Flying Baja and Mexico
Publisher James Glover takes a private plane expedition the length of Baja.
With all of the new TSA rules, slow downs at the airports as well as higher costs and lower quality of service on the major airlines (extra baggage charges, taxes, delays and overbooking) flying to Baja and other parts of Mexico in a private or charted plane has become more reasonable as well as exciting way to fly Baja.
My first flight in my own plane down the entire peninsula of Baja was an adventure, but uneventful, as it should be if well prepared. I could have made the flight in one day but left southern California a little late and with the first time entry into San Felipe airport had some paperwork to complete that slowed me down so I only made it to Loreto airport the first day. I then flew out of Loreto Airport direct passing by La Paz to Cabo San Lucas airport the next day. In my little plane nicknamed 'La Paloma” (the Dove) it was a total flight time of 6 hours from Corona airport. While of course the commercial jets have shorter flight times the airport security checks and having to be at the airport so much ahead of time it works out to be very close to the same travel time from home to destination.
The real advantage is that you can fly on your schedule, go pretty much where you want as long as you respect Mexico's airspace regulations and stay in contact with air control or the closest airport when necessary. If you and your plane are instrument qualified you can fly at night on an IFR flight Plan, as long as the airport you are going to is open or you have made advanced arrangements.
I had 2 days of perfect flying weather with very little turbulence even at the lower altitudes that I flew for the scenic benefits of Baja. I first want to advise any private or commercial pilots that using San Felipe as my Mexican airport of entry (MAOE) went very smoothly. The airport staff including the commandant, customs, immigration and military were not only very friendly and helpful but really encouraged me to return and spend some time flying in that area which I hope to do in this next year.
The Baja peninsula offers some incredible scenery especially at the lower altitudes used by general aviators as well as there are many airports all the way down that have points of interest, services and or hotels and restaurants associated with them. Many are unimproved but great strips that you can land right at a beautiful beach or whale watching, surfing, fishing, diving and kayaking areas.
Soaring along in a small plane around the mountain ranges, beaches, desert openness, aqua waters and islands is truly a freedom that is hard to describe in words. I have included with this article a few of my aerial shots in hopes they prove to be worth more than just my words in describing this incredible peninsula of Baja.
Some may think I'm a bit crazy to fly such a small plane (27' wingspan, 20 long and 4'6” tall) up and down Baja and other parts of Mexico, but I believe I'm safer than many other ways people have traveled Baja whether by land, air or sea. My airplane is a certified glider, self -launching; meaning if the engine quits I can still fly a long ways and even maintain or gain altitude without the engine, giving me plenty of time to find a good place to off-land as glider pilots say.
I'll never forget meeting a group of racers pre-running the course for this years' Baja 1000 in Loreto as they were disembarking from a nice jet. One of the racers asked me how could I fly something that small and feel safe. I asked if he was a motorcycle racer because of the helmet he had. He admitted yes and I asked him so you think it's safer to race 1000 miles through the remote desert at night at an average speed of 100mph? They all laughed and agreed they're probably crazier than I.
I don't really believe I, they or many others that have sailed small boats, kayaked, ridden bikes, walked and even flown ultralights around Baja are crazy if the are well equipped and prepared. Through my years of living and traveling most of Baja I have met some real characters that have traveled some incredible distances, some requiring many months. Some famous and others just for the fun; all claimed to having had an awesome adventure.
I did by chance run into Geary of the www.sonrisenet.org who lives in Mulege. He not only told me how he uses www.BajaInsider.com weather as a part of his research for his morning ham radio Baja broadcast daily; but many other Baja adventures and tales of many other Baja characters.
While flying into Mexico in your own plane may seem a little daunting with all of the regulations and paper work it really is not difficult at all. You do need to file a flight plan from the states which will be canceled automatically as you enter Mexican airspace. Once you land expect to have your plane inspected by the customs (aduana) and or the military however in my case with such a small unique aircraft neither had an interest other than just admiring my plane.
I do have a couple of advantages in that I speak Spanish as well as I'm a dual citizen but they assured me in San Felipe they welcome all pilots equally and try very hard to assist them in any way. Once in Mexico it is is required to obtain a tourist card or show your Fm3 or Fm2 if you have one. Another difference between the US and
Mexico is that you are required to file a flight plan when you fly from controlled airports only; including flying locally. It really isn't that big of a deal and they are very helpful in filling out the forms and the costs for this is very little. Depending on whether the airport is government owned or private the charges may differ but generally just a few dollars for the process and approximately $5 landing and airport use fee. There will probably be additional fees for tie down overnight but again this is around $5 for light aircraft and more for the larger twins or jets.
I first flew into Baja many years ago with my father and did so several times when I was very young. I loved flying Baja and all over the west with my father for many years of my life. It was because of my father's influence and assistance that I became a Commercial pilot and Instructor when I was 19. While I have many hours as an instructor, back then I really couldn't afford to fly for fun. Now that I'm back flying it is my greatest joy to just fly for fun as well as fly as a commuter to the states and other parts of Mexico cheaper and easier than commercially.
I want to thank Jack and all other members at www.BajaBushPilots.com making information so easily available and assisting others to Fly Baja and Mexico on their own. I'll be headed north again for a quick trip to the cold around Christmas and back after the New Year. I'm sure I'll have more photos as well as hopefully more stories of Baja characters I meet along the way...