Turns out there is a lot to be done in preparation for flying to Haiti.
First, there are a bunch of regulatory requirements. Thankfully AOPA has a nice primer on what is required (http://www.aopa.org/members/pic/intl/).
- First order of business. Sign up for an eAPIS account. (Again, AOPA has put together a nice primer on eAPIS which can be found here: http://flash.aopa.org/asf/eAPIS/). You go to the eAPIS page at the Customs and Boarder Protection website (https://eapis.cbp.dhs.gov/) to sign up. Since the fine for non-compliance is $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for every offense there after, they certainly give you incentive to get it right.
- Next, customs user fee decals. That, you get from here: https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/. $27.50, and lasts the whole year. They give you the option to expedite shipping, but I am told that a printout of the receipt will suffice if the decal does not arrive on time.
- Next. Radio licenses for both the pilot (me) and the plane. (The second "R" in ARROW.) The licenses needed are: Restrected Radiotelephone Operators Permit ($60, and lasts for ever) and the Radio Station License ($110, and valid for 10 years). Both can be obtained from the "Universal Licensing System" <http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm> over at the friendly FCC. No exam or anything. Just the filing fee—another way to give the government money. Pilot's I've spoken to have said that they've never been ramp-checked and asked for these licenses when flying abroad. On the other hand, since the potential penalty is the grounding of the plane until the documents are produced, I figured I should play it safe and legal.
- Finally, since the plane is not registered in my name, I need a notarized letter from the club stating that I am authorized to fly the aircraft out of the U.S. A quick email to Rodrigo, the president, and the letter is in the mail.
So that is the legal stuff. Then comes more interesting stuff.
- Transponder. The Bahamas and the DR have moved away from the old 121.5MHz ELTs. Of course, satellite monitoring is "turned-off" every where, but I'm not positive that they are even monitoring 121.5MHz on the ground. There is an exemption in place for US registered aircraft and we are allowed to fly in the Caribbean with the older equipment (which the plane I will be flying will have), but whether that's a prudent thing is a different issue all together. And given the amount of flying I will be doing over open water, and over mountainous train (once in DR/Haiti), I opt to spring for a 406MHz Personal Locator Beacon. This has to be registered with NOAA.
- The longest over water leg is about 70NM between the Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic. So, also acquire one of those airline style self-inflating life vests.
- Though technically not required, the thought of floating around in the ocean in just a life vest isn't appealing, so we make arrangements to rent emergency life rafts for the trip. These will be picked up at Fort Lauderdale Executive (KFXE) when we stop for fuel. $15 per day—not bad.
- Finally, picked up a "survival kit". The contents of the kit really didn't interest me that much—the usual first aid fare. The part that was important to me was a few days supply of drinking water and energy bars.
Okay, so that's for equipment. Next come charts
- First, we need all VFR and IFR low enroute charts for most of the eastern seaboard.
- Then we need the WAC charts CJ-25, 26 & 27 as well as IFR low enroute charts for the Bahamas.
- No AF/D for the Caribbean, but was told that the Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot's Guide was a good source of airport info.
- Approach plates. Okay, am carrying a full set for the Eastern US in the Kindle DX. As for the Caribbean, I'm told that there is no online (free) source for government plates (akin to the NACO plates). I read while researching this that they were available online from the U.S. Government until a few years ago when the DOD shut it down citing security concerns and copyright issues. So, the only recourse is to spring for the $120 Jeppesen Trip Kit for the Caribbean.
This is turning out to be an awful lot of paper I will be carrying.
As for the flight, the current plan is to start Wednesday afternoon at Caldwell (KCDW), pickup the supplies at Southern Jersey Regional (KVAY), and go south to somewhere in the Carolinas. Thursday, we get an early start, get to Fort Lauderdale Executive (KFXE), pickup the life rafts and one passenger. From there, we head out over the Bahamas, stopping at Stella Maris Airport (MYLS) for fuel, then down to El Higuero International Airport (MDJB) in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. We will use El Higuero as the base for our operations in and out of Haiti, where we will be flying to Jacmel Airport (MTJA).
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