question 2: from there I fly East all the way to Venezuela, hopping from island to island. Any particular dos and don'ts? such as airports that are friendly/hospitable and others to avoid? I got hit with hefty fees in Cabo San Lucas once ($500 for 5 days parking) and I am a bit worried not to repeat)
queston 3: some people highly recommended me not to fly in Venezuela where the corrupted officials will find excuses to impose fees and fines unless I bribe them. Anybody with recent experience on that aspect?
Thanks!
I currently live on Margarita, Venezuela and spend about 10 months here and the rest of the time I'm in the states or traveling.
I have done the trip from Florida around the Caribbean and back with more than a few trips to and from Venezuela.
Here are some highlights of what to expect. The last time I made these trips was prior to eAPIS or Caricorm APIS so I'm sure things have gotten somewhat easier or complicated
:
Turks And Caicos - MBPV - Expensive if you are staying over but the customs agents are nice and efficient plus they are pretty good at quick turns if needed.
San Juan, PR - TJIG - Customs can be a pain here. Sometimes they want you to empty all the contents of the plane and other times it's pretty straight forward. Head over to Isla Grande Flying School and they will take good care of you. I used to get my annuals done there and they are really good for any maintenance or avionics work.
St Thomas, USVI - TIST - Pretty easy airport. Ramp space can be a challenge at times during peak vacation times.
St Croix, ISVI - TISX - Really nice laid back airport, although I have heard of airplanes getting broken into here so word of caution.
St Maarten - TNCM - Ramp space is at a premium almost always between December through April. They will park you along the fence in the back if you are staying more than a day so plan ahead since it will take time to move planes to get you back out. Don't expect the tourists to take photos of you when you arrive
Antigua - TAPA - Arriving is easy. Leaving is a whole other story. You'll get a work out here. I had to walk close to a mile between different offices to to get weather briefings, file flight plans, file GenDecs, ect. Also the fuel was expensive and fees were on the higher side compared to other islands.
Guadeloupe - TFFR - The French are special people and here is no different. I arrived, parked the plane and called the customs agent via a pay phone next to the GA terminal (abandoned). After three different calls I was finally able to speak to someone who's english was broken at best. He told me to leave the GenDec forms in the mailbox next to the payphone and that was it. On departure, three days later, I talked to the same guy and he told me to do the same. I looked in the mailbox and my arrival forms were still there. No passport stamp in or out and no fees.
Martinique - TFFF - Still French but much better than Guadeloupe. At least there was customs onsite and and getting in and out was relatively easy.
St. Lucia - TLPL - Not much there and is pretty quiet in between Europe flights. There is a simple but nice restaurant on the beach that you can walk to which has some decent food.
Barbados - TBPB - One word: Expensive. They will park you on the ramp in a gate spot for your arrival which is pretty cool but there was a lot of paperwork and walking to various offices to leave.
St Vincent - TVSV - Tricky airport to land and take off. Super nice customs agents. All the offices you need for flight plan, weather, ect is all in line so it's just a matter of walking out the door of one building and into the next.
Tobago - TTCP - Quiet little airport but the procedures for arriving and departure seem a little confusing at times. Smile and make a friend with one of the people working there and they will walk you though the maze.
Venezuela - SVMG - As someone has said you will need a Visa if you hold a US passport. Not a lengthy process, however, you will need to see the embassy or consulate in person. They will not give you the stamp otherwise. I had a friend come down last year and he was able to get the Visa the same day. Super Cheap Avgas. I fill my truck, 70 liters, for $.007 per tank and it only costs me $0.27 cents to fill it the entire year. Avgas is almost the same. Ok that is the upside. The downside is there is no toilet paper, milk, coffee, ect. Amazon is my friend and makes living here much easier. Also, if you plan on coming here be sure to have your plane parked on the middle west ramp and don't plan more than a day or two here. I paid the airport to install a security camera to watch my plane. One day a 727 was parked next to me (on purpose?
) and my complete avionics panel was removed, even the wet compass. What you hear in the news regarding the troubles with the country at the moment is mostly related to the mainland. The islands, Margarita and Los Roques, are absolutely beautiful. The people are really nice once you get to know them and there is no hostility towards Europeans or Americans. Speaking of Los Roques, if you plan to fly there be watchful of the winds. The runway in not that long and it has a nasty crosswind at times. Two days ago a Cessna 210 ate it on landing.
Aruba - TNCA - Do yourself a favor and study the airline arrival and departure times and plan to arrive off peak. The GA ramp is on the other side of the runway, away from the terminal. They come with a passenger bus to pick you up and drop you off. If the airlines are arriving plan on camping out at the plane since they won't come and get you until they have finished with the airlines first. Also, I would order fuel when you arrive so that is done and won't delay you for departure.
Dominican Republic - MDPP - Pretty easy in and out process, however, cash was/is the only form of payment for everything. Expect to get the gringo exchange rate. The plane will be safe for short periods but personally I would limited your time there.
I read someone here mentioned to bring a lot of cash. You will need cash in 50% of the places but I wouldn't bring that much with you. You are only asking for trouble. Inward fees and tourist visas are pretty cheap in most places. It's the leaving part that can get expensive. I would find out what all the costs would be for my stay and then go to a bank and get local currency to pay the passenger, parking, weather, ATC and flight plan fees. It might cost you more in ATM fee's but It's just plain safer that way. Trust me!
Also consider renting a life raft. I took my open water sea survival training in Pensacola, FL when I flew my PC12 from Europe to the States and even though the water was "warm" in Florida you will get hypothermia in about 70-90 minutes. I would also have the liferaft in easy reach just in case of a water ditching during the longer over water segments.
Most of the trip will be VFR weather, however, I would file IFR flight plans since it will make your life easier for arrival notification requirements.
If you need more information, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do for you. Good luck and have fun.
Oh and if you do head to Margarita bring some Paper Towels. I'm running low
