AN ATX FRTR PLT FLEW AN ACFT WITHOUT A FERRY PERMIT.

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ADVISED BY DISPATCH TO SWAP PLANES WITH CREW AT CAK WHO HAD EXPERIENCED AN ELEVATOR TRIM FAILURE. AFTER SWAP; OTHER CREW TOOK OUR ACFT. OUR MAINT DEPT OBTAINED A MECH TO FIX ELEVATOR TRIM ON DOWNED ACFT. AFTER REST; WE WERE DISPATCHED TO RETURN ACFT TO OUR MAINT BASE. OUR CHIEF MECH ADVISED ME THAT ACFT WAS READY FOR FERRY FLIGHT TO BASE OVER PHONE. AT ARPT; THE MECH WHO FIXED ACFT STATED HE DID NOT HAVE PART TO FIX TRIM; BUT HAD DISABLED ELEVATOR TRIM IN NEUTRAL POS TO ALLOW ACFT TO BE FERRIED HOME. HE ASKED TO SIGN ACFT LOG SHOWING HIS WORK AND ADVISED ME ACFT WAS IN AIRWORTHY CONDITION. UNDER THIS KNOWLEDGE I BELIEVED ACFT WAS LEGAL TO FLY. I ARRIVED AT MAINT BASE SAFELY. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I AM ADVISED BY OUR MECH THAT THIS FLT WAS ILLEGAL SINCE ACFT DID NOT HAVE A FERRY PERMIT AND THAT TRIM WAS NOT CORRECTED TO COMPLETELY FIXED SIT. I BELIEVE I WAS MISLED BY THE CHIEF OF MAINT THAT THE ACFT WAS LEGAL TO FLY TO MAINT BASE PART 91 AS A FERRY FLT AND THAT THE MECH PERFORMING THE MAINT AWAY FROM BASE THOUGHT THIS ALSO. THIS PROB COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED HAD OUR MAINT ASSURED THAT ACFT WAS FIXED COMPLETELY INSTEAD OF TRYING TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS BY HAVING THE PLANE BROUGHT HOME INSTEAD OF FIXED ON THE ROAD AND MISLEADING ALL WHO WERE INVOLVED.