"Dallas" wrote in message
ink.net...
I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced flying a light aircraft south
of the Rio Grande or in the Caribbean/Bahamas.

Limited experience in the Bahamas, yes.

Generally, what are the expenses of landing, parking and fuel compared to
flying in the US?

At least in Marsh Harbour, fuel expenses were somewhat higher for fuel, not
unexpected given the relatively remote nature of the Bahamas generally. No
landing fee at all, and I don't remember if I had to pay a parking fee.
Doesn't seem like I did, but I could be misremembering.

How does this work with airports that don't have a 24-hour staff?

As in the US, if you need to clear Customs, you need to arrive during the
hours Customs is available. Other issues are likewise the same as in the
US: if you need services, you need to be there when the services are
available. Pretty simple.

In the Bahamas, a VFR flight can only take place legally during the daytime
anyway. Though that doesn't preclude arriving before or after "office
hours", it does make it less likely.

Should
one expect corrupt officials trying to rip you off at every opportunity?

I don't have enough experience to answer that. I had no trouble at all in
the Bahamas. They have a lot of paperwork, but they seemed perfectly honest
about it and I didn't have to grease any palms. My experience was quite
pleasant, far more so than my typical experience going through US Customs.

Do the medium to smaller airports have fences or do you run the risk
of having your avionics disappear overnight?

IMHO, you run that risk any time, even in the US. That said, I would guess
the issue depends more on just the general geographical region in which
you're operating. I didn't find that anyone seemed all that worried about
theft in the Bahamas, but certainly elsewhere it very well might be, and
more so than in the US.

Does one need to obtain a Visa prior to the trip to pass through one
country
on the way to another?

No visa is required for the Bahamas in any case. Beyond that, I would
expect the rules to vary by country, but I would guess that if you plan to
enter the country, even if just for a fuel stop, clearing Customs (including
having a visa, if required) would be required. Only if the airport had some
sort of segregated "transit" parking and services area could I imagine that
requirement would be waived, and I've never heard of that.

Pete