Importing used plane from US

[adrian222]

Hi people.

 

Time to pick the brains of people who know.

 

What are the hurdles,procedures,requirements, to buy and ship a plane here to Aus.

 

Adrian.

 

 

[djpacro]

I imported an airplane from the East Coast of the USA back in 2008, locals there weren't used to going to Australia so my guy was run around in circles certifying that the moon was made of green cheese etc. Well proven routes via the West Coast and you should be able to find ads from Australian companies which assist.

 

General advice on budget I've been told is convert to AUD, add GST and add $20K to get it here and get it going. We got a guy in the USA to do a pre-purchase inspection which proved worthless. Some of my friends have done well, others have ended up with projects rather than flyable airplanes.

 

The FAA has guidance info on the website which includes stuff specific for Australia. You do not need an Export CofA so save the expense as it requires a fairly recent annual inspection and my guy wanted to do a new W&B etc etc.

 

 

[adrian222]

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

 

What I am thinking is may be flying over buying the plane you are after sticking it in a container (kit plane) sending it home.

 

The plane I am after is a Just aircraft super stol kit which will cost roughly $80.000 U.S to get it here and build it.

 

Then I was looking at barnstormers and found one for sale for $80.000 and got me thinking of the viability of it all.

 

BARNSTORMERS.COM Find Aircraft & Aircraft Parts - Airplane Sale, Jets, Helicopters, Experimental, Warbirds & Homebuilt

 

Adrian

 

 

[fly_tornado]

opening the container at customs will be one of the most exciting days of your life

 

 

 

[adrian222]

fly-tornado

 

How did the exercise go for you.Was it costly to arrange the container in the states or did you have a company do it for you?

 

 

[fly_tornado]

I found a US based shipping agent online who was a shipco reseller/consolidator. Doing a full container is easy, especially if all it contains is 1 plane.

 

Then you need a customs agent in Australia, I used EDI customs in Brisbane and they managed the customs and AQIS

 

You just need to find plane close to a shipping port and someone to load it onto the back of the truck. My seller used a tilt tray truck that most tow drivers use to retrieve cars from accidents to load the planes into the container but most airports have a loading dock.

 

I got into difficulty when my shipping agent went broke but could still book containers with shipco and shipco refused to release the container when the ship got too Brisbane. I sorted that out eventually but that was the only hiccup

 

 

[adrian222]

Thank you fly_tornado that is all good information.

 

Adrian.

 

 

[farri]

What are the hurdles,procedures,requirements, to buy and ship a plane here to Aus.Adrian.

Hi Adrian! What type of plane are you considering?

 

Frank.

 

 

[adrian222]

http://www.justaircraft.com/media/Kitplanes-October2013 JustAircraftSuperSTOL.pdf

 

Superstol not the Highlander

 

 

[facthunter]

IF you don't ensure it's deregistered in the US, and have the docs to prove it you will be in strife. Bring it out in a container with other planes by an experienced importer, packed carefully. Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...The plane I am after is a Just aircraft super stol kit which will cost roughly $80.000 U.S to get it here and build it.

...

Adrian are you aware that the Australian agent for this aircraft imports the kits and helps customers assemble them? I know him well and he lives nearby. Do you want his contact details?

 

 

[adrian222]

Yes I am aware of them, I will contact them soon,just need a few more planets to align themselves.

 

And the dollar to head in the right direction.

 

 

[adrian222]

To keep the cost down I am thinking of going with the Viking Honda 130hp engine,as has been said rotax engines are not cheap.

 

 

[adrian222]

Old Koreelah

 

Wonder if they would fly the super stol they have out to my place as I would love to see one in the flesh. Plus I am only roughly 200km away as the crow flies.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

You wont know unless you ring them and have a chat

 

Just dont be a tyre kicker thats what cheeses people off

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Old KoreelahWonder if they would fly the super stol they have out to my place as I would love to see one in the flesh. Plus I am only roughly 200km away as the crow flies.

I'll talk to Brett about this.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

To keep the cost down I am thinking of going with the Viking Honda 130hp engine,as has been said rotax engines are not cheap.

I believe the Viking engine is a bit heavier than the Rotax. Any extra weight reduces your STOL performance.

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Adrian, have you had a look or talked to what Ole at AAK can do for you?

 

 

 

[adrian222]

I believe the Viking engine is a bit heavier than the Rotax. Any extra weight reduces your STOL performance.

Yes the honda weighs a bit more but I can live with that when you compare running costs,and purchase price. (just leave the missus at home for the short landing stuff)

 

 

[adrian222]

Bex I just love they way you can come in and use the suspension on these things.

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

The performance of the aircraft is exceptional, but it also requires a pilot with exceptional skills and experience.

 

 

[adrian222]

There is only one way to learn.

 

 

[adrian222]

Here is someone learning.

 

 

 

[David Isaac]

Here is someone learning.

 

That is NOT learning ... that is someone pushing the envelope past where they should. I would argue demonstrating the aircraft at speeds they should not.

You can hang many aircraft on the prop with big wings and flaps (and slats particularly), but if you are on the edge of the envelope and the wind drops just a couple of knots ... bingo.

 

 

[facthunter]

There's many ways to learn. Best is from other's experiences. Nev