BajaNomad

Anybody been flying in baja?

fishbuck - 10-2-2016 at 01:51 PM

I am about ready to start flying again. So was wondering if anybody has a general report from baja.
I guess I should pony up the 50 bucks or so for the Baja Bush Pilot site so I can read their forum.


[Edited on 10-2-2016 by fishbuck]

David K - 10-2-2016 at 02:19 PM

That sounds like a good idea. I hope you get to fly down Mike.

shari - 10-4-2016 at 12:27 PM

I just flew down to Asuncion in my amigo's Cessna...they cleared customs in Ensenada...easy peasy. I will U2U you info.

fishbuck - 10-4-2016 at 12:53 PM

Nice! Thanks.

fishbuck - 10-4-2016 at 01:20 PM

Anybody want to fly to Baja?

Brown Field in San Diego to anywhere in Baja with a runway. Share expense flights cost about $50/seat/hour/4Pax.
So for example. Mulege is 495 miles.
My plane flys at about 150/mph. So figure about 3.5 hours. 7 hours roundtrip. Ballpark is about $350/seat/round trip Otay to Mulege.
It's not cheap but saves alot of time over driving. And it's alot of fun.

woody with a view - 10-4-2016 at 01:23 PM

So 5 souls total? When are you available?

Terry28 - 10-4-2016 at 01:26 PM

And how about the Bay of LA??

fishbuck - 10-4-2016 at 05:23 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Terry28  
And how about the Bay of LA??


Looks like 325 miles. About 2.5 hours each way. 5 hours total round trip.
Some about $250/seat.
I've driven that a few times. I think I remember that as a 10 hour drive.

David K - 10-4-2016 at 05:43 PM

Please take photos from up there!
$50/ hour is an awesome price... compare that to the cost of flying in a helicopter in Baja at $600/ hour... but that can be divided by three passengers.
It will be great to see you smiling again Mike... Baja is calling you back!

KaceyJ - 10-4-2016 at 06:45 PM

Quote: Originally posted by fishbuck  
Anybody want to fly to Baja?

Brown Field in San Diego to anywhere in Baja with a runway. Share expense flights cost about $50/seat/hour/4Pax.
So for example. Mulege is 495 miles.
My plane flys at about 150/mph. So figure about 3.5 hours. 7 hours roundtrip. Ballpark is about $350/seat/round trip Otay to Mulege.
It's not cheap but saves alot of time over driving. And it's alot of fun.



That's a fine offer there Fishbuck

How many hours TT do you have?

RBoffroad - 10-4-2016 at 07:17 PM

Have flown down a few times from Canada. A few pics on one of my posts at cessna 172club.com attached.

The only fuel once past the border is Loreto on the Sea of Cortez side.

Bring lots of dollars for customs. Everyone has their hand out. About $60 for various fees etc...at port of entry.

All in all, very easy to do. Be sure to have Mexican Insurance and a radio operators license before you go.

http://www.cessna172club.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showfl...

fishbuck - 10-4-2016 at 07:22 PM

I think I'm right at 400. I am toying with the idea of retiring from my real job (Boeing) and becoming a full or part time flight instructor some in Southern Ca.
My Baja dream revolves around flying there. My place in San Quintin has a runway and was one the main reasons I bought there.
Flying there is a 1 hour ride versus 5 plus hours of white knuckle driving.
My best buddy just recently hired on as a part time right seat pilot in a Beechcraft King Air 200. He flies from Orange County airport to Cabo.
So in essence he has my job that I want. They are sending him to school and paying for him to get a Cessna Citation 500 type rating.
So yeah, I got a little catching up to do.
The lower tier pilot jobs don't pay much but a great retirement job for me since I can suppliment with my pension and 401k.
So that's my plan now. Baja flying is a great way to build time.



BigBearRider - 10-4-2016 at 07:53 PM

What do you fly?

Saw a 182(?) at La Serenidad this afternoon.

