Sea shipping of a Mooney

[Teto78]

Here I am again with my rather expensive idea of bringing a Mooney over to New Zealand.

The local airplane market is quite limited, with lots of microlight or Cessnas. I am after a short body M20 that would perform well on short strip and grass.

Is it reasonable to ship a Mooney in a container and re assemble it here, Or the cost of dis-assemble and re-assemble will come up to the price of a newer machine ferry flown.

I am not looking for a quote but more for advice on how to choose the plane to make it a little more worthwhile if I was to resell it here. (plane purchase/shipping cost)

What you guys think of finding a project plane, or a wing damaged plane or even one that need rust repair around the tubes of the cabin, in which case the purchase price would be lower than a good plane and the repair price would be partly offset by the need to crate the plane.

In other words, I won't be removing wings of a good plane for nothing else than just shipping.

Florent

 

[carusoam]

Florent,

The biggest challenge would probably be… having a Mooney experienced mechanic oversee the re-assembly…

In the recent past…. Mooney shipped new planes to China…. Via shipping container…

There was an MSer that had seen some of that activity and the flight training afterwards…

Lets see if @kortopates is familiar with any of that activity…

Best regards,

-a-

[Mooney Dog]

My understanding is that you cant easily remove and reattach the wings of a mooney. 

I would think finding or building an RV might be better for your situation, but i would need to do more research to make a real call on it. 

[kortopates]

I have no idea how the cost would add up, but Mooney had very deep pockets to do this because they were developing a process not for a single plane but start process for importation and certification in China. But at least initially the same people that disassembled went to China to help re-assemble it - without that continuity you'd spend a lot more time documenting and inventorying all the hardware and parts for re-assembly. I can't imagine it being worthwhile on a Vintage budget, nor being able to recoup those cost on resale down the road. But since you have the time, why not purchase a more capable modern Mooney and fly it to New Zealand? Maybe there is even one in Australia you could get? 

[Teto78]

Yes, not so easy. I guess I will need to be patient and wait for one over here or in Australia. 

[mike_elliott]

Which model Mooney would tickle you? I have a few Australian friends that have made selling noises and could put you in touch perhaps.

[Igor_U]

Pilots in US just can’t understand that airplane supply in North America is much bigger then anywhere in the world and is hard to get a good airplane (let alone Mooney) in different parts of the world  

years ago i helped a friend in South Africa import first PA28 for his flying school. Container shipping was much cheaper then ferrying over Atlantic but you would need to find experienced outfit to dissemble and secure the plane in container. At that time USD was very weak to world currencies so that played to our advantage but had to pay 40’ container ourselves. Future planes we packed and shipped by SA transplant in Vacaville who could pack there in one container so it cut the cost. Unfortunately, he died in crash few years ago. 
of course you would need an experienced crew  at your end to assemble the plane as well as someone in US to organize all this. 
I helped with shipping 4 planes and finding a good shop to disassemble the plane and place in the container is most important task

 

good luck. 

[Yetti]

There is a row of rivets behind the baggage compartment that can be drilled and then the tail comes off.  Should fit sideways in a container.   May have to take the engine off too.  Should not be too hard.

[Raymond J1]

10 hours ago, Mooney Dog said:

Je crois comprendre que vous ne pouvez pas facilement retirer et rattacher les ailes d'un mooney. 

Je pense que trouver ou construire un camping-car pourrait être mieux pour votre situation, mais je devrais faire plus de recherches pour faire un véritable appel. 

This is a conventional wisdom I think because, in fact, it is very easy and fast. Count 2 working days.

[Jim Peace]

Just have it ferried there with those extra fuel tanks....

I did a Cessna 210 once USA to Zimbabwe...

Then no need for all this crazy logistics of disassembly and reassembly and the hopes it gets done right.

Ferrying is not for everyone though.........

https://www.turtlepac.com/products/collapsible-aircraft-ferry-tanks/

Edited August 3, 2021 by Jim Peace

[Teto78]

The ferry flight isn't for me, unless I find someone experienced to come along all the way to NZ. I was looking for an C or E, a short body. Would be a first plane and I don't want too much plane. @mike_elliott if that is one of these, then definitely yes. 

[0TreeLemur]

A shipping container is 7.5'w x 7.9'h x 39'l inside.  Taking the tail and engine off won't do it.  Even for a C or E, the wings gotta come off too- from firewall to back of hat rack is about 8'-8".  Maybe you could conceivably rig up a jig that holds the wing chord at a 45-degree angle in the container, maybe, and get it in.  That would be expensive too. 

 

[PeteMc]

Not all items that are shipped go in containers.

Did a video once on a container ship.  The back under the bridge & crew section was full of various non container odd shaped items and a lot of cars.  Don't remember if the ramp opening was wide enough, but you might get a Mooney in sideways.

Actually a more realistic way might be to wrap it to protect it from the salt water, put it on a custom pallet and have them tie it down on top of everything.  You'd really need to talk to a SHIPPING person that know about this stuff.

