In June 2025, a Beechcraft King Air 360 lifted off from Fargo, North Dakota, bound for its new home in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The ferry route spanned 6,800 nautical miles and two continents, requiring crossing the North Atlantic and overflying some of the harshest landscapes on Earth. For any ferry crew, this kind of trip is equal parts flight planning exercise, weather management and problem-solving in real time.
This was a much-anticipated trip that my husband, Joe, and I got to take together. Typically, these missions are flown by a single pilot, but insurance requirements on this aircraft called for a second pilot. I happily recruited Joe, and he cleared his calendar so he could co-captain the three-day trip.
The mission began at Hector International Airport in Fargo (KFAR), where Weather Modification International had just installed optional equipment on the 2022 King Air. The aircraft’s PT6A engines hummed steadily as we departed on a warm June morning. I was especially excited about the weather, as I’m usually only in Fargo in can’t-feel-your-face blizzard conditions.
The chosen path was a classic North Atlantic ferry corridor: Fargo to Goose Bay, Canada, then on to Keflavik, Iceland; Aldergrove, Ireland; Sarajevo, Bosnia; Hurghada, Egypt; and, finally, Dammam. While the King Air 360 boasts a maximum range of more than 1,800 nautical miles under ideal conditions, operational legs were kept closer to 1,000 to 1,400 nm to account for reserves and winds aloft.
Day one
The first leg was 1,500 nm nonstop to Goose Bay, Canada – a familiar waypoint for ferry pilots bound for the North Atlantic. Goose Bay (CYYR) remains a critical staging point, offering long runways, reliable fuel services and a last chance to double-check survival gear before the remote crossings ahead.
We had a huge tailwind and plenty of fuel reserves when we landed, but the refueling in Goose Bay was our first indication that all may not be right with our fuel gauge indicators and available fuel quantity. The gauges said one thing, but the wing tanks took something different. We double-checked the numbers against the forecasted headwinds on the next long leg to Keflavik, Iceland, then notified our dispatchers that if all did not look right by Greenland, we would likely divert to Narsarsuaq (BGBW) for additional fuel. Fuel management quickly became the defining theme of the trip.
We departed Goose Bay after our quick turn and pushed toward Keflavik (BIKF). Our fuel gauges showed that one aux fuel tank was emptying faster than the other, but our previous fueling indicated an aux tank wasn’t transferring 200 pounds of usable fuel. While the King Air 360’s range and Pro Line Fusion avionics offer loads of capability, crossing the icy waters of the North Atlantic demanded that we play it safe and conservatively. We waited as long as we could to make the call but ultimately decided to divert to Narsarsuaq. It turned out to be a great decision. Again, despite an aux tank reading empty on the gauges, it still had a little more than 200 pounds in it. When you are stretching the legs toward max range, 200 pounds of now seemingly unusable fuel really starts to matter.
It was a reminder that ferry work demands conservative planning and flexible decision-making – even in an airplane as dependable as the 360.
Unplanned stop notwithstanding, both Joe and I always love stopping in Narsarsuaq. BGBW is considered one of the more challenging arrivals into Greenland and should only be attempted when you know the weather is good and forecast to stay above the published approach minimums. If you arrive on a clear day, the fjord approach allows for amazing views of the terrain and glaciers. If you happen in on a day where an instrument approach must be flown, you’re in for a surprise when you find minimums at almost 1,800 feet above ground level, less than 3 miles from the threshold, just clearing surrounding terrain. If you break out at minimums, you are in for a steep descent on the final segment to make it to the runway. The challenging approaches and unpredictable weather are why, after almost 85 years of hosting thousands of aircraft on their way across the North Atlantic, Narsarsuaq will be shut down in 2026 upon the completion of a new airport with easier access closer to the coastline.
The unplanned stop put us a little behind schedule on an already long flying day, so we spent little time lamenting the impending closure of “Bluie One” with the locals and got on our way to Keflavik. Our arrival into BIKF was uneventful – just the way we like them – and we were eager to find our hotel room after traversing more than 2,800 miles and more than nine flight hours on day one.
