy's name was Tom. Am I mistaken? Juan called him George a couple of times during the video, and now you call him George. Or are both proper?
@@jimmclaughlin9362 No the guy’s name is Tom, but Juan called him George then edited the video by flashing TOM on the screen. So I was sort of teasing Juan by calling the guy George and then TOM in parentheses.
ATC here, I asked an AAL 777 flight LA - London if Blancolirio was aboard. Was met with confusion by the pilots. Then a bunch of other pilots chimed in they watch your stuff too. Cool moment.
Haa!
I keep trying to get the LA Flights channel and Juan to link up for a meetup. A great live channel for LA flight spotting and a great 777 pilot who would be a great random guest. I bet in the last year we have seen Juan co-piloting from LAX live a time or two.
Living in New Zealand at the bottom of the South Pacific, ferry flying of aircraft in this fashion is very common. Agricultural aircraft (such as Air Tractor) are frequently flown from Australia and the agricultural hopper is converted into a ferry ‘tank’ to provide the additional 400-500 gallons of fuel required.
Quick question.... Why would you not just throw this aircraft on top of the next ship going between US mainland and Hawaii? Or Australia and NZ? For small Aircraft it just seems like a much cheaper and safer option. Confused.
@@fresatx it’s a good question. But remember that small airplanes are fairly delicate pieces of machinery, fitted with ailerons, elevators and other movable controls. These are constructed VERY lightly. Strapping an airplane like this onto a container ship would make it very susceptible to significant damage which would negate the advantage of having it shipped in this fashion. It is common to ship the aircraft in a container, but as stated in the video, breaking the aircraft down and reassembling it again can present different challenges. Here in New Zealand, we do receive a number of airplanes from the USA in containers. Making sure that they are packed carefully and securely is a challenge, again making sure they aren’t damaged. There are companies that specialise in this work.
@@adrianwilliams763 OK.. Makes sense now. Thank you.
@@fresatx you’re welcome.
@Phillip Banes Yeah, stay home and don't do anything dangerous... Wait for the doctor to tell you have a tumor. Good plan.
I just have such incredible respect for him.
As i plan l next wk’s flight to St. Louis I can’t help but be blown away - this is total belief in physics, weather info, and training, then going ALL IN to do a “Lindbergh.”
I did not know that people did such a thing. I followed the fight online that night and was very curious about how the whole thing happened, so I'm grateful for this helpful explainer. I loved how not only did Tom receive a lei but there was also one on the propeller. A proper welcome for such a feat!
Thank you Captain for highlighting our friend. So glad you connected with Tom.
I rented a 172 with George’s back in 2019! Exciting to see them get a brand new trainer.
Unbelievable content! I love the huge variety of videos that you make for us, I never know what I'm going to see next!
I always learn so much from this channel.
Thumbs up!
I follow a lot of aviation content on youtube, but this is something I would've only learnt from you. Thanks for all the great knowledge you share about general aviation in general, and general aviation safety in particular. This flight has it all: Unique procedures and equipment that require a certain set of skills, experience and expertise, and a flight plan that requires a lot of effort and planning to maintain a level of safety that is considered acceptable. Loved these videos about it.
Quite an outstanding feature. Kudos to your friend Juan.
Thanks for the effort on these ferry videos, an absolutely fascinating insight into something I never knew about before.
Fantastic explanation of something that I had not considered. Thank you Mr Browne!
Hats off for Tom. Thank you Juan, for posting.
It's always so refreshing to see such innovative techniques in general aviation!
Awesome video Juan!! Thanks for sharing!!
Nice engine break-in too, highly suspect this one will still be golden at TBO.
Well done... and I bet that first cold beer really hit the spot.
Amazing team of professionals!
Good memories, ist flying lesson at HNL. In line with a F14 in front and a 747 behind.
You know you’re born to fly, if you have an F-14 in front of you and a 747 behind you, on the flight line! 😆
Oof. I felt that walk to the hangar. Thanks Juan for another succinct and clear explanatory video.
