An FAA ferry permit, formally called a Special Flight Permit, is temporary authorization to fly an aircraft that doesn’t currently meet all airworthiness requirements to a place where it can be repaired, inspected, stored, or otherwise handled. It’s issued under 14 CFR Part 21, Subpart H, it’s free when issued directly by an FAA office, and it hinges on one question: can the aircraft, despite whatever is wrong with it, safely make the specific flight you’re proposing?
The permit is not a way to keep flying a non-compliant aircraft. It covers a defined flight or series of flights, for a defined purpose, under conditions written onto the permit itself. There is no standard duration in the regulation; the issuing office sets the window based on the trip.
Do You Actually Need One?
Not every equipment problem triggers a ferry permit. Under 14 CFR 91.213, a Part 91 aircraft can sometimes fly with inoperative instruments or equipment without any permit. If the aircraft has an approved Minimum Equipment List, the MEL governs. For smaller aircraft without an MEL, you can fly with an inoperative item if it isn’t required by the type certificate, the equipment list, the VFR-day instruments in 14 CFR 91.205, or an airworthiness directive. The item has to be removed or deactivated, placarded, and the work documented.
When the deficiency goes past what a pilot can legally defer under 91.213 — an overdue annual, structural damage, an expired airworthiness condition, missing required equipment — the ferry permit becomes the only legal way to move the aircraft.
Qualifying Purposes
The FAA will only issue a Special Flight Permit for a purpose listed in 14 CFR 21.197:
- Flying to a base where maintenance, repair, or alterations will be performed, or to a point of storage. This is the classic ferry flight and the most common reason owners apply.
- Delivering a newly manufactured aircraft to a buyer, or exporting it from the United States.
- Production flight testing of new aircraft.
- Evacuating an aircraft from an area of impending danger, such as the path of a hurricane or wildfire.
- Customer demonstration flights in a new production aircraft, but only after production flight testing is complete.
- Operating above the maximum certificated takeoff weight for flights beyond normal range over water or remote land where adequate fuel or landing facilities aren’t available. The excess weight is limited to the additional fuel, fuel-carrying equipment, and navigation gear needed for that specific flight.
That last category is the only one where an otherwise airworthy aircraft might still need a permit. It exists mainly for long over-water ferry flights that require temporary auxiliary fuel tanks.
How to Apply
The formal application is FAA Form 8130-6, “Application for U.S. Airworthiness Certificate.” Despite the name, it’s the same form used for ferry permits. The FAA prefers online submission through its Airworthiness Certification tool at awc.faa.gov, but paper applications on Form 8130-6 are still accepted.
Under 14 CFR 21.199, the application has to state:
- The purpose of the flight, matching one of the qualifying categories above.
- The proposed itinerary — departure point, route, and destination.
- The required crew, including pilot, copilot, navigator, or other essential personnel.
- The nature of the noncompliance: exactly how the aircraft fails to meet airworthiness requirements, whether that’s an expired annual, inoperative equipment, damage, or something else.
- Any operating restrictions the applicant thinks are necessary for safe flight.
- Any additional information the FAA requests.
The Mechanic’s Inspection That Makes or Breaks It
The most scrutinized part of any application is the evidence that the aircraft is capable of safe flight despite its deficiencies. An FAA-certificated Airframe and Powerplant mechanic or a Part 145 Repair Station must inspect the aircraft and document the inspection in the maintenance records. The inspection focuses on whatever makes the aircraft non-airworthy: if the annual is overdue, the mechanic confirms the aircraft is still mechanically sound for the trip; if specific equipment is inoperative, the inspection verifies that the remaining systems support safe flight for the planned route and conditions.
A vague logbook entry saying “aircraft inspected, safe for flight” won’t cut it. The write-up should address each deficiency listed on the application and explain why the aircraft remains capable of safe flight in spite of it. The FAA can also require its own inspection or additional testing before issuing the permit, and for damaged aircraft or any situation where safety is in question, the agency is expected to physically inspect rather than rely on the mechanic’s paperwork alone.
