Piston Singles easily serviced outside of the US (Latin America)?

[robicano22]

Good day, PoA. I was wondering what the folks here thought would be some easily serviced piston singles when outside of the US - mainly in Latin America. For context I'd like to purchase something in the next ~year or so and eventually move/fly around Latin America (anything I purchase will likely be under $125,000).

My guess is a Cessna obviously, but is there anything else I can get away with? I would love to cruise in something faster like an M20, but I'm afraid anything that isn't "run of the mill" GA status would be a ***** nightmare to service in Latin America. Who has first hand experience in this realm? How do you deal with FAA mandated services/inspections abroad? How common are A&P's?

TIA,
WVC

 

[Geosync]

In my experience in dealing with claims south of the border there are a fair amount of FAA rated A&P mechanics, in certain countries. Seems to be where there are American expats. Mexico seems to be ok. I had a client who lived on Roatan Island and had his N reg plane maintained in Honduras with a local AP IA. Costa Rica has a couple American expat A&Ps.

Now, I've had to ship in A&Ps to Venezuela to get stuck jet out of there so not everywhere is FAA friendly as one can imagine. And I doubt you'll be hanging out there anyway.

Not sure about type. Seems like the small GA claims I have down there are Cessnas. I think the Baja Bush Pilots group could offer 1dt hand experience.

 

[Bell206]

My guess is a Cessna

If you're talking south of Mexico, Cessna was the most prevalent in my experience with Piper second. At one time Cessna had a huge network of dealers/service centers all over Central/South America. Now I think Cessna only operates a few jet centers at the big cities and I believe Piper still has a few service centers there.

How do you deal with FAA mandated services/inspections abroad?

As long as your aircraft is N reg it's no different than as in the States. Some people fly in a APIA and some use local talent depending on country. I mainly worked the helicopter side down there but had a number of opportunities to assist/support/work on various private fixed wing.

How common are A&P's?

Depends on country. If you want a list of IAs for that region contact the Miami IFO for a list by country. There used to be an AC that listed them but it was canceled in favor of an online database that I haven't had much luck with on the international IA listing side.

 

[steingar]

There's a guy who flies his Mooney all over Central and South America. I suspect airports in the capitals have mechanics and whatnot. Getting parts could be problematic.

 

[MooneyDriver78]

There's a guy who flies his Mooney all over Central and South America. I suspect airports in the capitals have mechanics and whatnot. Getting parts could be problematic.

Thanks to Fedex, UPS, etc that should not be a problem, unless problematic=expensive.

 

[steingar]

Thanks to Fedex, UPS, etc that should not be a problem, unless problematic=expensive.

The problem isn't shipping, it's customs. For example, the customs fees in Guatemala are nuts, and would push up the price of any repair job.

 

[Bell206]

The problem isn't shipping, it's customs.

This ^^^. Sometimes you can't even import some aviation parts without special permits, etc. and especially if you are an expat. There are legit paths to reduce the customs costs like aviation free trade zones, but unless the receiving person or company has the right status it can lead to delays and sometimes lead to loss of the parts.

 

[Snowmass]

The C-182 is probably the most popular in Latin America or the 172. Also carrying a spare cylinder assembly with base nut wrenches is a good idea. Spare parts aboard is usually allowed. And a tool kit is also a must.

 

[motoadve]

I flown in Central America for a few years, Costa Rica has great mechanics, Guatemala and Panama also has great mechanics, Mooneys, Bonanzas, Cessnas, no problem.
Peru, not much general aviation in Peru.
Parts, bring some with you, not much parts availability in Latin America, will take time and be more expensive.

 

[robicano22]

There's a guy who flies his Mooney all over Central and South America. I suspect airports in the capitals have mechanics and whatnot. Getting parts could be problematic.

can you share contact info with this gentleman? i wouldn't mind picking his brain about mooneys down south.

I flown in Central America for a few years, Costa Rica has great mechanics, Guatemala and Panama also has great mechanics, Mooneys, Bonanzas, Cessnas, no problem.
Peru, not much general aviation in Peru.
Parts, bring some with you, not much parts availability in Latin America, will take time and be more expensive.

from someone who is working on his private, what parts do you recommend bringing? what happens when you're at a small airport with no mechanics nearby? do you pay to fly them in?

As long as your aircraft is N reg it's no different than as in the States. Some people fly in a APIA and some use local talent depending on country. I mainly worked the helicopter side down there but had a number of opportunities to assist/support/work on various private fixed wing.

when you say "no different than as in the States", you're saying my annual will still be due on the same date it would be due here in the US? what authority is actually checking on that in a foreign country? is the mexican aviation regulatory body familiar with FAA regulations? am i in trouble in mexico if my N reg plane is out of annual?

also, what's an APIA? some google searching didn't return anything.


thank you all!

 

[Bell206]

you're saying my annual will still be due on the same date it would be due here in the US?

Yes. Same rules no matter where you are located.

what authority is actually checking on that in a foreign country?

Depends. There are many bi-lateral agreements out there. However, in some locales having an N registered aircraft attracts more attention than local aircraft. For example, most of the stolen aircraft used to move drugs in Central America have N numbers. If you plan to fly off grid a lot in CA/SA may want to keep that in mind.

is the mexican aviation regulatory body familiar with FAA regulations?

Yes.

am i in trouble in mexico if my N reg plane is out of annual?

Don't know. Never had to worry about that ferrying aircraft around. However, most countries require the aircraft to be airworthy in order to operate in their country.

what's an APIA?

FAA Airframe and Powerplant mechanic with an Inspection Authorization. You need the A&P mechanic to work on your aircraft and an A&P mechanic with an IA to sign off your Annual inspection or major repairs or major alterations.

 

[robicano22]

For example, most of the stolen aircraft used to move drugs in Central America have N numbers. If you plan to fly off grid a lot in CA/SA may want to keep that in mind.

That's not the first time i've heard this...do you know what sorts of measures gringos usually take to prevent this from happening?

Thanks for all the info Bell

 

[Bell206]

do you know what sorts of measures gringos usually take to prevent this from happening?

It really depends on what type of flying you plan to do and where. People who have contacts in the areas would network with others and see what the current "climate" was as it can change on a regular basis. If just passing through like ferrying through several countries, some engage one of a number of specialty companies that assist owners with navigating the rules to get from point A to point B. In my experience, which is dated, it was subjective to many things at times. But with today's social networking capabilities I would think for your average gringo expat tooling around CA/SA for pleasure you could get plenty of input through those platforms for free. And when common sense tells you to bump it up a notch and get some pro help then you could have have prearranged with several companies to get you that help.

 

[motoadve]

I always carry a vacuum pump, a tube and a spark plug