AERIAL WORK 46

Helicopters - Along with fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters are notably popular attractions in the Air Tour sector. Helicopters provide the ‘low & slow’ capabilities that a fixedwing aircraft cannot provide. Plus, it’s probably the first time for someone to have the chance to fly in a helicopter. Additionally, helicopters can provide the unique means to take tourists to unique locations like the bottom of the Grand Canyon for a lovely afternoon picnic.

When it comes to the types of helicopters primarily used, most tour providers operate light-lift aircraft followed by medium-lift platforms with plenty of space and visibility for passengers. Here’s a shortlist of several Aerial Tour operators and the type of helicopters that will thrill you:

• Celebrity Helicopters, Los Angeles, USA — Airbus H125, Bell 206 Jet Ranger,

Bell 412 • Helicopter Tour Dubai, Dubai, UAE — Airbus H130, Augusta H109 • Volcano Heli, Iceland — Robinson R-44

Gyrocopter (Gyroplane, Autogyro) – Not used at the same level as fixed-wing and helicopters, gyrocopter flight tours can be found easily in all corners of the world. Gyrocopters provide a low-cost option for both tour providers and tourists. Even though gyrocopters don’t fly like helicopters, they are just as exciting and safe.

They also provide the thrill of flying ‘low & slow’ from an open cockpit or under a glass bubble canopy, which is still a great adventure. If you’re interested in such a flight, look at firms such as:

• IntoTheBlue, Manchester Gyrocopter Tours, UK — Open cockpit M.T.O. Sport or closed cockpit Magni M24 • Adventure Flights, Costa Rica — E.L.A. Eclipse E.V.O. • Airventures Alaska, USA — Cessna 185 Skywagon (Floats, Bush Wheels, & Skis) • Antarctica Flights (Captain’s Choice Pty. Ltd), Australia — Boeing 787 Dreamliner • Aerial Collective, Duxford, U.K. — Spitfire T.IX, Me-109, P-51D, Lysander,

Blenheim MK1

Gliders — Even though the glider or sailplane doesn’t have the flying capabilities of other powered aircraft (passenger capacity, etc.) gliders are still a popular tour with many tourists who want to ‘soar like a bird’ without all the noise. Like the powered aircraft Air Tour sector, many glider operators provide scenic and even aerobatic rides over cities, historical sites, and even geological locations like volcanoes.

Unlike the powered aircraft tour sector, travel agencies organise these excursions while freelance commercial glider pilots or soaring clubs provide the flight. Here’s a sample of some of the types of providers who’ll get you flying as soon as possible with a quick auto-tow or bungee-launch:

• Virgin Experience Gifts — The type of tour and glider is almost endless. It depends on what you want. Just don’t forget about the ‘Things to Think About Before You

Fly!’ section of this article. • Aero Club Adele Orsi Calcinate, Italy — Schempp Hirth Duo Discus, D-9828 • Honolulu Soaring, Hawaii, USA — ASK-21, S.G.S. 2-32

Lighter-than-Air (LTA) — Even before the Wright Brothers took their first flight, LTAs were already providing scenic tours by air. Today, balloon rides are still very popular and available worldwide and probably available in your area. But, like gliders, LTAs provide a simpler, quieter, and natural sense of floating effortlessly… plus, eating and drinking ‘Hors d’Oeuvres’ without turbulence.

So, if you like it slower, lower, and a bit more romantic, here are some unique balloon tour providers around the world for a taste:

• Hot Air Balloon Expeditions — Classic Style Passenger Riding Hot Air Balloons (Heavy-lift burners and enlarged baskets for up to 28-32 passengers) • Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei GmbH — ZLT Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH & Co.

KG, Zeppelin NT

Single Engine & Twin Engine Fixed-Wing Aircraft – Before helicopters came into their own, the use of fixed-wing aircraft dominated aerial sightseeing tours since the 1920s. To this day, fixed-wing aircraft allow for longer flight times and incur lower running operating costs regarding ROI (Return-on-Investment) when it comes to specific tours. Additionally, fixed-wing aircraft are best suited for long-distance remote adventures, high and quiet wildlife tours, and large groups touring or transporting. Based on this, you’ll see Aerial Tour providers focus on vast scenic locations or highdemand sightseeing locations with fixed-wing aircraft such as:

Unmanned Aircraft — Last but not least, the unmanned aircraft or ‘Drone’ aviation community, like other Aerial Work aviation sectors, are quickly entering the Aerial Tour sector with innovative ways to bring the same thrilling experience of seeing the world from the sky.

