Exporting a flying RV

[seattleworm]

One of my friends living oversea wants to buy a flying RV. Anyone has experience exporting an RV? What is involved? I known a DAR will do an inspection and sign C of A for exporting production airplanes, is it the same for the experimental? If a DAR did an inspection, is it still necessary to do a prebuy inspection?

Any advice is appreciated.

[mv031161]

Originally Posted by seattleworm

One of my friends living oversea wants to buy a flying RV. Anyone has experience exporting an RV? What is involved? I known a DAR will do an inspection and sign C of A for exporting production airplanes, is it the same for the experimental? If a DAR did an inspection, is it still necessary to do a prebuy inspection?

Any advice is appreciated.

You need to check the country reciprocal aeronautical regulations. Most dont have Experimental as an option . and DAR;s are not going to issue a CoA export since its not a certified aircraft unless they have the provisions of the importing country to do so and therefore allowing the DAR to issue you the bonded document.

[Mark Albery]

I'm in the process of selling my RV-4 to a European buyer.

It must be de-registered before it can be registered in another country.
There will need to be a bill of sale, commercial invoice and bill of lading covering everything that is being shipped and showing the true value of the shipment. Fuel and oil will need to be drained.
Incorrect paperwork will cause delays, so work with an agent who knows the process.
The AOPA web site has some useful information explaining the process.

If it is being flown rather than containered to its destination, much of the same applies, but you will need authorization for each country you transit and comply with any requirements of their AIP (Transport Canada have a lot of requirements for crew, aircraft and survival equipment for aircraft heading over the ocean). In that case deregistering etc is best done after it reaches the final destination.

[fly.more.work.less]

Just going through the process of importing into Australia. All of the above is correct. If coming into Australia or New Zealand, it's important that the aircraft is very clean, packed using appropriate 'pressure treated' timber, and the container is fumigated before leaving port. Feel free to PM if you wish to know more.

[seattleworm]

Thanks for everyone's input. It helps alot. I guess I still have some homework to do, but your feedback gives me a direction. Thanks again!

[PH-SCP]

I cannot add much more to the above. I imported an RV-9 from Florida and had it up and running within two weeks of it's arrival in a container.

You don't need an export CofA but I advise you to have an expert look at the aircraft before you buy and do a thorough prebuy inspection. A multiple offender homebuilder, familiar with the type and preferably also an A&P/IA can do the job and safe you a lot of money and trouble.

Make sure that your country accepts the US CofA as a basis to issue a local CofA and CofR. In my country this was no issue but other authorities may be more difficult to convince.

Make sure there are no loans resting on this plane. Spend some money on a title search. Payments can be done through an escrow service. However, consider that they charge a lot of money. I bought from somebody that I didn't know and felt it was worth the money specially since I convinced the Seller that it was in his favour too after which his agreed to pay half the the costs.

Also check transportation costs and import taxes.
Most importantly, have it dismantled and packed by an experienced company. Craige Vince is a good one on the West Coast and mine was done by Southeastaero in Florida (http://www.southeastaero.com/) which did a great job. The airplane arrived without a scratch.

If you have any specific questions about transportation (I did a F8 Falco before and ferried it from Oregon), just let me know. Be glad to answer a!

Good luck !

[rv8@ph-cya.nl]

Hi Shawn,

I am going through the process at the moment, importing an RV from the USA into Europe.
Check your local regulations regarding flying and importing experimental aircraft. And as mentioned above, account for the taxes and the import duties. Determine how you want the shipment to be done, i.e: who is taking care of Customs in your country and who will transport the container to its destination. It pays off to ask quotes from various agents for this.
Also it might be a good idea to get the aircraft inspected ? a pre purchase inspection. And finally select a containerization company with proven results. I can recommend http://neelaviation.com from Lakeland. They use an unique way for the containerization and they are also available for the pre-purchase check, with experience on handling and checking RV?s. They are quick to reply to overseas email and go beyond regular customer service. No, I am not related to them in any way, just a happy customer