Aircraft ferry pilot rates
A simple pilot day rate plus actual trip expenses, with a written quote for every trip.
Short answer: Gold Seal Ferry charges a pilot day rate plus the trip's actual expenses. The day rate is $475 for a single-engine piston aircraft, $550 for a high-performance or complex single, $625 for a tailwheel, STOL or aerobatic aircraft, and $650 for a light piston twin. Expenses are billed at cost with receipts, and every trip gets a written quote before you commit.
Ferry pilot day rates
| Aircraft category | Pilot day rate | Typical aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Tailwheel / STOL / aerobatic | $625 / day | Our specialty: Kitfox, Maule, Citabria, Decathlon, Highlander, Zenith and Pitts. |
Rates are in US dollars per pilot day. Don't see your aircraft? Ask us and we'll tell you which category it falls in.
What counts as 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 the owner pays, at cost with receipts
- Fuel and oil
- Lodging and meals
- Airport, FBO, and tie-down fees
- The pilot's airline or ground travel to the aircraft and back home
How to estimate your trip
Total cost = day rate × number of billable days + trip expenses.
For example, a trip quoted at three billable days in a fixed-gear single comes to 3 × $475 = $1,425 in pilot fees, plus fuel, lodging, meals, airport fees, and the pilot's ticket home. This is only an illustration of the formula. Your written quote has the real number of days and an expense estimate for your route.
Why a day rate instead of a per-mile price?
Most of a ferry trip's cost is the pilot's time: getting to the airplane, the acceptance inspection, the flying, weather days, and getting home. A day rate plus actual expenses is how ferry work is usually priced, and it means you pay what the trip really costs rather than a padded flat fee.
Who sets the plan?
You keep operational control of your aircraft, and we provide the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot in command makes every go/no-go call. Read how a ferry flight works or the ferry flight FAQ for insurance and permit questions.
Tell us where your airplane needs to go
Send the aircraft, route, and dates. We reply with the day rate, expected days, an expense estimate, and the assigned pilot's qualifications for your insurance broker.
Request a Ferry Quote