One of my NASA co-workers did this after retirement. He left NASA as I came aboard. Last I remember was one of his adventures trying to ferry a plane to Australia. Tried two times but had to return to Hawaii. His family was old Hawaii so he really didn't need to do this.
Excellent Video, Thanks Brother Juan!
That's some kind of test of endurance. Thanks for the details and report.
Thanks Juan, that was great. Hope to see you next year at Oshkosh..
I don’t know how you do these incredibly interesting videos so quickly but wow excellent
I did a ferry flight Prince Rupert to Ketchikan in a PA-22 I swore I'd never do Single Engine overwater again. Next time was as a copilot in a DC-7 much better 😁
Had a pa 22 150 late 70s forgiving airplane but not over water or the Rocky Mountains, count the engine beats at night believe me.
Great content. So glad to be here.
Thank you for posting this great interesting informative background storyline about this subject .
What a man, Tom, fortitude, planning and supporting crew...reminds of a song..."Don't pay the ferryman till he gets you to the other side"...excellent job.
Great info as always Juan.
Thanks for the posting this. For us nonpilots that watch your channel, it was very interesting on how this is done.
Thanks again for another fine video. Enjoyed watching and listening to every word you said as I sat and enjoyed my dinner on the front porch
Trying to come up with a different phrase to "..taking off so to speak" haha you're the best.
Sounds like he has a great support system and experience to help him through. Still that takes a lot of time, planning, prep and “Right Stuff” to pull it off. Impressive is an understatement….
Wow amazing solo ferry flight! Respect to that pilot!
Reminiscent of the pioneering days of aviation. Great stuff.
Thank You Juan for an excellent report. Seems like a dangerous job, the long range ferry pilot. Tom has a whole team to assist him though.
I am positive the aircraft arrived it much better condition than disassembly , shipping and reassembling.
Amazing! Thanks Juan!
Now this was a super interesting video. Thanks Juan and a salute to Mr. Tom Lopes. I can't even imagine.
WOW!!!!!! I can only imagine compared to your crew breaks. I would worry about circulation issues to the lower extremities. Any chance he recorded the adventure? Good Job Juan, thanks for sharing that with us.
Juan - what a wonderful detailed explanation of how much it really takes to make this kind of flight. Thank you so much. Once again, I learn so much from your expertise.
Side note: Some of the comments below - Damn / sad.....
What a great video. Awesome guys, great info!
I love this style of video! Very interesting!
Great story. I would love to be able to see a documentary video of any of his trips. Thank you Juan.
Thank you. Brilliant report, scares me just watching. Thank you.
Thanks Juan always enjoy your program.
JUAN, THANKS for this special report, the fact that TOM,has been doing this for years certainly helps, lots of over land,ferries do not make, but so many hours confined, is one HELL,OF A FEAT,TAKING. NOTHING TO CHANCE, , WOW, ,,THANKS TOM,FOR THIS ADVENTURE,, God Bless you ALL,🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks much for your excellent briefing! Very interesting. 👍
Fascinating. Thanks JB!
Great explanation of how the ferry flight works for long range operations....Neat!
Very interesting job. Thanks JB.
Soloed in a 172, many years ago.....NOT interested in flying one to Hawaii!!
Props to Tom -- he's a monster!!
He doesn't look that bad. I look like that in the mornings when i get out of bed. 🤣
What an incredible flight and a job well done. 👏
Great report, Juan and thank you. Tom is one stellar breed of cat to continue to ferry aircraft over those long and physically demanding stretches of lonely water. His professionalism in planning, procedures and follow through pays off. That's something all aviators should remember. In a previous post, I mentioned I did a similar flight in '59. But I was 19, flying a faster low wing airplane (but didn't get much higher) and hungry for flight time. Tom, I am in awe of your accomplishment. Fair winds.