One example of this innovation is an Air Tour provider or ‘Aerial Immersion Sightseeing Tour Operator’ in Montreal, Canada providing real-time virtual scenic flights. They use drones flown by professional pilots on-the-spot around the city to show spectacular sights while narrating the history of specific iconic areas.

They do this by providing a steady stream of live imagery to the tourist through highresolution First-Person View (FPV) goggles. All the while, passengers are offered a 360-degree immersion experience while their feet are firmly planted on the ground, i.e., an excellent opportunity for elderly or less able-bodied tourists.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank You For Flying With ‘Air Tour’!”

It’s that time, as with any fun vacation or exciting adventure, all good things must come to an end, and sadly we must all go back to the ‘real world’.

As you can see, Aerial Tours is not one type of aircraft or one type of experience. Instead, this Aerial Work aviation sector consists of many different non-transport flying excursions ranging from charity sightseeing to fishing adventures, onboard many unique platforms. All of which comes together to provide people with a ‘thrill of a lifetime’ or, in some cases , a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’.

So, when your magic carpet comes to its final parking place on any Aerial Tour event, and you walk away astonished, happy, and emotionally affected by what you observed or experienced – that’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ by the Aerial Work — Aerial Tour sector.

HISTORIC EUROPE

AIRCRAFT VINTAGE • CLASSIC • WARBIRDS +44 208 255 4000 www.AvBuyer.com APRIL 2022

Sourcing, Buying and Relocating Vintage Aircraft

Having had the opportunity to write about some truly beautiful aircraft over the past six months, a question I’m often asked is: “When sold, how are these aircraft moved from one country to another?” Whether it’s a Chipmunk or a Spitfire, getting an aircraft moved around the planet is not an operation to take lightly. In the case of the airworthy examples, in particular, dismantling and packing the aircraft into a shipping container requires expert knowledge and a skilful engineering team.

Buying an aircraft (any aircraft) is, for the most part, a checklist exercise. As long as you’ve got a good checklist, and someone who knows what they’re doing to assist you, there’s no reason for it to be a challenging manoeuvre.

So, before I get into the logistics of a relocation, let’s first take a quick walk through the normal steps of purchasing an aircraft. These steps are actually true for any aircraft, not just warbirds, and should include due diligence, a contract, and taking clean title. Once it’s purchased, it can be packed and shipped to the new owner. Aircraft Found…What Next?

Let’s assume you’re in the UK and have found an aircraft overseas, maybe South Africa. It looks nice in the brochure, you have some pictures, but what happens next?!

First things first: is it as described? You should be able to acquire enough preliminary information about the aircraft, including the specification, it’s history and a good set of photographs, to decide if ‘in principle’ this is something you would like to proceed with (or not). If it is, then an early step I highly recommend is a PrePurchase Inspection (PPI).

A PPI will usually take a couple of days — one day to review the records and logbooks, and a second day (or longer if required) to evaluate the aircraft physically. What’s a PPI looking to achieve, I hear you ask? In the case of the logbooks and records, the inspector dons his detective cap and looks at how complete the records are. Is there traceability on life-limited parts? What’s the history of the aircraft? In the case of the physical inspection, this will include the need to remove some panels and inspect the aircraft from an airworthiness point of view. Attention will be drawn to looking for evidence of undisclosed accident damage. A further step will likely include carrying out an engine run or an air-test where notes are recorded about the performance and handling qualities of the aircraft (if flown) and such things as the temperatures and pressures (“T’s & P’s”) are recorded, and checking the aircraft systems, etc. It’s good practice to then carry out a post-flight ground run / inspection immediately after to look for oil leaks etc.

All in all, is the aircraft as described according to the info that’s been supplied? And is it indeed airworthy and fully operational? Essentially, this is an audit rather than an annual maintenance inspection, but the inspector should be able to gather enough information to be able to supply you with a detailed technical report which further includes an assessment of the cosmetic condition as well.

they’re taking their aircraft off-line for a couple of days and trusting whoever is coming to inspect it not to damage it.

Standard procedure is to first agree an Aircraft Purchase Agreement (APA). Then send a deposit, usually via escrow (what’s escrow? See further below) which is fully refundable against the results of the PPI, i.e. the buyer can ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ the aircraft. If rejected, the deposit is refunded. If accepted, the deposit becomes non-refundable and the balance is due payable into escrow. At this same time, the seller will send a signed but not dated Bill of Sale to escrow to hold pending completion (‘Closing’).

