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Where to in the Caribbean?

pierre smith

pierre smith

Well Known Member
My wife, Jenny would like to go off the coast of Georgia to an island...not the Bahamas, we've done them twice.
My RV-10 can do near 1,000 miles running LOP.

I know Rosie and company have visited several non Bahamian islands.

Advice?

Thanks in advance,
 
pierre smith said:
My wife, Jenny would like to go off the coast of Georgia to an island...not the Bahamas, we've done them twice.
My RV-10 can do near 1,000 miles running LOP.

I know Rosie and company have visited several non Bahamian islands.

Advice?

Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...
how about Jamaica ? Beaches, mountains and a version of the Queens english.
 
Cuba!

You need to get us a trip up! Or, is this a "honeymoon" getaway.........:D

I'm looking at Crooked Island for a bone fish trip in January if I can get a week of good weather.......
 
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I would go back to Dominica in an instant. There are new Island adventures ahead this April!
 
Pierre,

Go to Cuba !

Go there before it gets spoiled forever.

Land at Varadero, get a hotel on the strip, visit Havana, enjoy.......

I go there once a month with work, usually further up the coast :D

If not - look at Punta Cana - fab people, great beaches and hotels, reasonable rates - Dom Rep is very good indeed.
 
mike newall said:
Pierre,

Go to Cuba !

Go there before it gets spoiled forever.

Land at Varadero, get a hotel on the strip, visit Havana, enjoy.......

I go there once a month with work, usually further up the coast :D

If not - look at Punta Cana - fab people, great beaches and hotels, reasonable rates - Dom Rep is very good indeed.
Click to expand...

I second that recommendation by Mike, I have just got back from punts Cana and it was fabulous, dreams hotel.
Booked Cuba next year Havana and the Cayo Islands.
Have a great time.
 
I have been to Grand Cayman a few times in my life and it never gets old. Make sure you go to sting ray city! But stay away from the Sting Ray beer... haha
 
Steep fees.

stifler said:
I second that recommendation by Mike, I have just got back from punts Cana and it was fabulous, dreams hotel.
Booked Cuba next year Havana and the Cayo Islands.
Have a great time.
Click to expand...

Last I read about Cuba on here was that they imposed a $450.00 arrival tax. Is that still the case?

Thanks,
 
i am sort of attracted to the british virgin islands. been going there for over 30 years. beautiful, friendly, a paradise. did i say boating, diving, beaches. headed back last week in feb, first week in march, hint.
P1020216.jpg
P1020219.jpg


how waas my sales pitch? :eek:
 
pierre smith said:
Last I read about Cuba on here was that they imposed a $450.00 arrival tax. Is that still the case?

Thanks,
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Never tried flying in there in anything smaller than an A330 !

Ask the Canadians, there are thousands down there - I am sure some may have flown privately there.
 
pierre smith said:
Last I read about Cuba on here was that they imposed a $450.00 arrival tax. Is that still the case?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

That is not correct. They have several "fees" and with all of them combined (including parking) it will come out to around $350 - $450 per airplane depending on MGW. I did a write up of one of our flights to Cuba which has a breakdown of their fees. Some have changed a bit but not by a lot.

Handling…………………… 151.00 cuc
Landing…………………… 4.89 cuc x MGW (In TONNES)
Parking……………………. 0.98 cuc x MGW (per day In TONNES)
Flight dispatch…………… 14.00 cuc
Aeronautical Services…… 103.52 cuc
Custom…………………… 48.00 cuc
Immigrations…………… 23.00 cuc
GPU……………………… 34.00 cuc per 15 minutes
ASU……………………… 132.00 cuc per start
Push back……………… 179.00 cuc

Cuban "VISA"......... 25.00 cuc per person

cuc = Cuban Currency which is about 1-1 with the Euro.

If you are interested, PM me so we can chat about it on the phone since one answer always brings up more questions.

:cool:
 
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GalinHdz said:
GPU????????? 34.00 cuc per 15 minutes
ASU????????? 132.00 cuc per start
Push back?????? 179.00 cuc
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GPU, ASU, and pushback...are you saying GA pilots pay these fees regardless of need?

Umm, what is an ASU anyway? ;)

BTW, much appreciate the reports! I'd like to visit Cuba someday.
 
DanH said:
GPU, ASU, and pushback...are you saying GA pilots pay these fees regardless of need?
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No, this is their entire fee schedule. If you don't use a service you don't pay for it. Some of the services (handling, aeronautical, dispatch) are mandatory for all aircraft. They also have fuel (100LL or B100 as they call it) but you are only charged if you take fuel. Last time I was there the fuel was $4.00/gal which is VERY reasonable compared to all other Caribbean destinations.

BTW: They have no problem with experimental aircraft as long as it has a valid airworthiness certificate.

:cool:
 
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So what are the current rules for John Q Public to be able to visit Cuba? Is it still limited to the 12 exceptions to the blanket ban?
 
ASU is an air start unit for us big guys. Leaf blower inside a refuse cart !

Problem is, they only have one on the island and it is in Havana.

We can't despatch there without a working APU which normally provides air and electrics during the turn as we wouldn't be able to start otherwise. A Thomson aeroplane was stuck there for 4 days a couple of years ago while they towed it from Havana to the other end of the island.
 
Pierre,

My wife and I have had the pleasure of traveling with Rosie and company on five different occasions. Even as far as Cura?ao, and each island has its own charm (your bar bill may vary) along with some set backs. We found Nevis and Grenade as pleasant roads less traveled. They may be a bit beyond your single flight range but a great part of the Caribbean chain to take in.
Jamaica in the past has been known for rather steep landing fees. We tried going there when we were in Little Cayman but I just couldn't rationalize the 750$ ramp fee for a RV6. This may have been corrected since that time.

