Moe Tarakji
Head of Operations · FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor
Moe leads day-to-day operations at The Flight Academy of California at Van Nuys Airport and runs Gold Seal Ferry.
Aircraft ferry & delivery · Los Angeles
Your airplane, delivered by Gold Seal flight instructors.
Purchase deliveries, maintenance runs, and repositioning flights for singles, twins, and the tailwheel, STOL, and aerobatic aircraft other ferry pilots turn down. Flown from Van Nuys Airport by the team behind The Flight Academy of California.
- Flown by FAA Gold Seal flight instructors
- Tailwheel, STOL & aerobatic specialists
- Simple day rate plus expenses
A service of The Flight Academy of California at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY).
Services
Ferry flights for every reason your airplane needs to move
You keep operational control of your aircraft. We provide an experienced instructor-pilot to fly it safely from point A to point B.
Purchase & sale deliveries
Just bought an airplane across the country, or sold one? We fly it from the seller to its new home so you don't have to.
Maintenance & avionics runs
We fly your aircraft to and from the shop for annuals, paint, avionics upgrades, and major repairs.
Repositioning & relocation
Moving to a new base, chasing better weather, or splitting time between homes. We reposition your aircraft on your schedule.
Special flight permit ferries
Aircraft with an expired annual or an open squawk that is still capable of safe flight. We help with the FAA ferry permit and fly it to the shop.
Brokers, dealers & flight schools
One reliable call for sale deliveries, fleet moves, and maintenance trips, from a team that runs a flight school fleet every day.
Not sure what you need?
Tell us about the aircraft and where it is. We'll recommend the right plan and send a written quote.
Request a Ferry Quote
How it works
From quote to handoff, four clear steps
No surprises: you know the pilot, the plan, and the price before the airplane moves.
Quote
Tell us the aircraft, route, and dates. We send a written quote with the day rate, expected days, expense estimate, and the assigned pilot's qualifications for your insurance broker.
Pre-acceptance inspection & logbook review
Before we commit, we review the logbooks: inspections, ADs, ELT, transponder, and any squawks. On pickup the pilot does a full acceptance inspection and paperwork check.
Flight planning
Route, fuel stops, weather, alternates, terrain and daylight are planned around your airplane's performance. Your insurance and any ferry permit are confirmed in writing before we leave.
Delivery with updates
You get updates along the way and at every stop. On arrival we secure the aircraft, photograph its condition, and hand it off with notes, receipts, and a final invoice.
Aircraft we fly
From trainers to taildraggers
Every trip is matched to the pilot on our team with the strongest experience in your make and model. Don't see your aircraft? Ask us.
Single-engine piston
Everyday fixed-gear trainers and travelers.
Cessna 150–182 · Piper Cherokee, Warrior, Archer
High-performance & complex
Retractable gear, constant-speed props, and high-performance singles.
Bonanza · Mooney · Cirrus · Piper Arrow
Twin piston
Light piston twins for owners, schools and dealers.
Piper Seneca · Beech Baron · Piper Apache
Tailwheel, STOL & aerobatic
Our specialty. Taildraggers and backcountry aircraft that most ferry services won't touch.
Kitfox · Maule · Citabria · Decathlon · Just Aircraft Highlander · Zenith · Pitts S-1 / S-2
Pricing
A simple day rate, plus trip expenses
Ferry work is priced the way the industry does it: a pilot day rate plus actual expenses. Every trip gets a custom written quote based on your aircraft, route, and schedule.
Single-engine piston
$475 / day
Fixed-gear singles such as Cessna 150 to 182 and Piper Cherokee and Archer.
High-performance / complex
$550 / day
Retractable-gear, high-performance or technically advanced singles such as Bonanza, Mooney and Cirrus.
Twin piston
$650 / day
Light piston twins such as Seneca, Baron and Apache.
Specialty
Tailwheel / STOL / aerobatic
$625 / day
Our specialty: Kitfox, Maule, Citabria, Decathlon, Highlander, Zenith and Pitts.
What's a billable day?
- Any travel or flight day, from the time the pilot leaves home base until they're back.
- Your quote lists the expected number of days for your route before you commit.
- Delay-day terms for weather or maintenance are written into the quote.
Expenses paid by the owner, at cost with receipts
- Fuel and oil
- Lodging and meals
- Airport, FBO, and tie-down fees
- Pilot's airline or ground travel to the aircraft and back home
Meet the pilots
The instructors who will fly your airplane
Gold Seal Ferry is flown by flight instructors from The Flight Academy of California. You'll know exactly who's flying your aircraft, and we send their qualifications with your quote.
Nirvan Raymond
Gold Seal Chief Flight Instructor
Nirvan is the academy's Chief Flight Instructor and an FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor.
Laurien "Lo" Decibel
Assistant Chief Flight Instructor
Lo is the academy's Assistant Chief Flight Instructor at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY).
FAQ
Ferry flight questions, answered
Does my insurance need to name your pilot?
Your aircraft's insurance has to cover the pilot who flies the trip. Many policies have an open-pilot clause that covers any pilot who meets the policy's hour and rating minimums; if the assigned pilot doesn't meet those minimums, your broker can add them as a named pilot for the trip. This is usually quick, but sometimes takes a few days.
We send the assigned pilot's qualifications with your quote so your broker can confirm coverage, and we don't fly until we have written confirmation.
Can you ferry an aircraft that isn't currently airworthy?
Often, yes. An aircraft that doesn't meet airworthiness requirements but is capable of safe flight can be moved under an FAA Special Flight Permit (a "ferry permit") under 14 CFR 21.197, for example to fly to a repair shop or to a base where an overdue inspection can be done.
The registered owner applies for the permit; we help you with the paperwork. We don't depart until the permit is in hand and its limitations have been briefed.
What happens if weather delays the trip?
Safety comes first. The pilot in command makes every go/no-go decision, and we won't push weather, darkness, or a mechanical concern to hold a schedule. We keep you updated on any delay and on the new plan.
How delay days are billed is written into your quote before you accept it, so there are no surprises.
Who pays for fuel, hotels, and the pilot's travel home?
The owner. Our price is a pilot day rate, and trip expenses are billed separately at actual cost with receipts. That covers fuel and oil, lodging, meals, airport and FBO fees, and the pilot's airline or ground travel to the aircraft and back home.
Do you need a Part 135 certificate to ferry my airplane?
No. Ferry flights of an owner's aircraft are excluded from Part 119/135 certification under 14 CFR 119.1(e)(3). You keep operational control of your aircraft and we provide the pilot under Part 91. We don't carry passengers or cargo for hire.
How is a day counted?
A billable day is any travel or flight day from the time the pilot leaves home base until they're back. Your quote lists the expected number of days for your route before you commit.
What do you check before accepting the aircraft?
Before we accept a trip we review the logbooks: annual or condition inspection, applicable ADs, ELT and transponder checks, and pitot-static if the trip is IFR. On pickup the pilot does a full acceptance inspection, checks the documents on board, and confirms weight and balance and fuel before departure.
Request a ferry quote
Tell us where your airplane needs to go
Send the details and we'll reply with a written quote. Prefer to talk it through? Call or email us.
- 818-516-8010
- flightacademycali@gmail.com
- 7900 Balboa Blvd, Hangar J5
Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), Van Nuys, CA 91406