How to get your aircraft ferried: a step-by-step guide

Before you start: what you'll need

Having this information ready makes the quote accurate and the booking fast:

• N-number (the aircraft's FAA registration / tail number)
• Aircraft make, model, and category/class (e.g. single-engine piston, multi-engine, turbine)
• Current location — the departure airport identifier
• Destination — where the aircraft needs to end up
• Airworthiness status — is the aircraft current on inspections, or will it need a special flight permit?
• Preferred timing and any scheduling constraints
• Insurance details — your hull/liability policy and any named-pilot or minimum-experience requirements

The step-by-step process

1. Gather your aircraft details. Pull together the items in the checklist above. The most important is the airworthiness status: if the aircraft is current and legal to fly, planning is straightforward; if it is out of annual or has a maintenance issue, you will likely need a special flight permit (covered in step 4). You can confirm registration details and look up your aircraft on our aircraft registry, which covers 310,000+ US aircraft, and verify your departure and destination fields on the airport directory.
2. Get an instant quote. Enter your trip into the quote tool. In about 90 seconds you will get a transparent, itemized estimate that reflects distance, aircraft type, fuel stops, and pilot positioning. See exactly how the numbers are built on the pricing page.
3. Review matched pilots and verify credentials. You will be matched with ferry pilots qualified for your aircraft. Every pilot's FAA certificate, medical, and ratings are verified by the platform before they are allowed to accept a job, so you are not chasing down logbooks yourself. Review experience and time in type, and pick the pilot you are most comfortable with. Learn what those qualifications mean in our ferry pilot requirements guide, and see the workflow on how it works.
4. Confirm insurance and any ferry permit needs. Make sure your insurance covers the operation and the specific pilot — insurers often set minimum total-time and time-in-type requirements, and may require a named-pilot endorsement. If the aircraft is not currently airworthy, you (or the pilot) will need to obtain an FAA special flight permit (a ferry permit) under 14 CFR 21.197 before the flight can legally take place. An experienced ferry pilot can help navigate this. Our safety page explains how we handle these checks.
5. Book and pay. Once you have chosen your pilot and agreed on timing, confirm the booking and pay securely through the platform. Payment is held and released around the job, so both sides are protected. You will see the platform fee and processing clearly itemized.
6. Track the flight live. When the ferry begins, you can follow your aircraft in real time. Every aircraft's registry page (at /registry/N{number}) carries live ADS-B tracking, so you can watch position, altitude, and progress from departure to arrival.
7. Receive the aircraft and documentation. Take delivery at the destination, do a walk-around with the pilot, and collect the relevant documentation — flight details, any squawks noted en route, and maintenance or permit paperwork. Your aircraft is home.

Costs to expect

The total cost of a ferry flight is built from a few moving parts. Understanding them helps you read your quote with confidence:

• Distance — the single biggest factor. Longer trips mean more flight time and more fuel.
• Aircraft type — complex twins and turbines cost more to ferry than simple singles, because they need more qualified pilots and burn more fuel.
• Fuel stops and landing fees on longer routes.
• Pilot positioning — getting the pilot to the aircraft and home again (airline tickets, ground transport).
• Overnights — weather and daylight can stretch a long delivery across multiple days.

On top of the flight cost, FerryFlight Hub charges a transparent 20% platform fee plus standard payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30. There are no surprise markups — everything is itemized in your quote and at checkout. Compare against the full breakdown on the pricing page.

A quick word on planning ahead

The smoothest ferry flights are the ones where the paperwork is done before the airplane needs to move. Confirm insurance early, sort out any special flight permit as soon as you know the aircraft's status, and give the pilot a realistic window so they can plan around weather rather than fight it. If you are new to all of this, start with our overview of what a ferry flight is, and see how owners use the platform on the for owners page.