The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Has anyone ventured to Mexico in their 170, perhaps down Baha or on the eastern side of the Gulf ?

We used to make trips down the eastern side of the Baja to our camp at Puerticitos. Unless you know someone there it isn't much use to fly there. We still have some friends about 5 miles north but the situation at the strip isn't to good. It looked like they have fenced across it. No public lodging or facilities, just a gravel strip. San Felipe, Baja Norte has a big airport. There used to be a dirt strip right there in the edge of town but they improved things about 10 years ago and now it is 10 miles away! Call ahead for transportation and customs.

There are a couple of strips further on south that are really very nice! El Serinidad has a 3000' gravel strip that has the motel just on the north end on the west side. Nice accomodations and a wonderful restruant. Customs (the Army) will clear you on prior notice. We stopped there driving out from Cabo last May and there was a 170A, N1289D, sitting there! along with a converted 182, N5407B, and a beautiful polished Navion. The registered 170 owner at that time probably could advise you about flying there but I think the plane has been sold since then.

From faa data base:AEROLEASE OF AMERICA INC
Owner Address : 2533 N CARSON ST STE 4468
CARSON CITY, NV, 89706-0147
Registration Date : 28-Jun-2002

Mulege, further on south is a nice little town with a good airport and close into town.

El Rosirita is another seacost town on the gulf side.

There are some aviation groups in SoCal that do a trip or two a year. I can't remember the details but look in one of the Av mag classifieds.

http://www.skywagon.org/content/flyinsched/baja_fly.htm

And here is a nice story:

http://www.swaviator.com/html/issueam01/baja.html

I wish you luck and that I were close enough to adventure down there with you. Iwould love to do it again in my 170.

One of the old founders of the 180 Club,I think it was Arnold Senderfit,also organized a group called the Baja Bush Pilots Assn. I don't know if they're still around,but it might be worth checking into.

Eric

http://bajaquest.com/serenidad/
This is the website for the Serinidad. Some neat photos and directions. also some links.

Lots of good ideas. I was wondering is there any interest in organizing a C170 flyin down to Mexico since the 180 guys seem to have one.

We were thinking about heading down that way in mid April. Commercial looked ok, but flying GA down seemed more fun and interesting. We were trying to decide which plane to take, and the C170 seemed ideal to me for such a trip. - Low and almost slow

I would not fly my airplane into Mexico without War Risk insurance. (This will pay you for your airplane if some Mexican official confiscates it.) Have you priced War Risk policies since 9-11?

Does this mean George is looking for a ride and the B models may not be able to keep up with the 170 and 170A

I did hear one story from some friends of mine that fly point for the fire bombers. They flew down a couple of years ago while waiting around in AZ and another guy drove his truck down. The truck was stolen in Mexico and the airplane was left alone, however all the paper work for the aircraft was in the truck so they had to have the paper work faxed back to them to return. The insurance company did locate the truck, but it was being driven by the sheriff in the next "county". The insurance company gave him the option of either asking the sheriff for it back or paying off the claim. He took the money and ended up with a new truck.

In 1974 I was a young right-seater with a commuter airline. Still on reserve, I drew a charter flight to Ciudad Victoria carrying a boat-load of physicians on a fishing/dove trip. It was my first time ever as a pilot in Mexico. When it came time to return, the weather was so foggy in Reynosa (our exit clearing point) we couldn't land there, and my captain, Gordon "Flash" Roberts was so inexperienced in Mexico himself, that we took the Ciudad Victoria Airport Commandante's advice to simply re-route over to Monterrey, where we could exit by turning in all the airplane/passenger's paperwork. (Cd. Victoria was not an Int'l airport and couldn't accept the papers.) So off to Monterey to clear/exit "Aduano" (Customs) and then it would be direct to DFW which was our point of origin.
When we landed in Monterrey (having shot the last Radio-Range approach in World-wide existence) we cleared Customs, paid off the flight dispatchers ("Mordido" or payola was req'd if you wanted your flight plans actually filed so that U.S. ATC would really know you were coming) and were re-boarding our passengers when a little man in khaki pants, an unpressed white shirt and brown shoes came up accompanied by a large, unshaven, mustachioed, cigar-chomper wearing a faded green uniform and a Colt 1911 look-alike in a dry-rotted holster. He looked like he belonged in a Mel Brooks movie. "Flash" suddenly looked like he belonged in jail.
"Senor's. The Commandante wishes to see you."
My high-school Spanish wasn't sufficient to understand what the commandante was saying as he slouched behind a table with peeling paint. I went out into the terminal and found a Mexicana pilot who came to translate for us. It seems our new friend had never heard of our airline and wasn't sure if we had proper authority to be in Mexico and wasn't sure if we had Monterrey on our list of approved airports of operation. Since we had already turned in our paperwork to Aduano, and they'd promptly disappeared, we couldn't display any entry paperwork.
It turns out that we would be required to post a $2,000 bond until we could produce the documents from our home office that proved we were "authorized" to be in Mexico and at Monterrey. Upon further questioning through the Mexicana pilot, it was explained that the bond was a surety against any "violations" we may have committed while in Mexico. As soon as our company produced the operations approvals for Mexico the bond would be returned, of course.
Well, Flash and I didn't have that kind of cash on us, and the commandante could only accept cash, unless we had someone to vouch for us such as "...un Abrogado?" (lawyer) So we had to solicit our passengers, who pooled their pockets and came up with it. (Hmmmn. With a little homework, some gullible passengers, and prior arrangements with a friendly commandante....... )
Anyway, we ponied up, and left. The company repaid the pax upon arrival at DFW. A little over TWO MONTHS LATER Flash and I rec'd a long document on thin onion-skin paper, typed with what appeared to be a 1930's typewriter, all in Spanish of course, and embossed all over it with obsure Mexican-Eagle rubber stamps and seals. The local junior college Spanish professor translated it for us.
It seems that although the airline did indeed have proper authority for Mexico operations, and although Monterrey was an approved alternate for our operations, that Flash and I had violated Mexican air regulation numbers, 100.1, 110.7, 126.0, 126.7, and 185. These violations carry serious fines totalling ................$2,000 exactly. We may appear within 14 days of the offenses to contest the penalties or lodge our objections. Provided that we do not repeat the violations within 60 days of the first offense (already passed of course), then there will be no further action taken and the records of the violations will be expunged. Gracias. Bienvenidos, Serio. Arturo Bendicto Santa Maria Solitario, Commandante, Aeropuerto Internacionale de Monterrey.
(In other words, After four weeks ago there will be no record of this transaction.)