On February 12th of this year, my wife Diane, our friend and fellow pilot Celia Vanderpool and I went cetacean hunting in Baja California. A cetacean is a marine mammal that's characterized by a nearly hairless body, anterior limbs modified into broad flippers, vestigial posterior limbs, a flat, notched tail, and plankton breath. Of course, I'm speaking about whales. We didn't hunt them with guns, either. We were on the prowl with cameras.
Our story begins with my wife?
. . . who came home one day a bit excited and said, "Honey, let's go watch whales." Admittedly, I didn't hear her clearly at first and she was speaking quickly. "Why would we want to wash them," I replied, "don't they keep clean enough? After all, they do spend a lot of time in water."
"No, no, I mean WATCH them in Baja this February," she laughed.
"Hey, sounds great, let's do it. Besides, you can't have a whale that's too clean, I say." (I'm amazed she still puts up with my shenanigans.)
We hooked up with our mutual friend and fellow CFI Celia Vanderpool, the proud owner of a Cessna 180. For several months we had toyed with the idea of taking a trip together and Baja was as good a place to visit as any. So we made our reservations with Flight Log, a group that's been organizing trips to Mexico for a long time.
If you haven't been to Mexico, it's always nice to make your first trip with someone who knows the "tiedown" ropes, so-to-speak. I figured with a group of 30 airplanes under the command of John and Terry Burkhart, our fleet was guaranteed smooth sailing. Flight Log made the flight planning effortless because of its excellent pre-trip material. All the items and incidentals necessary to fly south of the border were clearly spelled out in advance.
Before you can enter Mexico?
. . . you need a few things. First, you must have a liability insurance policy written by a Mexican company. This is really no big deal as long as you don't mind paying around $100 for the policy. Fortunately, it's usually good for a year and allows you to fly into Mexico as often as you wish and stay as long as you like.
It's very important to determine if your U.S. hull insurance is valid for out-of-country travel. Some are, some aren?t. Some that aren?t will OK a rider, often at no cost, but it's up to you to check this out. The insurance you purchase from the Mexican company will not cover a dime of the hull damage should you wreck your airplane in Mexico. The Mexicans aren't concerned about your airplane. They are protecting their citizens, which is why you are required to purchase Mexican-written liability. History shows that it is simply too hard and too costly for Mexican citizens to pursue a trans-border insurance claim if you run over a farmer?s cow. Hence the requirement that you purchase insurance that pays off in Mexico, in pesos, and meets their requirements. There is also a day-at-a-time liability insurance available for those convinced they?re only going on a one-shot basis.
You must also bring some proof of citizenship to obtain a tourist card. A passport is satisfactory. A birth certificate will do.
At the time of our trip, my passport was being renewed and hadn't been returned by the U.S. passport office. I even paid an additional $20 for accelerated passport processing (which means they just don't let as many people make fun of your passport photo before they stick it in the mail). Unfortunately, it didn't arrive on time so I carried my birth certificate with me instead.
I felt a little awkward about this, since my birth certificate has an imprint of a little foot about 1/20th the size of the one I own now. "How is anyone going to recognize me from this footprint?" I thought. It was really all for naught. Despite my eagerness to display how much I've grown in the last 45 years, not one Custom's agent asked me to take my foot out of my shoe. In a country so concerned about security, you'd think the Mexican authorities would be worried about fake birth certificates. Give the average bandito a little stationery, a baby, and an inkpad and he can stamp these things out all day long.
About a week before the trip?
. . .check with your passengers to make sure they have all their papers in order. If anyone plans on bringing prescription medicine, tell them to bring an adequate supply. No, not to share with others. I mean for themselves. They may not be able to get precisely the same medication in Baja. They should also carry it in the pharmacy-issued bottle. In other words, if your doctor has you taking a white powdery substance, you don't want to carry it in a little plastic baggie, especially if you've seen the movie Midnight Express. Comprende?
The pilot must also carry his or her license, a current medical certificate, and have the aircraft registration, airworthiness certificate and proof of Mexican-issued liability insurance readily available for inspection. Just in case there's still someone who's willing to rent you an airplane to take south of the border, you'll need a notarized letter from the owner stating that it's OK for you to use his or her airplane in Mexico. We did the next best thing. We brought the owner with us. (Actually, there are several FBOs that rent airplanes for flight into Mexico. If they contact me via the e-mail button on my web site, I'll be glad to list them at the bottom of this article.)
If you're bringing along a child who?s less than 18 years old, he or she needs to be accompanied by both parents. If both parents aren?t traveling with the child, you must have a notarized statement from the parent or parents not present giving their consent for that child's travel to Mexico.
