Flying a private plane around the Caribbean in spring 2004

"Martin Hotze" wrote in message
...
On 2 Nov 2003 12:59:36 -0800, Klaus Bucka-Lassen wrote:

Four people + luggage + survival gear will
admitedly be hard, not to say impossible, in a PA28 for instance. So
we might look into something slightly bigger - maybe something with
retractable gear / turbo / constant speed or similar performance
improving technologies.

Maybe a C182 will do the job.
You need a high speed endorsment for a C182.


Never heard of a "high speed endorsement". Who requires that?

wrote in message This guy was unhelpful when asked
and was simply being officious.
No sign of 'sorry but you should have done it another way'. Just being
as B*** awkward as he could have been!!!

That Customs officer was being an ass. The Customs office in Fort Pirce is
famous for it. Only the general aviation side of Customs at Miami Int'l is
the worse. I wish I was there to help you out. The head Customs buttwipe in
Ft. Pierce used to be at Palm Beach Int'l until he pulled his routine on the
wrong passenger.

D.

Martin Hotze wrote in message If you plan such a trip (Cuba etc.) then
you should have a tourist visa.
Foreigners have a hard stand these days, esp. in the US.

I am thoroughly familiar with immigration issues as pertains to the
US. This month marks 25 years that I have been flying the Caribbean. A visa
waiver is valid for re-entry into the US for 90 days from the
date of first entry from anywhere in the western hemisphere. To prove the
date of first entry, the person(s) must present the green stub of the I-94
form which was validated at their original entry along with their passport.

D.

Klaus Bucka-Lassen wrote in message Neither of us have an instrument
rating and don't plan to get one.

Instrument ratings are only required for night flying. Caribbean weather is
usually VMC.

As for where to hire the plane I had an idea of going to one of the
British, French, or Dutch islands (Turks, Caicos, Virgin, Anguilla,
Point-a-Pitre, Martinique, etc.). At least Great Brittain and France
(not sure about Holland) are JAR-countries like Switzerland, so our
licenses should be valid there (unless there are special rules about
thos islands). However it will be a whole lot more expensive and
complicated to get to those islands then say Miami for example.

Guadelope and Martinique are both French territories. Both have non-stop
flights from Paris and possibly from Brussels. Both have flight schools. I
don't have any phone numbers though.

As for the drug-problem that was mentioned in a few postings: Even if
I did empty the entire plane of luggage before each departure Is that a
real possibility?

A very remote possibility. The bad guys stay to themselves.

However, I do agree that some
countries are more suitable for vacation than others. Haiti for
instance doesn't sound so great. But which ones do you think we should
avoid?

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines docks in Haiti twice a week. Club med is
scheduled to re-open in Haiti soon. Jamaica has a huge tourism industry
while also maintaining the highest per capita homicide rate in the islands.
Don't discount a destination because of a negative public image. Decide
which ground based activities you wish to partake in (diving, fishing,
hiking, partying) and then decide on where to visit.

D.

Klaus,

(covered 42 states by motorcycle in
1995)


You seem to be a man of unusually long holidays...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

On Mon, 03 Nov 2003 01:45:30 GMT, "Capt. Doug"
wrote:


As for where to hire the plane I had an idea of going to one of the
British, French, or Dutch islands (Turks, Caicos, Virgin, Anguilla,
Point-a-Pitre, Martinique, etc.). At least Great Brittain and France
(not sure about Holland) are JAR-countries like Switzerland, so our
licenses should be valid there (unless there are special rules about
thos islands). However it will be a whole lot more expensive and
complicated to get to those islands then say Miami for example.

Guadelope and Martinique are both French territories. Both have non-stop
flights from Paris and possibly from Brussels. Both have flight schools. I
don't have any phone numbers though.

I found the following, for possible aircraft rental a couple of years
ago, when I did a caribbean cruise. Don't know if it's still valid.

Ace Flying Centre, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 340 776 4141
Clair Aero, Tortola, Virgin Islands 248 495 2271
Fly BVI, Tortola, Virgin Islands 284 495 1747

Light Aeroplane Club, Grantley Adams Airport,
Barbados +1 246 428 7101 via Ext.

Peter Barnard, Castries Flying Club, St. Lucia +1 758 452 2333
Fax +1 758 452 3336 (PA28-180)
I had a fantastic flight round the island with Peter but I don't know
about off Island rental.

Premier Air, St. Croix, Virgin Islands 340 778 0090

St. Bathelemy Wings Flying Club, Aeroporte de St. Bathelemy,
97133, District of Guadeloupe 0590 27 72 63, Fax 27 82 52
Instructor & Air Traffic Controller studiooceane.wanadoo.fr
C172 U$ 90, C182 U$ 150
Mandatory Instruction from French Pilot BEFORE landing!
Whilst my wife enjoyed the beach I spent a couple of hours watching
the landings over a high hill with turbulent crosswinds.


David

Piper Warrior G-BHJO
Scotland, UK

E-mail (Remove Space after pilot): pilot

"David" wrote in message
...

St. Bathelemy Wings Flying Club, Aeroporte de St. Bathelemy,
97133, District of Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe itself, not SBH 100+ miles to the north, has a number of
airports. The main PTP w/ 11,000-ft runway is home to a number of private
planes. The airport at St Francois is smaller, and has fewer planes which
call it home. St Francois is an upscale resort area. I really haven't
looked at the small airport next to Basse Terre. There are small airports
w/ scheduled Twotter service on 4 of the nearby islands of Guadeloupe. I've
seen 2 of them and didn't notice any resident planes.

The airport at Montserrat, within sight north of Guadeloupe, has been closed
by volcanic flows. I understand that a new airport is about to open.

"Capt. Doug" wrote:

Jamaica has a huge tourism industry
while also maintaining the highest per capita homicide rate in the islands.

Well, *somebody* has to have the highest rate, so the fact that it's Jamaica
isn't particularly important. How high is it compared to, say, Miami?

George Patterson
You can dress a hog in a tuxedo, but he still wants to roll in the mud.

In my opinion, you all have a HUGE amount of spunk (American slang for
"willingness to be adventurous", I guess) to even contemplate a trip like
this


Interesting I nearly wet myself laughing about the terminology. "Spunk" is
English slang for semen. Guess you can see why it sound funny. Saying
someone is spunky is an obscenity.

"Dave" wrote in message
...


In my opinion, you all have a HUGE amount of spunk (American slang for
"willingness to be adventurous", I guess) to even contemplate a trip
like
this


Interesting I nearly wet myself laughing about the terminology. "Spunk" is
English slang for semen. Guess you can see why it sound funny. Saying
someone is spunky is an obscenity.

OK. I guess we Yanks can be obscene at times. Kinda' fun, actually.