Flight to Bahamas

I have been a couple of times. It can be very interesting and fun. Last
time I went, had an engine failure on takeoff on return trip. Not a good
place to have mechanical problems. Long story on replacing engine and
getting plane back to U.S. so I won't bore you with details.
My advice, have backup plans for your backup plans but have a great time.


"Stimbo" wrote in message
...
Wondered if anyone had some tips on flying a C172 (or similar) to the
Bahamas
from FXE (Ft. Laud. Exec.) ??

e.g. best guidebook, rafts needed?, easiest island to fly to, customs
procedures, etc.

Stimbo
Medford, NJ

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Stimbo wrote:

Wondered if anyone had some tips on flying a C172 (or similar) to the Bahamas
from FXE (Ft. Laud. Exec.) ??

Haven't flown to the Bahamas since I moved from FL in 1990, but we would always
use Ft. Pierce for customs on the way back. Used to be a lot less crowded than
the other So. FL airports of entry, don't know if that's still the case.

We'd usually plan the initial route from FL to the west side of Grand Bahama, on
that route you're only out of sight of land for about 45 minutes or so.

I'd vote for a retractable given an option (if you have to ditch a fixed-gear AC,
it's probably going to flip over when the gear hits the water). But if you've
got a healthy engine it doesn't have a clue whether it's over water or land (do a
mag check before getting too far over water for some added peace of mind, we do
that even when flying out to Catalina here in SoCal).

e.g. best guidebook, rafts needed?, easiest island to fly to, customs
procedures, etc.

I'll second the recommendation for "The Bahamas and Caribbean Pilots Guide" - It
used to be chock-full of useful info, since it's still in print I'd assume that's
still the case.

Have fun!

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GregR - Another Beemer Biker ...o&o

CA/IFR/BGI - KVNY

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