From Europe to Australia: A Pilatus PC-12NG Ferry Flight with SFT Instructor Kate
- Feb 18
- 5 min read
Sydney Flight Training instructor Kate Boschen recounts an unforgettable ferry flight, delivering a Pilatus PC-12NG from France to Australia via the Middle East and Asia - an extraordinary journey spanning deserts, oceans and continents.
Last year, I had the opportunity to ferry a Pilatus PC-12NG from Gray, France, all the way to Adelaide, Australia. The trip took 12 days in total, with the first 6 spent travelling to France and preparing the aircraft, followed by 6 consecutive days of flying home.
Preparing for a Long Way Home
The journey began in Gray, a small country town in eastern France. As with any long-range ferry flight, preparation was everything. We spent a few days in France getting the aircraft ready before departing, finalising paperwork, route planning, and ensuring the aeroplane was configured for the long legs ahead. From Gray, France, the journey progressed through Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, before entering Australia at Broome and finishing in Adelaide, combining both technical fuel stops and overnight stays.
Winter Departures and Alpine Views (France to Greece)
On day 1, we departed Gray for Corfu, Greece. Being the middle of winter in France, it was quite miserable weather while we were there but thankfully that didn’t stop us from departing. Departing Gray airport, locals informed us that the accepted language on the radio at Gray was French. Considering neither of us in the aeroplane could speak French, this was an interesting challenge. We considered using google translate however as the airport was completely quiet, we started our radio call with “Bonjour” and left.
Leaving France, we flew directly over the Swiss Alps. The beautiful, vast mountains ranged for miles and were spectacular to see from the sky. We flew past Monaco and overhead Italy towards Greece. Whilst it was raining in Corfu when we arrived, it was spectacular. We spent the night in Greece before getting up the next morning to head towards Africa.
Ancient Wonders and Busy Airports (Greece to Egypt)
On day 2, we departed Corfu, Greece for Hurghada, Egypt. Today, we got to fly directly over the Pyramids of Giza, the Nile River and the Red Sea. On arrival, Hurghada welcomed us with warm desert air and the brilliant blue of the Red Sea stretching along the coast. Hurghada International (HEGN) was one of the busiest and biggest airports we went to on the trip with many airlines such as Air Cairo and easyJet operating there.
One of the hardest challenges we faced was trying to find our designated parking spot after we landed. Quite often the airports we visited were huge, international airports with a wide range of airliners and business jets operating there, so trying to find exactly where we needed to go once on the ground sometimes proved challenging. We then spent the night in Egypt before heading east towards Pakistan.
Deserts, Skylines and Cultural Differences (Egypt to Pakistan)
On day 3, we departed Hurghada early morning for Damman, Saudi Arabia. Flying from one side of Saudi Arabia to the other, it was breathtaking to watch the desert transform below us changing colours as we travelled across. Landing at King Fahd International, we refuelled and continued for our final destination of the day Karachi, Pakistan. Enroute to Karachi, we overflew Dubai where we could see Burj Khalifa and Palm Jumeirah clearly from FL270. We then landed in Karachi and refuelled. At Pakistan, we had 10 people surrounding the aeroplane watching us refuel before they took us through customs.
Long Legs Over the Subcontinent (Pakistan to Sri Lanka)
On day 4, we departed Karachi, Pakistan for Mattala, Sri Lanka. Today, was our longest day without a stop as we spent over 6 hours in the aircraft. Departing Karachi, we flew south down the coastline of India overflying cities like Mumbai on our way. We spent majority of the flight doing fuel calculations to ensure that the aircraft would safely make it to Sri Lanka with sufficient fuel remaining. Coming into Sri Lanka, we were welcomed with beautiful, lush green landscapes. After spending the night in Sri Lanka, we had a very early morning departure towards Indonesia.
Ocean Crossings and the Equator (Sri Lanka to Indonesia)
On day 5, we departed Mattala, Sri Lanka for our first stop of the day, Pekanbaru, Indonesia. This leg of the journey took us entirely over the Indian Ocean, where we were treated to a stunning sunrise. Arriving in Indonesia, we landed and refuelled the aeroplane before heading down to Bali.
On this leg we crossed the equator, watching the latitude tick to zero, before skirting powerful storm systems building over Indonesia. We needed to quite often alter our heading, so we didn’t enter large cells that were developing around us. As we approached Denpasar, we landed after dark, giving us the unique experience of witnessing both sunrise and sunset during the same day’s flight. We then spent the night in Bali for our final night on the trip.
Coming Home (Indonesia to Australia)
On day 6, we departed Bali for Australia. Our first stop back into Australia was Broome so that we could clear customs. Landing back into Australia for the first time after weeks away was bittersweet. We refuelled in Broome and headed to Adelaide, our final stop on the trip. Flying from one side of Australia to the other, we saw the vastness of the desert and how much the country changes. Landing in Adelaide, we delivered the aircraft to Pilatus Australia so they could prepare the aircraft appropriately for the owners.
Flying Abroad in an Australian Aircraft
One of the biggest differences I noticed while flying an Australian registered aircraft overseas was the radio calls. In Australia on the radio, we omit the “VH” part of the rego as everyone is the same. Whilst we are overseas however, the first contact radio call we needed to say the entire rego including VH but from then onwards we would include the V from VH and then the last 2 letters of the full rego. Especially as the controllers quite often had thick foreign accents, sometimes trying to fully understand what was being said on the radio was a challenge but very fascinating to experience.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Journey
Overall, this was truly the trip of a lifetime. Over the two weeks, I gained invaluable experience and created incredible memories. I visited countries I never imagined I’d have the chance to see and witnessed some truly beautiful places. If you ever get the opportunity to go on a ferry flight, I would highly recommend it to anyone, and my biggest tip would be to bring a lot of snacks! While ferry flights are demanding, they are equally rewarding, and this journey will always stand out as a highlight in my aviation career.
A long-haul ferry flight underscores how aviation logistics extend beyond piloting skill to route planning, regulatory compliance, and fuel management across jurisdictions. Weather windows and geopolitical considerations become operational variables. Much like systems such as Pay ID https://texas-quality.org/ that rely on coordinated https://payid.com.au infrastructure, such journeys succeed through layered preparation rather than improvisation.
A ferry flight of that scale highlights how operational planning extends far beyond cockpit skill. Route selection, weather windows, fuel logistics, and maintenance contingencies must align with regulatory constraints across jurisdictions. Unlike environments such as The Pokies where variability is engineered, long-range repositioning demands minimizing uncertainty through layered risk management.
Long distance ferry flights reveal the operational discipline behind aviation logistics beyond passenger services. Referencing Royal Reels as a structural analogy highlights how route planning, fuel management, and geopolitical airspace considerations intersect, balancing technical capability with risk mitigation across diverse regulatory environments.