Hi Blender:
Actually Panama is not cool, rather hot -
!!
You must mean the heliport on the marina-pier of the Miramar-Intercontinental. I operate there a lot. Luckily the owners of the hotel donīt charge landing fees (yet...), so it is the defacto city heliport for everybody! They also own the Holiday Inn which has a heliport, right beside the Panama Hotel, which has one too, but that one is tricky, as it seems there are always turbulence and fast changing ones, so you never get to settle in. Mostly it ends with a less than perfect touch down. The Holiday Inn is a piece of cake compared. The owners of the Miramar maintain their own R-44 in our hangar. The head of the clan is just preparing for his private checkride! So is his daughter, his son is flying the R since about a year and a half!
With a L4 you shouldnīt have any trouble to go over the Andes as long as you are not to heavy. I havenīt been there myself though. All our new ships were flown down from California - around 30-35 hrs to Panama. A light L4 (2 people and full fuel + some jerrycans in case...land on any beach fill up hot and go and donīt tell anyone!!.) should get you easy the distance. If you have any say in that matter, go for the trip it is worth it! Make a stop in Panama overnight and check everything for the trip through Columbia, so you can do that in one daylight move. I guess you would go to Guayaquil Ecuador - Peru - Bolivia.
However I donīt know what they want to do with a L4 down there. As it getīs really at the edge with usefull performance.
TR on any JetRanger or son of JR - sucks!! They should talk toUncle Frank (Mr.Robinson) - he could make them a REAL TR!!! But then, when he gets his hand on a Bell, there will not a whole lot be left untouched!!
If you stay over in Panama, go to the old Albrook-airport ("Marcos A. Gelabert"-airport, today) it is also international and you safe big bucks going into the city!
Give me an e-mail when you are on the trip, I give you a lift to the Miramar!
3top,