A good preflight is also in order. You won't find many spare parts in Mexico and if you do, the original owner probably wants them back. So check those tires, plugs, generator/alternator belts and take enough oil (with spout) and water for pilot and passengers. It's important to note that it's illegal for you or your mechanic to work on your airplane in Baja. Only a Mexican-licensed mechanic can do mechanical work. Sometimes pilots fly their own mechanic down, but this presents difficulties since he can only work under the supervision of a Mexican mechanic.
It's also advisable to bring along sufficient quantities of Kaopectate. Even if you don't need it, you can make lots of money selling it to other people on the trip.
The night before our trip?
. . . we filed two flight plans with San Diego Flight Service Station (yes, you can file as many flight plans as you like during a single phone call).
When flying into Baja, it's very important to file your flight plans directly with, and only with, San Diego FSS. No other FSS (to my knowledge) can handle border crossing flight plans into Baja (this is a special deal set up within the SDG FSS). Additionally, none of the other FSSs can provide much in the way of accurate weather briefing info for Baja as does SDG FSS. For those within California, call (800) 439-4322. Those calling from out of the area, call (619) 277-3494.
The first flight plan was from Imperial County airport (IPL) to San Felipe, which is a towered controlled airport (Figure 2).
When I called the SDG FSS specialist on Thursday evening, I asked him to place the words "Advise Customs" in the remarks section. This lets the Mexican authorities know that you?re inbound to their country. Unless you want a personal tour of all those back rooms of the Mexican Custom's office, you want to open your flight plan at least 20 minutes prior to crossing the border southbound. While the 20 minute rule is unofficial, be sure not to enter Mexican airspace unless your flight plan is activated.
Since Imperial County airport, our departure point, is only about 10 minutes north of the border we decided to open our flight plan with San Diego FSS while on the ground at Imperial. We called them on 122.5 MHz from the runup area and asked the specialist to open our border crossing flight plan.
Technically, the outbound flight plan covers only the U.S. portion of your flight. It also notifies the Mexican authorities that you're crossing the border into their airspace. In a sense, this isn't a real flight plan in that it doesn't provide search and rescue or any of the other amenities to which U.S. citizens are accustomed. To put it bluntly, if you go down in Mexico, you're on your own, amigo. The Mexican authorities aren't going to come looking for you. So plan your route accordingly. Fly near airports, inhabited areas or roads and carry lots of water. Failure to do this might mean: hasta la vista baby!
When we crossed the border southbound (at the All American Canal, which is the dividing line between the U.S. and Mexico), I gave Mexicali tower a call on 118.2 MHz. After they acknowledged my call, I gave them my aircraft type, point of departure and number of persons on board. This is the standard call sequence to use upon contacting any tower airport in Baja.
Mexicali tower asked us to report back when we were 20 miles south of Mexicali airport. After making this report we were on our own. We headed south to San Felipe airport where we'd land, take on fuel and file an official Mexican flight plan (with the help of the Mexican authorities) to our final destination of Loreto.
At the same time I filed the first flight plan?
. . . I filed a second one for the return trip. I asked the FSS specialist to file a return Custom's notification flight plan and gave 5 p.m. on Sunday as our return ETA. Once again, this isn't a real flight plan in the formal sense. It's only intended to let U.S. Customs know when you plan on returning to the U.S. On the morning you list as your arrival date, the FSS notifies Customs to expect you at the time you provided as an ETA. This constitutes the legally required one-hour advance notice for crossing the border into the U.S.
At your ETA, a Custom's agent should be waiting for you when you land. This tidy arrangement prevents less-than-scrupulous pilots from smuggling things like "illegal" sombreros into the country.
The return Customs notification flight plan also requires listing a departure point from within Baja. We decided to use San Felipe as our departure point out of Baja where we would check out of the country and obtain fuel for our final leg into the U. S. (we couldn't obtain fuel at San Felipe. I'll explain why shortly).
The return Customs notification flight plan also requires listing a U.S. destination. Once again, upon entering the U.S. from another country, you need to land at an airport of entry (AOE). So, I listed Calexico airport (CXL) as our destination (Figure 3A). Calexico is located south of Imperial County airport (Figure 3B) and sits right near the border.
An airport of entry is a place having Custom's agents and it's important that these agents find you. That's why you don't want to arrive at the AOE earlier than the ETA stated in your return flight plan (you actually have plus or minus 15 minutes leeway here). If you need to cross the border earlier (we did), then you should call the FSS at least 30 minutes before entering the U.S. and adjust your ETA (we were able to contact SDG FSS about 50 miles south of the border).
The way you play the Baja game is to always file for a late-afternoon ETA ? no matter when you think you?ll get there ? then update enroute. That way, if you?re running late, the Customs computer doesn?t dump you, which it will do a couple of hours after your ETA if you haven?t shown up. If you?re running late and can?t get in radio contact and the computer dumps you, you are once again subject to the one-hour advance notice rule. If you update enroute, it?s considered a modification to the original notification, and you only need to give SDG FSS 30 minutes warning.