 

Side Note:  The Captain of the ship is a glider pilot that lives in Sweden.  Went there a few years ago, but never had a chance to connect with him to go flying.

Edited August 3, 2021 by PeteMc

[0TreeLemur]

I strongly recommend not put anything of value on a cargo ship without having it fully enclosed except maybe anvils.  I've shipped stuff all over the world.  The number of things that can go wrong is infinite.  The ways to protect it once dropped off at the port are zero.  All preparation must take place before then.  Even when perfectly and safely packed, we have had problems with rogue waves, loose containers, and most commonly, storms.

The last big shipment I did in February from the US to a Caribbean country, a 4'x3'x9', 900 lb crate was actually cheaper by air freight than ship.  Air freight companies were begging for cargo.

[carusoam]

Our local MSC is prepared to disassemble/reassemble Mooneys, no matter where they land…

They get separated in three pieces as described above…

They have a trailer that is set up for the job…

The pieces are as follows…

1) Firewall forwards…

2) Wings and cabin 

3) Tail, aft of the steel structure…

Lots of rivets… and rigging will be involved…

 

For a great conversation on all things Mooney… Find the owner of Airmods in NJ…

Best regards,

-a-

[Super Phreek]

Interestingly, there is a local guy who regularly ships aircraft via containers.  A few months ago, he shipped a long body.  He had to pull the wing due to width of the container.  He met the airplane on the other side to reassemble it.

Lately, he has been shipping a lot of Icons 

[Aerodon]

Teto,

I have a 40' container and will find and ship a M20 to you. Try find a buddy for a second plane (or at least engines or other cargo).  I need you to find 2 C172's with runout engines to ship back to me.

 

Aerodon supercub180@gmail.com

 

[carusoam]

@Teto78 see the message from Don above…

Could make interesting bartering… 

Best regards,

-a-

[Jerry Pressley]

Some years a man come from Australia and bought two mooneys from Smoky Mtn Aeroplanes in Morristown, TN with the agreement that they would put them in separate containers which they did.  They were shipped to Australia where they were reassembled but not flown.  The buyer abandoned them and a few years later his brother was there and not knowing his brother had sent them there, bought them.  He fit both in one container and sent them back to Oklahoma City.  

[Guest]

If this little C150 could make the USA to Africa, a Mooney should be able to make it to Australia.

https://cessna150152club.org/transatlantic-cessna-150/

Clarence

[MB65E]

I’ve shipped a large helicopter in an open container. They are called Flat-racks. They have vertical Posts on the corners and are fully stackable. Everything must fit with in the confines of the perimeter. They are nice because you can hoist things onto the rack strap them down and be done. Only issue is that it’s open to the elements. 
I used Matson and shipped to hawaii. 
There in New Zealand you have some awesome warbird restoration places that could put an M20 together in no time. 
It’s not a bad idea especially if you found one already apart in the states. 
Unfortunately for you, all pieces of my airplane are in flying formation. Except for the Exhaust Crack I discovered today. ;-).

-Matt

[A64Pilot]

12 hours ago, M20Doc said:

If this little C150 could make the USA to Africa, a Mooney should be able to make it to Australia.

https://cessna150152club.org/transatlantic-cessna-150/

Clarence

I don’t know about a C-150, but many a Thrush aircraft has been ferried to Australia, apparently the longest leg is to Hawaii, and it’s about  18 hours I think, if you can make 130 kts average, and loaded real heavy and running in economy mode, you might not can. 2200 NM?

The Thrush burns less than 50 GPH and carries 228 in the wings, and additional 500 gl in the hopper and they had about 100 or maybe 150 gl drop tanks under each wing.

We have containerized and shipped aircraft all over the world, including 24 to China, but we had a process and drawings etc to do so, and the wings come off easily.

You can’t export an un-airworthy aircraft, so that takes a project off of the table, you can export parts, but good luck getting an Airworthiness Certificate in the new Country. I think all those parts have to be yellow tagged too.

 

In the Army we shipped AH-64’s to the sandbox as deck cargo and on roll on and roll off ships, the deck cargo birds we had shrink wrapped, we flew them to the Port of Savannah and then pulled the blades, biggest issue I see of shipping a Mooney as deck cargo would be getting it to the ship, other than that it’s easy, boats, cars construction equipment everything gets shipped as deck cargo from time to time.

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by A64Pilot

[steingar]

New Zealand seems like a tiny little place.  Can't see why you need such a fast airplane.  My Cessna's wings came off with a couple bolts.  I've read (here, I think) that removing a Mooney's wings is a really really big deal, as is assembling them.  I think you'd have an easier time buying, shipping, and assembly a kit plane.

[MB65E]

Didn’t realize the thread was 6mo old

-Matt

[Fly Boomer]

Don Maxwell unhooks or cuts everything inside fuselage behind baggage, and then drills out rivets to separate tail.  Not your ordinary Mooney, but this shows the idea: