Waypoints: Crossing the border
High tech makes for low-stress adventures
My friend Adrian Eichhorn spent the better part of five years planning an around-the-world trip in his Beechcraft Bonanza, to include the complete disassembly of the airplane to replace anything in the 50-year-old airframe that might be even a little worn. In addition to the aircraft, he spent months poring over routes and weather patterns, learning international flight rules, and considering fueling locations in parts of the world where avgas is a real novelty.
Good on him, as my mates in Australia say. But for those wanting an international general aviation experience, the hurdles needn’t be so high—or so far apart, as I recently discovered on my first trip back to the Bahamas in several years.
The islands are as close as ever—just 50 nautical miles to Bimini from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But with GPS, online flight planning, satellite tracking, and cellphones, the distances seem to have shrunk. Technology has made it easier than ever to traverse the diverse island chains of the Bahamas.
We departed Florida Keys Marathon International Airport under scattered skies. The navigation databases in the panel-mount avionics never blinked as we entered San Andros Airport, our destination for clearing customs. The digital charts in the electronic flight bag stretched beyond the farthest Bahamian island. A quick call to the Miami flight service station and our international VFR flight plan was activated.
As we progressed, the deep blue water shallowed and we could make out sharks and rays stirring up the sandy bottom just a couple of thousand feet below us. Touching down at San Andros, everyone’s cellphones began beeping as messages came in, just as they might at an airport in the States. Bahamian customs and immigration quickly ushered us through the paperwork and offered us some of the famed Andros water, said to restore health and bring longevity.
There was a time when assessing fuel availability at the remote islands and filing flight plans back to the States was a huge challenge in the Bahamas. In the 1990s the government installed special phones with direct lines to Nassau Radio and Miami Radio in an attempt improve the situation. But mostly the phones were out of service. These days it doesn’t matter, because cell service is good throughout most of the islands. Wi-Fi is as prevalent as it is in the States, although the connection speed is often slow. Satellite phones, once the salvation for flying the islands, are no longer necessary.
Returning to the States is the most difficult part of any international excursion. Although filing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) eAPIS electronic passenger and crew manifest form is tedious, the site is fairly straightforward (eAPIS forms must be filed outbound as well). Coming into the United States, give Customs at your point of entry a phone call as a heads-up. En route, call Miami Center on the radio and get a squawk code before crossing the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone. The AOPA website has all the details on flying to and from the islands.
Many pilots seem put off by the idea of crossing the border in a GA airplane. Given CBP’s reputation for being difficult and inconsistent in interpretation of the regulations, it’s no wonder. AOPA is working with the CBP staff to improve the situation, and has successfully stopped the agency’s program of unwarranted stops of innocent pilots.
Many of us learned to fly to take advantage of the unique places a GA airplane can go. With grottos, blue holes, amazing fishing, friendly people, and incredible sunsets, the Bahamas qualifies in spades.
And while many of us are not “Earthrounder” candidates like Eichhorn, it doesn’t mean we can’t explore nearby regions. The border, after all, is just a line on the map. With today’s technology the line blurs, making it easier than ever to cross.
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Editor in Chief Tom Haines has flown GA airplanes in some two dozen countries around the world, on six continents.