It's all good,
Jailbird
Dues paid 2017
 
I'll second the BVI. My wife and I have been there 3 times in the last year. Rented a power cat and had a great time.

Haven't flown my RV there yet, but I know a guy that flies his PA32 there numerous times a year and has not problems at all.

turbo said:
i am sort of attracted to the british virgin islands. been going there for over 30 years. beautiful, friendly, a paradise. did i say boating, diving, beaches. headed back last week in feb, first week in march, hint.
P1020216.jpg
P1020219.jpg


how waas my sales pitch? :eek:
Click to expand...
 
airguy said:
So what are the current rules for John Q Public to be able to visit Cuba? Is it still limited to the 12 exceptions to the blanket ban?
Click to expand...

Yes it is still limited to the 12 exemptions. But qualifying for an exemption has become a lot easier, at least for now.
:cool:
 
Depends on what you want to do

We have been with Rosie 5 times. If you want to sit on a beach, we found great , uncrowned beaches in Grand Turk. If you want scuba, I suggest grand Turk, little caman, or Dominica. (Dominica would be about 9 hrs flight time.) if you want great food, you can find it anywhere ( for a price). Deep sea fishing, you will need to do your own research. I also suggest you join Jim at CarabeanAdventures.com.
Hope this helps a little.
 
mike newall said:
Pierre,

Go to Cuba !

Go there before it gets spoiled forever.

Land at Varadero, get a hotel on the strip, visit Havana, enjoy.......

I go there once a month with work, usually further up the coast :D

If not - look at Punta Cana - fab people, great beaches and hotels, reasonable rates - Dom Rep is very good indeed.
Click to expand...


This! I spent a week in Cuba in 2015 as part of a study abroad program. We stayed 4 days in Havanna then traveled over to Veradero for 2 nights, and stopped off in Matanzas for a half-day visit.

Just be aware, that "5 star hotels" in Cuba means something very different than what most Americans are used to :) But, we were not traveling for vacation, but doing people-to-people exchanges to learn about the newly forming economy since Raul took over.

Havana is absolutely amazing. We stayed in Hotel Tejadillo and the architecture was awesome. We were a bunch of Americans right in the middle of Old Habana and felt totally safe, even late at night. It was one of the most amazing and life changing experiences I have had so far.

Matanzas is really cool for an old "industrial" city. We visited the pharmacy / museum there which was really neat to see.

Veradero is very touristy, as thats where most tourists end up because of the perfect beaches. I would have rather spent that time in Habana, but our studies itinerary included us examining the impact of tourism on Cuba's economy.

If you can get a chance to go, go now before it changes. We were down there when Fidel was still alive, but after Raul had taken over, and the government had already started changing, which ultimately changed the culture a little, which is something most Cuban's echoed to us. Now that Fidel has died, that country will likely change, and change VERY fast. In ten or so years, it will so american-ized from the super-mega-corporations pillaging it, it will loose much of what makes it so amazing. Every single person we met, even in casual meetings, valued relationships and people more than material things.

Now that the Obama administration has laxed some of the travel regulations (You still have to go under one of the 12 "allowed" reasons, and tourism is not one of them), but the regulations are much more relaxed to make it easy to fit into one of those categories. This will likely change under the new administration, so go now while you can.
 
Dominican Republic. Really enjoyed our visit there last spring. Tons to see and do, and they are very interested in treating private pilots well.
 
Dugaru said:
Dominican Republic. Really enjoyed our visit there last spring. Tons to see and do, and they are very interested in treating private pilots well.
Click to expand...

Doug,
Did you fly your 9 to DR? Any details to share on paperwork, permits?
 
Vlad said:
Doug,
Did you fly your 9 to DR? Any details to share on paperwork, permits?
Click to expand...

No, went with a buddy in his A36 Bonanza. Easily doable in RV-sized aircraft though (and I plan to go there in the 9A).

We went with Jim Parker and Caribbean Flying Adventures. No paperwork hassles at all. Dominican ATC (which we switched to right at the north coast) was friendly and helpful. The Dominican civilian aviation authorities have (correctly) determined that the Bahamas are doing it wrong with unpredictable regs and nickel-and-dime fees. The Dominicans actually WELCOME private aircraft and are not charging them.

I highly recommend Jim's operation. www.caribbeanflyingadventures.com
 
Dugaru said:
No paperwork hassles at all. Dominican ATC (which we switched to right at the north coast) was friendly and helpful. The Dominican civilian aviation authorities have (correctly) determined that the Bahamas are doing it wrong with unpredictable regs and nickel-and-dime fees. The Dominicans actually WELCOME private aircraft and are not charging them.
Click to expand...
Adding to the above, I have flown to Puerto Plata (MDPP) in the Dominican Republic and had the same experience. ATC was excellent, facilities were good and no fees for GA. I opted to use a handler which cost a total of $50 and they handled everything. We stayed at àn all inclusive resort right on the beach. 100LL was just under $7.00/gal. The no fees for GA only apply to public airports so private airports do charge.
:cool:
 
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Vlad said:
Doug,
Did you fly your 9 to DR? Any details to share on paperwork, permits?
Click to expand...

Our 9 was at Punta Cana and Puerto Plata (white guy spelling probably). Easy peesy. TC probably wrote something in the archives about the paperwork back in 4/2015.
 
I think Dom Rep is the friendliest place we go into at work.

Never show a passport, always glad to see you arrive and sad to see you go.

North coast you have Puerto Plata, further along the coast, a new airport that we don't use, to the east you have Punta Cana which is very busy, then down on the south is La Romana.

Great places around all for all inclusive or if you want smaller places, some nice personal hotels but as always, the further away you get from the big places, the more I would take care.
 
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