Fabulous story! Thank you
You can hear the west coast departure flights to Hawaii on HF radio at 11.282 MHz. The secondary frequency is 5.547 MHz. There is not constant chatter but rather you only hear flights as they check in with position reports or ground stations as they need to contact the flight from time to time. It is not busy like the local ATC VHF channels.
awesome video juan, and thanks to the commenter who made the introduction.
No matter how experienced, that was a seriously brave thing to attempt.
I used to fly George’s 172s when I was stationed at Hickam. Good times.
That’s super badass nice work Tom
It's crazy to believe! I was at Merced when the 172 was there. I thought it was crazy when I saw the interior filled with those fuel tanks!
Sitting in a car for 6 hours, with rest stops, is hard enough. Cannot imagine 18 hours. Gives appreciation to Limbe's flight.
great vid juan
Your describing all of the preparation and skills needed to make a flight of this duration event makes Lindbergh's flight even more amazing!
That's what I was thinking. Lindbergh had to get to a continent. Tom had to hit a dot.
@@othergaryLindbergh had a compass. Tom has GPS :)
Love the c172 window for dropping out a full travel John.
Great review.
Most of my uncompensated ferry flights were at 15,000 or higher with O2 some w/o.
In the many ferry flights I got my hotel & food and the one way ride to Wichita. It was great experience but no compensation! From 152s to turbo 210 I loved it all!!
Why uncompensated? Just trying to build hours?
Reminds me of Max Conrad who flew different Piper aircraft on long distance flights setting records. Met him when I first started flying lessons in 1966.
Incredible! What a feat of endurance!
WOW .... what a machine the 172. Kudos to the pilot, talk about a flying adventure.
Great job, can you talk about the next step, getting everything out, and reconfiguring the 172 to its actual use going forward?
Great report, thank you Juan, TOM ;-) and George. I sit in my recliner mindlessly watching something for more than an hour, and have to re-calibrate my back, hips, feet and brain for a stagger down the hall! 18 hours! When I was a 21 year old, I could work 2 or 3 consecutive days with 2~3 hours unconscious per day. About the 4th day my brain simply began shutting off.
I too, can remember those younger days. Now it takes days not hours to recover!🤦♂️
I'm flat worn out after 12-15 hours of driving let alone 18 hours in an airplane not being able to stop and stretch your legs. An impressive endeavor.
I hate even a 4 hour drive cramped in a car! I can't imagine an 18 hour flight!
I agree. I can still do the long mileage but at 71 YO my vehicle exit is a WHOLE lot slower (and sometimes a bit painful)🙄
@@bigjeff1291 I'm almost 50, and I'm already feeling it😂. When I was younger, I could just hop out of the vehicle no matter how long the trip was.
,A 3 hour drive is enough for me.....😮
Very good reporting of a very rare plane delivery . I never heard of this massive effort to get planes to a out of range customer . I quess from an armchair viewer , where there is a will and a way most things can be do. Transporting a plane by as mentioned , ship, appears to be THE MOST WAY , but circumstance do prevale. Great education of plane delivery's off shore !
My hat is off to him! I did two of these across the N. Atlantic back before GPS was a thing. My flights were not near a strenuous!
Nice that you mentioned waiting 3 weeks for the winds to be correct. I'd really like to know what the weather set up was for this to happen.
Amazing job ! I have watched a you tube channel of a similar nature, with a pilot named Guido Warnicke. He does many ferry flights from UK to Canada and USA. Some were single engine also but the landing points are much closer on that route. Thanks for sharing this interesting story.
Guido ferries all over. Africa, Asia, US, Canada, Europe, Australia, you name it.
Love his flights! Great guy!
I would love to see a video of this type on N6ZQ. The Lancair that did Guam to Jacksonville nonstop! We watched the whole flight for two days!
Buddy of mine flew a rental plane from George a few years back when I was stationed at Hickam. He flew my mom around the island while he was building hours for the airline
Nice report, Juan! I read a book called Air Vagabonds (by Anthony Vallone) on the ferry pilot gig, crazy stuff, and very interesting!
check out Max Conrads adventure one of the pioneer s of the ferry service
Taking off ! That's a good one Juan