"argon39" wrote in message oups.com...
After 30 years of fun and excitement in the SF Bay area, I've taken a
new job in Perth, Western Australia. Now I need to decide what to do
about my iBugsmasher, a wonderful 1969 C172K that I have modified so
that it's just the way I want it:

C172K, 2050 hours on airframe
New Garmin IFR panel
100 hours on O-360 180 HP conversion
Hartzell constant speed prop
Horton STOL kit
Powerflow tuned exhaust

As I see it, there are three options.

[1] Sell the precious iBugsmasher and buy a new airplane in Australia.

[2] Ferry it. (The first 2100 NM leg to Hawaii is kinda long without an
autopilot!).

[3] Take the wings off, crate it up and ship it.

Pros and cons for each option:

[1] Easiest, but I have the a/c just as I want it except for paint and
interior (that was going to happen later). The Australian market is
much smaller and it would probably take some time to find the 'right'
airplane. And it's probably more expensive, but I really don't know
yet.

[2] While parts of the trans-Pac adventure would be worth writing
about, I'm not interested in tanking the a/c and flying it myself.
There might be a ferry company willing to do this, but the costs
involved will not be trivial. With an STC it might just be possible to
put a bladder in the a/c that could get it to Hawaii for the long leg.
But there is still a long way to go after that.

[3] This option seems the most sane, but there are major
disassembly/reassembly costs and after that there are additional costs
of inspection and certification by the Australian authorities.

I'd really appreciate hearing from folks who have some experience in
this area. Which of the options (or one I haven't thought of yet) are
reasonable and/or practical?

Thanks.

argon39



They used to tank up C-177s in Oxnard and fly them across - took 24-28 hours to HI and every once an a while one would
ditch because of poor navigation, fuel problems, etc. The aux fuel was in the fuselage and pumped to the wings (I
think). Long flight indeed, they were modern day Lindbergh's in my eyes at the time...

I also remember c-150's and 172 crated up and shipped - sounds like that would be the best way for you to go...