jlacharite wrote:..... My only reason for pursuing it was that it will need an annual done almost as soon as it arrives in Massachusetts anyways, and the possibility of the Navy allowing me to finagle it into household goods. If it can not be shipped at no cost to me, I will definitely sell it.....

Even if shipped "fo free", you should consider the time you & your friends would spent disassembling crating & containerizing the airplane, and all the reassembly time. Then add in the cost of repairing possible damge incurred in the shipping. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

The straight answer is airplanes are not authorized as household goods. If you choose to try to ship it as HHGs, you run a couple risks:
1. someone finds out and now you're subject to UCMJ action: in the long run (if your staying in for the long run), the financial costs from delayed career progression due to UCMJ punishment likely will add up to be more than the cost of doing it correctly would be
2. plane gets damaged in transit: if it's part of your HHGs, you won't be able to making a claim for something that wasn't authorized to be in the shipment, so your only option is to make sure your insurance will cover it. That may not be likely if it's not being moved by a company that knows anything about moving planes.
3. plane arrives safely and no one with power finds out: only you can decide if that 140 is that much better/important to you compared to what you can find in the states.

Please don't misinterpret my post; I'm passing no judgment, but rather making sure you're making an informed decision. If it were me, I'd sell it and find something else when you get back to CONUS. Lots of planes end up getting damaged in the disassemble/ship/reassemble process from shippers that claim to know what they're doing; I can only imagine the carnage from movers that are moving something they know little about and will have no financial liability should something happen along the way. If they are really shady, maybe that box never shows up at the port...

As much as it kills me to admit it, all logic says to sell it. So, i guess ill keep in contact with my potential buyer, and in the meantime fly the ever-living hell out of it Thanks for all the input everyone!

jlacharite wrote:HA! officer privilages... no luck there, im just a lowly little E-5... if I find a loophole AND if im crazy enough to try it, ill let you know how it goes!

The military will pay you to fly the plane. There is check box for your mode of travel called ‘POV Airplane’ or at least there was in 2015 when I last PCSed

Jeff M wrote:
The military will pay you to fly the plane. There is check box for your mode of travel called ‘POV Airplane’ or at least there was in 2015 when I last PCSed

I’ve PCSed 6 times flying the plane between locations. CONUS moves I was always compensated at the POA rate. The three time either to or from Alaska, they only compensated me for the cost of a commercial ticket. Damn cost comparison worksheet got me.

moppready wrote:

Jeff M wrote:
The military will pay you to fly the plane. There is check box for your mode of travel called ‘POV Airplane’ or at least there was in 2015 when I last PCSed

I’ve PCSed 6 times flying the plane between locations. CONUS moves I was always compensated at the POA rate. The three time either to or from Alaska, they only compensated me for the cost of a commercial ticket. Damn cost comparison worksheet got me.

I may be flying my -12 from AK to UT in May or June. Definitely curious as to how it went for you.

I tried to have HHG move my Cessna 140. Policy explicitly states airplanes are not considered household goods and not considered eligible. HHG will ship boats/ small yachts one way (OTO). I attempted in vain to "sea lawyer" the regs and claim the 140 would be on floats and should therefore be considered a boat. It was well under the weight and size limits allocated for the OTO transport of boats. They (NAVSUP) didn't buy it.

Only feasible option is to try Opportune Lift (OPLIFT). It's basically Space A on ships. Lots of additional vehicles, boats, campers, etc are transported this way to/ from overseas/ CONUS.

Good luck!

Ernie

dogpilot wrote:Yes the military will not ship boats or planes

I never tried it with the military, but a relocation with the federal government for a DoD job at a naval shipyard paid to move my sailboat. It was described as a "mobile home" because I was living on the boat at the time and planned to live on it at my new duty location. It helped that the shipyard needed my skill set (I'm a nuclear engineer) and they were willing to interpret the regs as liberally as possible. That particular approach is a little tougher to pull off with an airplane.

I fly a lot of MIL PCS moves in big freighters. I'd love to see a C140 down below, and it'll fit fine. What we care about is declared HAZ, and just about everything is accepted, just declare it. Anything w a combustion engine and batteries is haz.