Day two
From Keflavik the following morning, we continued to Aldergrove, Ireland (EGAA), trading glaciers for green fields. By this stage, the crossing had bridged North America and Europe. I cannot say enough how much I love stopping at EGAA and visiting with the personnel at Global Trek. They offer amazing customer service and are always happy to load me up with snacks from the cupboard for my next leg. We tried not to be too disappointed that we were there shortly after a military contingent had departed with most of the best goodies, ha!
From Ireland, the ferry route traced a southeasterly line to Sarajevo, Bosnia (LQSA). The stop was a new one for me and I was excited to see the area as we flew in. However, summer convective activity took its toll on the region and after a weather-related ground delay at Aldergrove, it was dark when we started our descent into Sarajevo. Joe was equally interested in landing there, but for him it was a return to an area that he spent a lot of time at while on active duty as a U.S. Army Black Hawk pilot. He warned me of the sharp mountain ridges coming out of the valley that we could not see. Although it was VMC, without a moon, the blackness of the invisible mountains offered a stark contrast to the city lights ahead. We were extra careful to brief the approach and surrounding terrain prior to starting our final descent. Although we had only two legs that day, we managed to cover another 2,000 nm and nearly eight hours of flight time.
Eastbound travel over long distances always starts to wear on the body after a couple days. You lose time with the time changes as you travel east, and it’s difficult to get into a good sleep cycle when your clock says one thing, but your body feels like it is hours earlier. Usually by day three or four of a long trip like this, pilots start to feel the fatigue setting in at both ends of the day due to shortened sleep cycles and messed up circadian rhythms. It’s at this point I was especially grateful for a highly experienced, second pilot on board – it was just a bonus that it was my husband.
Day three
Leaving Europe behind the following morning on the final day of our trip, we crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Hurghada, Egypt (HEGN). This was another long leg (1,300+ nm) that was in danger of needing a diversion because of our fuel issue. We had now had five fuel stops where we validated that the right aux tank was not transferring 200 to 220 pounds of fuel to be burned by the engine, although the quantity indicator would depict an empty tank. Even with light headwinds predicted on the route, we were questioning whether we would have the fuel reserves that we liked to see upon landing.
King Air 360’s new home in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
Another problem that had plagued us throughout the trip: Although the aircraft was RVSM certified to FL350, it was so hot we had trouble getting there. Once in Europe and North Africa, we were seeing ISA +29 in the upper flight levels. That means it is no easy climb to FL350 where we could have mitigated the lower available fuel quantity with a lower fuel burn. We typically had to level off around FL280 to FL300 and burn off a considerable amount of fuel before we were able to continue our climb. We eventually made it to FL350 and managed to stretch our fuel to make the leg to HEGN without an alternate fuel stop.
As we crossed the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt, the desert air was hot, the Red Sea sparkled to the east and the reality of the Middle East arrival began to take shape. The airplane, designed for both rugged reliability and passenger comfort, performed flawlessly even in the extreme heat of Egypt’s summer.
The last leg carried the aircraft across the Red Sea and the Saudi desert to Dammam, Saudi Arabia (OEDF). Touching down after sunset marked the conclusion of a journey that spanned more than a dozen time zones, eight countries, a wide range of climates and nearly 30 hours of flight time.
Lessons learned
Every ferry flight teaches lessons, and this one was no exception.
First, fuel isn’t just about capacity, it’s about availability. This applies to route planning and fuel transfer or flow issues that may pop up in flight.
Second, the King Air 360 is a workhorse! From short strips to hot-and-high departures in Egypt, the airplane’s systems and PT6As delivered consistent reliability.
For ferry pilots, trips like this are part technical challenge, part adventure. The King Air 360 proved itself a capable partner – fast enough to make steady progress, yet versatile enough to handle short fields and demanding approaches. The route itself was a living history lesson, tracing paths once flown by early pioneers of transatlantic aviation, now supported by satellite navigation and global weather data.
In the end, the ferry flight from Fargo to Dammam wasn’t just a delivery, it was a reminder that even in the age of global airlines and nonstop jets, the old romance of crossing oceans in a turboprop still lives on.