Flying In Mexico

[G-SPOT is Back]

Anybody any info on flying out there, will my FAA PPL do if I do a BFR? Is VFR flying allowed pretty freely, costs etc.

Very grateful for any help

[Sensible]

All flying in Mexico is strictly on a flight plan. Most of the radio is in Spanish. Controllers and other pilots at anything other than international airports speak little or no English or a form of English known only to themselves!

You don't say what part of Mexico or whether you intend to fly from the USA.- it can be difficult to find a half reasonable aircraft to rent and fly from the US into Mexico and there are all sorts of border problems.

Things work a little differently in Mexico outside of the costa del holiday resorts!

I would suggest that you try to find somebody to rent you an aircraft first, that may be trickier than you expect!

[This message has been edited by Sensible (edited 22 February 2001).]

[FAAJAA]

I suggest getting in touch with the Baja Bush Pilots in Arizona, they have a website. Everyone there is an experienced Mexico hand. Flying down there gets a bit pricey, avgas is very expensive and sometimes hard to find.
However, you have armed guards to guard your plane everywhere (16 year old kids with M-16s) and you must file flight plans. (Filing a flight plan sometimes consists of writing your details in the airport notebook).
I suggest you go down with an old mexico hand the first couple of times, its a bit dodgy to do it on you own the first time.

[Sensible]

Actually, Mexico isn't half bad, The average sort of wage thouugh is about 50 Pesos a day and there's 14 Pesos to the quid so you will understand that everybody is looking for every extra way to make a bonus whether its as your guard, washing your car or simply nicking the spare wheel out of your car! It's a great place though - providing that you have a pocket full of Pesos, an understanding of the Spanish language and understand and accept that different rules apply!!

They have a new President, Senor Fox, he seems to have made some progress with cleaning up the corruption to some degree. If he survives the bomb and the bullet, Mexico may even become a first world country within a couple of decades!!