TransAtlantic with a prop airplane?

Question

I know it may seem extreme, but my dad used to paint planes for a company that would deliver airplanes like a C-172 overseas to Europe and Africa. I'm wondering if there are still people or companies who do these overseas flights in a small prop plan? Have any of you ever thought of doing it one day... replicate Lindbergh's first flight? Just curious.

Please no angry comments.

Answer 1

Those are called ferry flights and are among the more dangerous ways to build time in the aviation world.

Basically, the aircraft is stripped of most of its interior and a giant rubber bag (called a fuel bladder) is put in instead.  It can be filled with fuel and the range of the aircraft extended dramatically.

Everything that was removed is then just FedExed over to its destination (seats, floor mats, armrests, etc) and a very stripped down version of the original airplane is flown.

Pilots basically just bid for these flights on websites.  There are companies that match up ferry pilots and people who need an aircraft delivered as well.  

This is dangerous, but not extremely so.  Generally three or four people will tend to make the treks together so that in case of of them goes down or has trouble, there is someone there to act as a spotter to direct rescue personnel to the site of the crash.  Of course everyone carries full survival gear in their aircraft so they can last a few days if they go down in the middle of the ocean.

Answer 2

Erik Lindbergh replicated his grandfather's flight on it's 75th anniversary in 2002.  He flew a Columbia 300 from San Francisco to St. Louis, to New York, then a solo transatlantic flight to Paris.

Answer 3

Yeah, aircraft are still delivered this way. Those guys have a good salary. These flights aren't the most safe flights you can do with a single engine airplane. I wouldn't want to do it ;-)