Cabo

Daniel L

Daniel L

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Daniel
Can anyone on here describe an experience where they flew their airplane to Cabo San Lucas on vacation? How did the airport deal with an international GA customer? How were the fees, services? Offerings for hangars available?

A friend asked if I ever plan on going there after I get some hours post licensing and it never did. Now I am, lol. I'd love to golf down there.
 
If you like being treated like Royalty and being called Captain, it is a great experience. Red carpet, greeting committee, Roses for the ladies, souvenirs for the pilots, toys for the kids. Fuel seems pretty cheap by US standards, at least the oily kind. I paid for a handler which is not necessary if you want to do a little more legwork. Called the FBO and told them I was coming. Faxed (e-mailed) all my documents ahead for time, and cleared customs while watching TV on a leather couch, eating free snacks and drinks while my papers cleared. The rental car was waiting literally 10 feet from the door. First class in my opinion. Baja bush pilots can walk you through it and even file your eAPIS. Don't need a hangar unless a Hurricane is coming, weather is quite mild. In the event of a Hurricane, the surfing could be a little too challenging, so would probably just head home. Handling fees run a few hundred for everything, but again if you want to do a little more legwork yourself, you can skip most of those. Call the FBO ahead of time and get an e-mail outlining all the charges, so you are not surprised. I used MMSL.
 
Rockymountain said:
If you like being treated like Royalty and being called Captain, it is a great experience. Red carpet, greeting committee, Roses for the ladies, souvenirs for the pilots, toys for the kids. Fuel seems pretty cheap by US standards, at least the oily kind. I paid for a handler which is not necessary if you want to do a little more legwork. Called the FBO and told them I was coming. Faxed (e-mailed) all my documents ahead for time, and cleared customs while watching TV on a leather couch, eating free snacks and drinks while my papers cleared. The rental car was waiting literally 10 feet from the door. First class in my opinion. Baja bush pilots can walk you through it and even file your eAPIS. Don't need a hangar unless a Hurricane is coming, weather is quite mild. In the event of a Hurricane, the surfing could be a little too challenging, so would probably just head home. Handling fees run a few hundred for everything, but again if you want to do a little more legwork yourself, you can skip most of those. Call the FBO ahead of time and get an e-mail outlining all the charges, so you are not surprised. I used MMSL.
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Wow that sounds great.

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Can talk about flying myself into Cabo, but I flew in commercially. If flying myself skirts the customs line, I'd be all for it.
 
JCranford said:
Can talk about flying myself into Cabo, but I flew in commercially. If flying myself skirts the customs line, I'd be all for it.
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That's likely a different airport.

The airlines go into SJD, San Jose del Cabo. Cabo San Lucas (CSL) is much closer to the tourist areas, and the town of Cabo San Lucas, so I'd expect a GA pilot to go there instead.
 
Larry in TN said:
That's likely a different airport.

The airlines go into SJD, San Jose del Cabo. Cabo San Lucas (CSL) is much closer to the tourist areas, and the town of Cabo San Lucas, so I'd expect a GA pilot to go there instead.
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Good point
 
Larry in TN said:
That's likely a different airport.

The airlines go into SJD, San Jose del Cabo. Cabo San Lucas (CSL) is much closer to the tourist areas, and the town of Cabo San Lucas, so I'd expect a GA pilot to go there instead.
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The difference in the two drives from the airports are about 25 minutes, 30 for one and 5 for the other. I haven't been there in about 7 years and the last time we went into CSL, as long as all the prior paper work is done, everything was smooth. Nice slick professional FBO's at each airport.
 
Rockymountain said:
If you like being treated like Royalty and being called Captain, it is a great experience. Red carpet, greeting committee, Roses for the ladies, souvenirs for the pilots, toys for the kids. Fuel seems pretty cheap by US standards, at least the oily kind. I paid for a handler which is not necessary if you want to do a little more legwork. Called the FBO and told them I was coming. Faxed (e-mailed) all my documents ahead for time, and cleared customs while watching TV on a leather couch, eating free snacks and drinks while my papers cleared. The rental car was waiting literally 10 feet from the door. First class in my opinion. Baja bush pilots can walk you through it and even file your eAPIS. Don't need a hangar unless a Hurricane is coming, weather is quite mild. In the event of a Hurricane, the surfing could be a little too challenging, so would probably just head home. Handling fees run a few hundred for everything, but again if you want to do a little more legwork yourself, you can skip most of those. Call the FBO ahead of time and get an e-mail outlining all the charges, so you are not surprised. I used MMSL.
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No kidding?? Been there on the GA side probably 30+ times. Never ever got a reception like that. We were a carrier, but a GA carrier non the less.
 
Slightly off topic, but I hear Cabo these days is a walled compound from the outside with security out the ying yang. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Slightly off topic, but I hear Cabo these days is a walled compound from the outside with security out the ying yang. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.
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For real?

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MMSL will give you the red carpet treatment. The other airport is not as GA friendly from what I’ve heard.

Handling fee for a single was $80 I think, but well worth it.
 
I haven't flown the Baja peninsula, but I will warn you that I flew the Maule down to Mexico six years ago and now I've ended up living here. So there is that risk...
 
Sac Arrow said:
Slightly off topic, but I hear Cabo these days is a walled compound from the outside with security out the ying yang. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.
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It wasn't when i was down there fishing last march.
 
rwellner98 said:
I haven't flown the Baja peninsula, but I will warn you that I flew the Maule down to Mexico six years ago and now I've ended up living here. So there is that risk...
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Big big risk indeed.

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rwellner98 said:
I haven't flown the Baja peninsula, but I will warn you that I flew the Maule down to Mexico six years ago and now I've ended up living here. So there is that risk...
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No risk here.
 
I love my office in Huatulco...

beach.jpg
 
How’s the internet speed in your office?
 
dans2992 said:
How’s the internet speed in your office?
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Currently it's pretty slow. 3mbps I think. But that's sufficient for what I need it to do (email and ssh to supercomputers). I have head room to upgrade to 7 or 10, IIRC. Getting beyond that would be more challenging. "Challenging" in this part of the world would likely entail becoming a service provider myself. There is better backbone connectivity 45 minutes away in three different directions.
 
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