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there are far fewer routes and airports accessible to civil- ian aircraft in Russia than there are in Western Europe. So, the planning required is highly variable depending largely on the countries we fly in.
“And, smaller aircraft with limited endurance requires a lot more planning than large, intercontinental-range aircraft, as the smaller aircraft have to stop more. Fur- thermore, sometimes smaller aircraft cannot make certain legs of the mission without auxiliary fuel tanks. In that case, we have to plan for the design and installation of these tanks prior to mission start as well as tank removal at the conclusion.”
Unsurprisingly, adaptation and flexibility are fundamen- tal traits in the aircraft ferrying business. Especially in the past year, COVID-19 had a sizable impact on business aviation and tested the flexibility of the company and its pilots. The number of Shepherd Aero’s aircraft movements in 2020 was about half of what it would have been during a “normal” year. Plus, each trip was about twice as much work as before due to the intense restrictions and border closures in place. The Shepherd Aero team is continually adapting to the ever-evolving patchwork of regulations that vary from country to country.
Typically, Shepherd Aero requests clients submit their ferry request at least 10 days prior to aircraft depar- ture – the company’s time preference for trip planning.
Occasionally, however, movement plans come to fruition with less advance notice.
“We also love the challenge when clients call us need- ing an airplane moved ASAP. We’ve been able to plan and dispatch flights within a 24-hour notice,” said Gallagher. “That said, we take the safety of our crew very seriously, and we will not jeopardize that at any price. We will delay missions to whatever extent necessary, even at the dis- appointment of our clients, to ensure the safety of crew and airplane.”
Ferry Piloting
Crew selection is an integral part of trip preparation. Shepherd Aero begins their pilot determination by analyz- ing the pilots’ experience in the operated region. Pilots are either company employees or chosen from an extensive database of contract personnel. From there, they select each crew based upon license level, flight hours and overall professionalism. Regardless of who is chosen, they must follow all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
There are no specific legal requirements to be a ferry pilot outside the standard pilot qualifications of type and class ratings. However, to be legally compensated for serving as a ferry pilot, one must hold at least an FAA or equivalent commercial pilot license.
One positive about the constantly changing COVID-19 regulations has been the continued adaptation of technical
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12 • TWIN & TURBINE / June 2021