Where to Send It and What It Costs
The application goes to the Flight Standards District Office responsible for the geographic area where the flight will originate. That’s true regardless of where the aircraft is registered or where the owner lives. You can also route the application through a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR).
The FSDO processes applications at no charge, but turnaround depends on inspector availability and workload. A DAR can usually act faster, but DARs set their own fees and bill for their time, including any travel to inspect the aircraft. If the aircraft is sitting at a remote airport far from the nearest FSDO, a DAR may be the only realistic option.
Conditions You’ll Fly Under
The permit document spells out exact conditions, and deviating from them puts you in the same legal position as flying without a permit at all.
Weather and Route
The standard condition on most ferry permits restricts the flight to VFR in visual meteorological conditions during daylight only. The flight must follow the most direct and expeditious route consistent with the aircraft’s operating limitations and the weather. If instrument-capable flight is needed, the applicant has to justify it in the application, and the FAA has to specifically authorize it on the permit.
Who and What Can Be Aboard
Ferry permits generally restrict occupants to crew members essential for conducting the flight. Passengers and unrelated cargo are not permitted. The permit will specify the required crew, which was part of the application to begin with.
Carry the Permit
The physical or electronic permit document, with all its stated conditions and limitations, must be aboard the aircraft during the entire flight. A ramp-checking inspector will expect to see it.
Pilot Qualifications
The pilot must hold appropriate certificates and ratings under 14 CFR Part 61, the same rules that govern all pilot certification. There is no special “ferry pilot” certificate, but there is one useful relaxation. Under 14 CFR 61.31(b), a pilot may operate an aircraft that normally requires a type rating without holding that rating for up to 60 days, provided the flight is a ferry flight (among a few other categories) and the FAA has specifically authorized it. The authorization comes with operating limitations, and the flight can only carry crew members essential to the operation.
Similarly, 14 CFR 61.55(g) waives the normal second-in-command familiarization training requirements for ferry flights, as long as the aircraft carries no persons or property beyond what’s necessary. These exceptions recognize that ferry situations don’t always allow full training and currency in a specific aircraft type.
The Insurance Gap
Many standard aircraft insurance policies exclude coverage for any flight conducted under a Special Flight Permit. Some policies state directly that there is no coverage if the aircraft is operated under conditions requiring a Special Flight Permit or any other waiver, even where the FAA has granted it. Courts have upheld carrier denials on that basis.
Other policies contain related exclusions for aircraft operated with inspections not current or an airworthiness certificate not in full force and effect. Those are often the exact conditions that create the need for a ferry permit in the first place, so the exclusion can overlap completely with the flight you’re planning. Before you fly, contact your broker or carrier and get the coverage question answered in writing. FAA authorization and insurance coverage are separate questions with separate answers.
What Flying Without One Costs
Operating a civil aircraft without a valid airworthiness certificate, or in violation of its terms, is prohibited under 49 U.S.C. 44711. Flying a non-airworthy aircraft without a Special Flight Permit exposes both the owner and the pilot to FAA enforcement.
Consequences range from civil penalties to certificate action against the pilot. The FAA can suspend or revoke a pilot certificate for operating in violation of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Civil penalties for individuals can run into tens of thousands of dollars per violation, with the specific maximums adjusted periodically for inflation; for entities, the ceiling is substantially higher. On top of the regulatory penalties, an accident during an unauthorized flight in a non-airworthy aircraft creates significant personal liability, especially when the same conditions that made the flight illegal also void insurance coverage.
A Note on Airlines and Large Fleet Operators
Part 119 certificate holders and Part 91 subpart K management specification holders have a streamlined alternative under 14 CFR 21.197(c): a Special Flight Permit with continuing authorization built into their operations specifications, rather than a separate permit for each ferry flight. It requires an FAA-approved continuing flight authorization program and a continuous airworthiness maintenance program. Individual aircraft owners and small operators don’t qualify for this pathway and go through the standard application process described above.