The APA will include any further pre-closing conditions applicable and, once completed, these steps will be confirmed to escrow as satisfied. At closing, the escrow agent will release the funds to the seller while simultaneously dating the Bill of Sale and releasing this to the buyer (thereby passing title). A good APA will outline all the steps nice and clearly so everyone can progress without ambiguity.

Using Escrow

What’s escrow? Many people won’t be familiar with using something called ‘escrow’. What is it? Escrow is a third party that independently holds funds for the buyer and holds title documents for the seller. The use of escrow resolves the chicken-and-egg scenario of closing the deal. That is to say, there’s no debate about who does what first – i.e., should the buyer release the funds and then take the keys, or take the keys and then pay. When the conditions of the APA have been met, they (escrow) simply swap hands at closing to release funds and title at the same time.

As you would expect, there are various escrow companies to choose from and the sales company should be able to offer some recommendations based on their previous experience. Typically, the escrow company used would be specifically experienced with handling aircraft transactions. Their fees aren’t expensive and are usually split 50:50 between the buyer and the seller. Using escrow is by no means compulsory but, especially in the case of higher value aircraft and overseas transactions, it’s highly recommended.

Registration, and Export?

Subject to the next register the aircraft will go on, you may require an Export Certificate of Airworthiness. ‘Export’ in this case is nothing to do with customs, it’s a means to certify the airworthiness of the aircraft as it leaves the foreign CAA. It will specifically note the importing CAA as well, as will the deregistration certificate. It should be expected that the sales company, the PPI inspector, and the future maintenance company will all liaise about what the aircraft will need in theory (if anything) for its future operation in its next country, including reasonable consideration for potential avionic changes such as 8.33 kHz-spaced radios and a Mode S transponder. These are all simple steps, but the process can vary from country to country so as long as you have knowledgeable people handling it for you, it’s all very straightforward for the buyer who should, to the best of everyone’s ability and for the sake of good planning, expect to be made aware of upcoming tasks and costs.

Once the aircraft is purchased, we get to the relocation step. Let’s continue with the example aircraft located in South Africa.

Don’t Miss the Boat!

The most common way to move an aircraft from one place to another is ocean freight. As with the buying steps, a good sales company will likely have contacts and relationships with shipping companies and, in many cases, the sales service will include management and liaison with the various third parties to ensure a smooth journey ‘door to door’. From the buyer’s side it should be low stress, cost-effective, interesting and even enjoyable! Believe it or not, most single engine aircraft will fit into a single shipping container. There are three sizes of container available and it’s obviously essential to get the right one. Most aircraft need a 40ft high cube container. The high cube is (as the name suggests) higher than the standard 40ft size and most importantly includes taller doors which is otherwise a common restriction.

A good shipping service will also include a ‘container drop’ which means the container is taken off the haulage trailer and placed on the ground for ease of loading. Depending on where you are in the world will depend on how this is done. In the UK there are many companies that have cranes built on to the trailer so it can unload itself. But abroad you’ll need a small crane to come separately. In the US they call these ‘Boom Trucks’ and even the small ones are pretty huge!

Load Plan

The load plan will depend on the aircraft. Most load plans will require a frame or support structure to be made. The aircraft is then partially dismantled and fitted to the frame. Often there is one frame for the fuselage and then one or two support structures for the wings so they can be loaded leading-edge down with the wing chord standing up. Then, in it all goes! The shipping company calls this ‘stuffing’, which sounds like it might include some kind of run-up. But don’t worry, it’s just a standard term.

A well-coordinated plan will ensure the aircraft is ready when the trailer arrives. The container is then ‘grounded’ and the aircraft loaded (aka ‘stuffed’). This can usually be completed within the same day, sometimes two days if it’s a tight fit.

If the aircraft is too big for a container load plan then you move to a ‘flat rack’ which is basically an opensided load platform to accommodate freight that is too big to fit inside the container.

In our South African example, an export document (a ‘SAD500’) is required before you can deregister the aircraft abroad (also part of a pre-customs clearance), so this is all done ahead of packing and loading and often tied into the APA. The shipping company, liaising with the sales company, will help to ensure everything is teed up in good time (there’s a few other documents and steps required but it’s all taken care of as part of the service).