Baja - Mexico charts and insurance

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lucius

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Last time I flew to Baja in 2016 WAC charts existed and I did not get any additional insurance for Mexico, since my insurance covered Mexico. Customs in San Felipe was easy; however, the authorities did look at everything, including my insurance contract. It did not look like rubber stamping.

The Mexican eAPIS system worked flawlessly as well by sending an Excel sheet with the passport info as an email attachment to an email address in Mexico with quick email acknowledgement. I knew about Baja Bush Pilot but felt that the process is manageable without becoming a member.

Since then, WAC charts are not published anymore. Questions:

1)
https://www.aopa.org/travel/international-travel/mexico writes that the Mexican Authorities have informed AOPA that ramp inspections will begin nationwide by the Civil Aviation Authorities (AFAC). The list of documents that will be requested is among other items the "Adequate and up-to-date charts covering the route to be followed by the intended flight, as well as any other route by which the flight could possibly be diverted." What VFR charts are pilots using when flying to Baja?

2)
Do pilots crossing the border buy the additional insurance, despite their US insurance contract covering Mexico?

3)
Does the Mexican eAPIS (sending an Excel sheet) still work flawlessly?

4)
When filing the U.S. eAPIS I added my wife and kids as crew, so I don't need to enter the same passport information over and over again. This is not 100% correct, since my plane does not require any additional crew, but was told that CBP does not care. It has worked for me in the past. But has this changed? Is CBP now pickier?

Thank you!
 
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Jeppesen has paper charts for Mexico. And pretty much everywhere else.
 
I believe you will find with an online search Mexico accepts insurance issued by US companies. You will need to take the policy including the geographical coverage showing Mexico coverage and at least $300K liability.
 
Thank you murphey! I looked at the Jeppesen online store, and they just discontinued Mexico paper VFR charts in 2022. But Garmin has a single update for Latin America for the G3X for $39. Problem solved.

Thank you Clip4. My insurance agent just got back to me and said that the issue is that some parts of Mexico used to require a Spanish version of a policy in order to be valid, even if the English policy said it had coverage. He also said that they haven’t really seen it be an issue lately, but it has been a potential problem in the past.

One additional question:

5)
What are pilots doing wrt the noise certification requirement?
 
I would reconsider joining Baja Bush Pilots. It's a great resource for all things related to flying south of the border.
 
lucius said:
"
Baja Bush Pilots is behind a paywall. It's just a forum like PoA. Why not answering any Baja related questions here?
Click to expand...

It's more than just a forum. You can file eAPIS both ways thru there, receive up to date info regarding airport issues, fuel availability, regulations, trip reports etc. Plus the forums are a wealth of info for questions just like yours, frequented by people regularly making trips south of the border. It's a whopping $49/yr. Just trying to help.
 
I agree with the comments above about the value of membership in Baja Bush Pilots.

Regarding insurance:
  • if your US-issued policy clearly states coverage for Mexico and at or above US$300,000... that's sufficient (ref: letter from Mexican authorities)
  • you can get a short-term Mexico-issued policy from Baja Bush Pilots.
Regarding maps:
  • for in-panel GPS -- you'll want e.g. the Garmin "Americas" subscription
  • for ForeFlight
    • the Aeronautical map provides all the basic stuff (see below; terrain, airspace, VORs, frequencies, etc)
IMG_2573.PNG
  • you can load into ForeFlight outdated pseudo-WAC charts for Mexico (see below; useful for names of rivers, capes, etc) at:
    http://zeroslope.com/maps/
IMG_2574.PNG

If you're traveling to Mexico (or Bahamas, Canada) more than once or twice a year I strongly suggest getting a FlashPass.net (and app) subscription for greatly simplified eAPIS filing.

Enjoy
Wayne

Happy to help with any logistics questions, just DM.
 
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Our coverage covers Mexico but the broker added ..."

Mexico is part of the policy territory. You might want to look into buying Mexican Liability. I believe you can buy it on a trip by trip basis through Baja Bush Pilots or get through the current carrier, but you have to buy the annual policy.
 
lucius said:
Last time I flew to Baja in 2016 WAC charts existed and I did not get any additional insurance for Mexico, since my insurance covered Mexico. Customs in San Felipe was easy; however, the authorities did look at everything, including my insurance contract. It did not look like rubber stamping.

The Mexican eAPIS system worked flawlessly as well by sending an Excel sheet with the passport info as an email attachment to an email address in Mexico with quick email acknowledgement. I knew about Baja Bush Pilot but felt that the process is manageable without becoming a member.

Since then, WAC charts are not published anymore. Questions:

1)
https://www.aopa.org/travel/international-travel/mexico writes that the Mexican Authorities have informed AOPA that ramp inspections will begin nationwide by the Civil Aviation Authorities (AFAC). The list of documents that will be requested is among other items the "Adequate and up-to-date charts covering the route to be followed by the intended flight, as well as any other route by which the flight could possibly be diverted." What VFR charts are pilots using when flying to Baja?

2)
Do pilots crossing the border buy the additional insurance, despite their US insurance contract covering Mexico?

3)
Does the Mexican eAPIS (sending an Excel sheet) still work flawlessly?

4)
When filing the U.S. eAPIS I added my wife and kids as crew, so I don't need to enter the same passport information over and over again. This is not 100% correct, since my plane does not require any additional crew, but was told that CBP does not care. It has worked for me in the past. But has this changed? Is CBP now pickier?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

I don't know if it applies to you, but if its been a few years since crossing the border I will mention it just in case.

If you are flying anything with a Special Airworthiness Cert (EAB/ELSA/SLSA), you should join Baja Bush Pilots.

Technically, you have always needed approval to fly a special airworthiness airplane into Mexico, but the Mexican Civil Aviation Authority didn't enforce it for so many years that they did not even have an avenue to get approval. For the last couple of years, Experimental Airplanes flying into Mexico have had major challenges, only in the last month or two has Mexico offered the approval needed and as far as I know, Baja Bush Pilots is the only organization offering assistance obtaining it that has received the approval before.
 
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