Importing aircraft

[Jeffsy]

Has anyone imported a plane from the States?

 

I would like to know about crating, freight forwarding insurance etc

 

 

[Admin]

Jeff

 

Are you buying a kit and if so then the manufacturers should be able to provide the shipping for you.

 

Let me know what you are getting and I will see if my US contacts can help?

 

 

[Jeffsy]

Hi Ian

 

I am looking at buying a Waiex from California

 

It is flying with about 40 hours on it

 

I will need to have it crated and freighted to Aus

 

Any contacts would be appreciated

 

 

[eyecast]

Have a contact that arranged Insurance for a privately purchased used LSA imported from USA in last 6 months.

 

eyecast

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Would be interested to hear the outcome from this as a single seater trike kit from the USA is still an option for me with the Aussie Dollar topping USD0.90 again, though I'd probably use sea freight since I live in Sydney and Port Botany is just 30 minutes drive away.

 

Am just waiting for the RAA Technical Manager to get back from holidays next Monday so I can query him regarding registration.

 

Cheers,

 

Glen

 

 

[Admin]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you jeff but the couple of people I emailed about it have come back saying that it was to far away for them to help out. They could only advise to get the person you are getting it from to get you quotes from a local shipper - sorry but I tried!

 

 

[Guest Baphomet]

Talk to customs first!! they apply different (and potentially very expensive) criteria to complete and flying as compared to kit aircraft. You may be faced with extended quarantine periods, which they will charge for, various pest treatment etc,etc.

 

 

[Admin]

Good points there - whoever ships it they must know not to include any wood in the packing of it or if they do it has to be treated for importation into Australia with appropriate certificates.

 

If it comes in parts then make sure it is listed as Aircraft Parts so there isn't any duty on it but you will have to pay GST on the value that the seller places in the paperwork.

 

There are a lot of clearing agents around who will probably charge $150+ (it's the + that hurts with doc fess etc). It is sometimes better for the shipping to be organised door to door so some fees are not charged.

 

I think the above is right with my knowledge so far but should be confirmed by your own research.

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

There are two separate parts to this question:

 

1. What are the RAAus requirements?
    
    
   
2. What are the logistics?
    
   

 

For question 1 you have to speak to Chris at RAAus as you already have done.

 

Question 2 is a little more complex to answer. The short answer is that you will need a freight forwarder. Shop around until you find one that knows about aircraft. I am aware of one such in Melbourne but not elsewhere in Australia - others may be able to help there.

 

The FF will ask questions like "is it coming in a container?" if the answer is yes then it's around $500 for a 20 footer and $600 for a 40 footer to lift it off the boat and onto a truck. Then you need a quarantine "tailgate inspection" ($$$ to quarantine). As well you must have a bill of lading from the origin together with a packing declaration that sets out whether the container was clean, whether any wood was bark free and how the wood was treated....Then customs will want 10% GST on the LANDED cost (includes all fees and transportation as well as purchase price). Your freight forwarder will also want their fees.

 

Note: The seller in the US will need a freight forwarder to arrange for packing of the a/c into a container and for that container to get to the wharf and to be documented - packing dec, bill of lading etc.

 

Now you can put the container on a truck and take it away for up to 10 days without charge - after 10 days you are charged an exponentially increasing fee per day in USD.

 

But wait...you can't just take it wherever you like. There are strict limitations to where you can take the container to unload it. In addition it is most likely that you can only unload it at a QAP - a Quarantine Approved Place...

 

Perhaps the best way to do this is to contact one of the various businesses that import used a/c into Australia and ask them if they could arrange for it to come with their next load. They will off course charge you but it may well be cheaper than you learning how to do this from scratch. Have a look in the Aviation Trader for a few ideas.

 

As an aside I would expect that the cost to a port like Melbourne may be in the order of $3,500 to $4,500 dollars plus GST on import landed cost. A lot depends on size of aircraft and what size container it fits into and whether the container is shared. That estimate also includes an insurance cost which will vary with a/c value (you will need to insure the a/c for landed cost). If you go into a port other than Melbourne the total cost may increase - Melbourne is the busiest container port in Australia - by a long margin - and therefore shipping costs tend to be very competitive into Melbourne.

 

Don't ask me how I know this...I know very little about this but as far as I'm concerned that's too much already ;-)

 

Regards

 

Mike