When flying in Mexico you have to be very
aware of your fuel state as gas stations are few
and far between and it’s best to have Pesos
when in Mexico as the airport fuel credit card
machine may not be working. Curiously the
machine always worked on the jet fuel truck
but was intermittent when buying avgas. If
you elected to use dollars, you always ended up
on the short end of the exchange rate and you
never got change.
Your arriving flight will be met by armed
military men no matter which airport you land
at. Most of them do not speak English. They
will give your plane a cursory look over and
want some basic info i.e. where you departed
from, where you are going, the full name of
the pilot & sometimes the passengers, and how
much fuel you have onboard in liters. Once you
have answered the questions they kind of just
wander away or over to the next airplane. You
don’t give them any money. As a matter of fact
I have not “tipped” anyone for their services
except the fuel guys at Loreto who make a
point of pushing the tip bucket at you when you
pay for your fuel. A dollar or two is sufficient if
you choose to tip them.
The TSA paperwork to cross into, and come
back from Mexico, is somewhat convoluted
and best taken care of through organizations
that have the appropriate TSA set up such as
the Baja Bush Pilots. You will first have to
establish an account with the TSA before you
can file a flight plan to leave and come back
into the country.
A whale watching trip is not to be missed and
should be on your bucket list. Baja is a safe
place to fly and a few of the participants even
brought their kids to enjoy experience of being
in a foreign country and have the opportunity
see, and possibly pet, a whale.
The bottom line when traveling to Mexico;
do your homework, find someone or an
organization that has been there and done
that. Know your airplane, fuel consumption at
various power settings, oil consumption, etc.
The Mexican authorities have their own way
of doing paperwork and it all involves patients.
Be patient and be prepared to have fun, kick
back and enjoy yourself.
Up close and personal
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