Cuba? Yes, Cuba. Our fleet of 90 airplanes, ranging from a King Air 200 twin turboprop to three Cessna 172s, flew smack over the middle of Cuba at altitudes ranging from 4,000 feet to the flight levels. Looking down on a foreign country so close to, yet so far from the United States, and talking to Cuban air traffic controllers, are a big part of why the Cayman Caravan is indeed a modern-day aviation adventure.
UPS pilot Ross Russo, and Paul Bertorelli, editor of IFR and Aviation Consumer magazines, lead the Cayman Caravan organization. Mostly volunteers, the organization manages the flying adventure, to include obtaining all the necessary permits for participants. The Caymanian government, which has invested considerable money and effort to attract general aviation pilots to the islands, is responsible for International Aviation Week activities.
The Cayman Caravan staff has been doing this for seven years so they know all the players in the U.S., Cuba, and the Caymans. They've even toured the Cuban air traffic control facility responsible for directing U.S. pilots overflying the island. That knowledge and access is invaluable when fielding the inevitable problems that crop up when a gaggle of small airplanes attempts to penetrate the airspace of a supposedly hostile nation.
The only performance requirement to participate in the Caravan is that your airplane have enough endurance to make the trip nonstop. I was flying an F33A Bonanza with tip tanks and 114 gallons useable fuel, which provides at least 6.5 hours endurance with an hour's reserve - more than enough to make the 330-nautical-mile journey, about 80 percent of which is over water. Each airplane must be equipped and current for IFR (you must fly the trip on an IFR flight plan), and have on board an approved life jacket for each occupant, and an inflatable life raft.
Caravan participants rendezvoused at Key West International Airport and gathered for a briefing over dinner at the local Holiday Inn. Each of us had previously received a package of information from the Caravan staff, including an informative "Pilot's Guide" booklet covering the history of the event, safety information, and important details on such things as routing and permits. We also had given them information about our airplanes and passengers and crew so they could obtain the Cuban overflight permits in advance, file flight plans, and prepare Caymanian and U.S. customs documents.
The briefing covered all the need-to-know information such as what to say when checking in with Cuban ATC, a review of the weather, and for those interested, a demonstration in the hotel swimming pool of post-ditching water survival tactics.
The Caravan staff stressed that, in an emergency, we should not hesitate to land in Cuba. Despite the diplomatic standoff between Cuba and the United States, Cubans treat American pilots hospitably, according to Russo and Bertorelli, and will fix aircraft. Two Cayman Caravan airplanes have landed on Cuban soil because of mechanical problems, and a third to take on emergency fuel. The only problem a U.S. pilot might face after landing in Cuba is dealing with U.S. authorities because federal law prohibits U.S. citizens from spending U.S. currency in Cuba. However, Caravan staff do not believe the three pilots who landed in Cuba had difficulty with U.S. Customs.
Beginning at 7 a.m. after the briefing in Key West, we began departing for Grand Cayman in groups of four, with a four-minute interval between each departure. Our Bonanza was heavy with fuel, and we climbed slowly south in the steamy morning air to our assigned 10,000-foot cruising altitude.
We were on an IFR flight plan so our official means of navigation was VOR using stations at Key West, Varder on the north coast of Cuba, Cayo Lago del Sur on a beautiful resort barrier island south of the Cuban mainland, and Grand Cayman. But, like every other airplane on the trip, we also had a GPS aboard (many had two). It provided pinpoint navigation throughout the entire trip except for a brief signal outage south of Cuba.
The route we were instructed to take departed Key West southeast over the Florida Straits to TADPO intersection, where the Miami air route traffic control center controller handed us off to Cuban ATC. At TADPO we turned south toward Cuba's north coast, east of Havana and near the Bay of Pigs. We flew the Giron corridor over Cuba - it's only about 60 miles from north to south coasts, and then were back over water to ATUVI intersection. This was the hand-off point to Grand Cayman air traffic control, which does not have radar. Traffic separation is accomplished through position reports from aircraft. The destination was MWCR, Owen Roberts Airport in George Town, the capital of Grand Cayman.
We never felt alone during the flight. An air-to-air Cayman Caravan frequency was constantly alive with chatter from fellow pilots comparing notes about GPS signals, weather, positions, and fuel status. Occasionally we spotted other travelers above and below us. We were like a flock of excited, jabbering migratory birds winging our way south.
It took us two hours, 36 minutes to fly from one country, over another, and land in a third. At Owen Roberts we were greeted with cool drinks and warm hospitality. We spent several sunny days scuba diving (the Cayman Islands are one of the top diving destinations in the world because of the warm, clear water and spectacular coral-encrusted walls that plunge to the abyss), attending aviation seminars, and enjoying the air show, which takes place over Grand Cayman's famed Seven Mile Beach. The government hosted a lavish formal banquet the night of the air show, the highlight of which was neatly dressed Caymanian school children singing for the assembled guests.
We also made a 90-mile side trip to sister island Cayman Brac, which is served by a large but sleepy tower-controlled airport. Little Cayman, which lies adjacent to Cayman Brac, has a grass strip, but we were advised to avoid it because of its rough surface. Reportedly, it has since been improved. The best source of information about the condition of the strip on Little Cayman is Island Air at Owen Roberts. Island Air has scheduled flights to both Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The weather was good VFR on the flight down to Grand Cayman, but on the return trip afternoon storms blossomed over Cuba. We had to deviate east of the Giron corridor. Our Cuban controller approved the deviation without hesitation, but we listened as he insisted that a U.S. airliner deviating west alter course to avoid entering restricted airspace over Havana. The airline crew, which had much more trouble communicating with Cuban ATC than did anyone in the Caravan, said they could not take the vector because of weather. Eventually the controller relented.
Why do we fly? My journey to Grand Cayman answered the question for me. It's one of those trips pilots dream about making - an overwater international flight to an exotic, sun-splashed resort island. The Cayman Caravan makes it easy to follow through with that dream. The migration happens every June - go for it.
For more information about the Cayman Caravan call 850/872-2495, or visit their Web site at www.cayman-caravan.com .
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