Updating your ETA (if necessary) allows U.S. Customs to ensure that an agent will be available at the airport before you land. If you arrive earlier than your listed or modified ETA, it's likely that a Custom's agent will make statements like, "I take it from your early arrival that you haven't seen the movie Midnight Express." In the mind of a Custom's agent, you landed early so you could ditch your stash of illegal sombreros. Now you've got to taco your way out of a difficult situation. Don't let this happen or you could end up in a gated community ? like Solidad prison. (Not really. But you'll certainly steam a Custom's agent and end up in hot sauce).
And so on Friday morning?
. . . we pointed our craft southward toward San Felipe, our first stop. The weather was stunning (Figure 4), which is important because the lack of weather reporting facilities in Baja is also stunning. In case you haven't guessed, there are no FSSs in Baja (if an FSS specialist has been bad, they are sent to the North Pole, not Baja). In fact, there are very few weather reporting stations in Baja.
San Diego FSS can often obtain weather from Tijuana, La Paz, Loreto and, on occasions, from Ensenada (Figure 5). But there is no systematic dissemination of wx reports in this part of the country. Therefore, when you?re at Cabo, you may or may not be able to determine the weather at La Paz or Mexicali.
One of the secret sources for weather reporting is KNX or one of the other high-powered LA AM stations, whose signal often carries the length of Baja. You work on the "Whatever the weather is in Southern California, it probably is the same in N. Baja" theory.) Once again, you're on your own.
Several years ago, a friend of mine was trapped in Baja as low ceilings and visibilities made VFR flight impossible. He attempted to file IFR from Baja to the U.S., but the comandante would have no part of this. He walked my friend outside his office, pointed up at the clouds and said, "No bueno." This roughly translates to, "You're not going anywhere on my shift."
Besides, you may not want to fly IFR in Mexico. A few years earlier another friend was flying IFR in Baja in a Beech D18 when he suddenly lost the VOR signal. He promptly called ATC and was told that the local authorities had unplugged the VOR because the power was needed elsewhere. Apparently when the weather gets too bad, that power is redirected where it's needed most (perhaps to heat the comandante's office). My friend eventually broke out into VFR conditions (he broke out in perspiration, too) and landed. He rested up in the comfort of the comandante's warm office and waited for the weather to clear.
Flying VFR at night is also prohibited in Baja. If you can't make it home under day VFR conditions, you might consider selling the airplane and using the money to study for Mexican citizenship.
Celia was the PIC on this flight?
. . . and masterfully guided us southward along the eastern edge of the Baja peninsula with great skill and courage (Figure 6).
We flew about 1,000 feet above the water, always remaining within gliding distance of land (honest). Most of the time, I'm so busy instructing that I don't get much of a chance to look at the scenery. Not on this flight. This was a pleasure flight and I planned on taking advantage of our skilled captain. I spent most of the trip gorging my eyes on the beautiful coastline (Figure 7).
Of course, there were moments of suspense too. About 30 minutes into the flight, I mentioned to Celia and Diane that I was tracking an unusual object off the right side of the airplane. Careful not to raise too much concern, I mentioned that it was something I'd never seen before. It had a circular shape with prominent lines running along its exterior. The geometric center of this body seemed metallic and appeared to track our flight path without any visible means of propulsion.
At the precise moment when suspense peaked, I said, "Ooops! Sorry. It's just the tire. No worries mate."
I always say that you've got to make time for a little humor. Of course I said that and got no response. Apparently, one of the ladies pulled my headset plug leaving me temporarily adrift in my own little "humorous" world of silence.
I pulled out my binoculars?
. . . as we approached San Felipe and spied the airport while some distance out. If you haven?t tried using binoculars on a cross country flight, you're in for a surprise. They're great for finding airports as well as enhancing your view of local scenery. Just make sure you look through the correct end, otherwise it'll seem like it's taking forever to get to your destination.
"San Felipe tower, this is Cessna 5212 Delta, over."
"This is San Felipe tower, go ahead Cessna 5212 Delta, over."
I looked at Celia and said, "Hey, these folks speak English better than some Americans!" (They do.) In fact, language was never a problem while flying in Baja. But then again, we didn't ask any really difficult questions, either.
"San Felipe tower, this is Cessna 5212 Delta, we're a Cessna 180, departed Imperial County airport, three people on board, landing San Felipe, over."
"Royer Cessna 5212 Delta, enter left traffic Runway 31, winds zero four zero at 27 knots, over."
Huh?
Twenty seven knots? Ninety degrees to the runway? All right! We're going to get to see some action now (Figure 8). Did I mention we were in a taildragger?
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