LancairDriver - 10-4-2016 at 10:37 PM

Flying into and out of Baja or anywhere out of the US has become more complicated than it used to be after 9-11. Also the loss of many Baja airstrips due to the war on drugs doesn't help. You must file an eapis form electronically with customs and border patrol listing the aircraft information as well as complete information on each passenger traveling. You must state the time you will be entering the port of entry. There is a large fine ($5,000) if you miss your stated time by more than 30 minutes. This must be filed both on departure and entry. The Mexican government likes this system so much the decided to have you duplicate the same system with them, so you must duplicate the effort with them. The upside is that if you belong to the Baja Bush Pilots they will do all of this for you, so it's well worth the $45 yearly membership fee.
Another thing to keep in mind is what the payload of the aircraft you are flying in is. With four medium to large sized adults plus full fuel, there is very little room for baggage or other gear due to weight and space constraints. This will apply to the majority of light four seat aircraft you see in Baja.
The views are of course spectacular, and the travel time is considerably less than driving. Those who fly down regularly typically have a Casa and transportation in place. Of course the weather can have a huge influence on your travel plans, and many flyers could have reached their destination by bus faster than flying due to weather. Trying to push the weather situation has caused more than a few to meet a sad ending.
When flying as a passenger don't be afraid to ask questions if there is anything that concerns you, particularly if you are not that familiar with flying in light aircraft.

dtbushpilot - 10-5-2016 at 04:39 AM

What Lancair said....

mtgoat666 - 10-5-2016 at 06:35 AM

Before you fly with a recreational pilot, ask him:
How many hours do you have flying this aircraft?
How many hours have you flown each of past 12 months?
Many pilots get so few hours so infrequently that their familiarity with plane is limited.

Ken Bondy - 10-5-2016 at 06:54 AM

Made over 100 flying trips to Baja between 1973 and 1993. Treasured part of my life:

Floatflyer - 10-5-2016 at 08:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RBoffroad  
Have flown down a few times from Canada. A few pics on one of my posts at cessna 172club.com attached.

The only fuel once past the border is Loreto on the Sea of Cortez side.

Bring lots of dollars for customs. Everyone has their hand out. About $60 for various fees etc...at port of entry.

All in all, very easy to do. Be sure to have Mexican Insurance and a radio operators license before you go.


Boy, my experiences are quite different than yours. While flying into Baja more than 200 times from the early 80's till '13, I NEVER gave any customs officer money. Yes, I would tip the flight plan guy and gas attendant as a thank you, not for any other reason. X-2 on Mexican insurance and Baja Bush Pilots.

I virtually always cleared customs in Mexicali and avoided customs in Loreto. I found that I had a few issues in LTO, like asking for dog papers, fishing license for taking some frozen fish back to the USA( I leave my license at my place on the East Cape), nothing important but annoying.

Fuel is available at Mexicali, San Felipe, LTO, & La Paz, basically at any port of entry airport. I avoided San Jose del Cabo as small GA planes were charged landing fees that were not worth it to me. E-Apis is easy AFTER you set up your account and figure out how what they want for information. Having a set manifest on file is also nice providing you fly with the same "crew" all the time. FF

David K - 10-5-2016 at 08:13 AM

Quote:
Quote: Originally posted by RBoffroad  
Have flown down a few times from Canada. A few pics on one of my posts at cessna 172club.com attached.

The only fuel once past the border is Loreto on the Sea of Cortez side.

Bring lots of dollars for customs. Everyone has their hand out. About $60 for various fees etc...at port of entry.

All in all, very easy to do. Be sure to have Mexican Insurance and a radio operators license before you go.



Boy, my experiences are quite different than yours. While flying into Baja more than 200 times from the early 80's till '13, I NEVER gave any customs officer money. Yes, I would tip the flight plan guy and gas attendant as a thank you, not for any other reason. X-2 on Mexican insurance and Baja Bush Pilots.

I virtually always cleared customs in Mexicali and avoided customs in Loreto. I found that I had a few issues in LTO, like asking for dog papers, fishing license for taking some frozen fish back to the USA( I leave my license at my place on the East Cape), nothing important but annoying.

Fuel is available at Mexicali, San Felipe, LTO, & La Paz, basically at any port of entry airport. I avoided San Jose del Cabo as small GA planes were charged landing fees that were not worth it to me. E-Apis is easy AFTER you set up your account and figure out how what they want for information. Having a set manifest on file is also nice providing you fly with the same "crew" all the time. FF



Very informative!

fishbuck - 10-5-2016 at 10:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BigBearRider  
What do you fly?

Saw a 182(?) at La Serenidad this afternoon.


Rental Cherokee 6

BigBearRider - 11-25-2016 at 09:57 AM

So, did you fly down yet?

mtgoat666 - 11-25-2016 at 10:08 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BigBearRider  
So, did you fly down yet?


I heard he flew Spirit airlines to SAN, then got a rental geo metro from rent-a-dent.