C172 Visits YSSY

Brad E · #1 2nd November 2011, 07:11 PM

A presumably rare type to visit, a very clean looking C172S (N5224A) touched down this evening, around 7pm. I spotted it on finals for 16L from my balcony and decided to drive down to confirm.

A quick search found it for sale in the US with an asking price of USD240,000 - I guess someone in Australia is the lucky buyer. Interesting decision to stop in at YSSY due to the landing and parking fees (compared to Bankstown).

Nigel C · #2 2nd November 2011, 08:19 PM

Sydney has customs and quarantine, so if it's a ferry flight then Sydney might be the first port of call in the country.

Brad E · #3 3rd November 2011, 02:54 PM

Ah! Makes sense then. I saw them stopped and escorted around the GA parking area by the Sydney Airport cars.

What happens to them from there, they jump in a car and get taken to customs to be processed?

How many GA ferry flights would pass through Sydney?

Mick F · #4 3rd November 2011, 03:12 PM

I once flew a C206 into YSSY back in 2003 on a Friday evening. Good fun!

Mick

Nigel C · #5 3rd November 2011, 04:02 PM

There's no guarantee that's why it stopped here, just a guess.
If that's why they stopped here, Customs and AQIS would have met them in the GA to process the people and aircraft.

Not many small GA ferry flights come through Sydney as far as I know. I presume many would make Norfolk Island or Brisbane their first Australian port.

Floody, I remember the post on the old board of you coming here. Was that really 2003???

Mick F · #6 3rd November 2011, 04:36 PM

Certainly was. 29th of August 2003. When I had all of 300hrs.

Nigel C · #7 3rd November 2011, 06:52 PM

I had a quick squiz at the 172 tonight. It was well and truly set up for a long ferry flight, with the 3 passengers seats removed and replaced by internal fuel tanks. Visibility out the right side would have been a challenge, and there's not a lot of room for the pilot to stretch out.

chrisb · #8 3rd November 2011, 08:48 PM

26th: Cessna 172S N5224A has departed Santa Maria for Hilo. Flight time is 19 hours 55 minutes

28th: Cessna 172S N5224A has departed Hilo for Pago Pago. Flight time is 22 hours.

3rd: Touching down at Sydney, Australia was Cessna 172S N5224A.
(The dates are slightly off by the look of it)

Source:

http://galonghaulnews.blogspot.com/search?q=N5224A

Mick F · #9 3rd November 2011, 09:18 PM

22hrs in a C172!!!!! Stuff that!

Nigel C · #10 3rd November 2011, 09:27 PM

With that much fuel on board, do you think he used the callsign "Heavy"? And how close to or beyond the max take-off weight would he have been?