I am sure that I am not alone in the belief that obtaining the “ permiso” fulfilled the stated requirement for permission to operate in Mexico. Mexican authorities have inspected my aircraft for the installation of a 406 MHz ELT, which is now required for operations in Mexico and, while doing so, never commented about the Experimental nature of my aircraft. The permit is applied for and renewed with an attached copy of my airworthiness certificate. I see his point, but my counter is that I have never operated my aircraft in Mexico without obtaining an official permiso de entradas múltiples (PEM) Multi-Entry Permit, which, in addition to granting entry and operational authority to me and my aircraft, specifically identifies my aircraft type and lists me as the manufacturer. I reached out to an acquaintance with impeccable credentials who said that the certificate limitation has been in place for “many, many years” and that pilots and officials on both sides of borders had simply “ignored the limitation.” Hotel Serenidad, Mulegé, B.C.S. airworthiness certificate and, upon request, be made available to an FAA inspector or the CAA of the country of operation.” That written permission must be carried aboard the aircraft together with the U.S. Still, the core issue remains because it stems from verbiage on the back side of U.S.-issued Special Airworthiness Certificates, which in my case includes, “No person may operate the aircraft…over any foreign country without the special permission of that country.” Further, in the boilerplate language of the Experimental Operating Limitations-Phase 2, Section 21 reads in part: “The owner/operator of this aircraft must obtain written permission from another country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) prior to operating this aircraft in or over that country. The BBP is actively working on the situation and has hired an attorney to pursue the matter locally-your BBP dues hard at work. I have followed up with calls to additional Mexican AOE comandante and they indicated to me that this has been overlooked for years, however, now aircraft with airworthiness certificates that contain language that restricts them from international travel will be restricted from travel in Mexico.” And this is exactly what the comandante of the international airports that turned back the aircraft told me. Upon finding out the details from both incidents and reviewing airworthiness certificates, it seems that on almost all airworthiness certificates, there is a statement on the back side that, in part, indicates that the certificate is not approved for international travel unless approved by the country it was entering. According to the BBP’s Jack McCormick, over “the past several weeks, we have had two Experimental aircraft denied entry into Mexico, one at Nuevo Loreto and the second at Mar de Cortez (Rocky Point). Times Are ChangingĮven so, I was recently dismayed to receive an alert from the Baja Bush Pilots-an organization that I admire and recommend-that aviation authorities in Mexico have recently turned away Experimental aircraft after entering the country. The controller said he had been receiving my information for some time and was deciding for himself what to install in the RV-8 that he was building. I once had a unique radio inquiry from Hermosillo Center, inquiring about my avionics/ADS-B brand. Without exception, Mexican aviation authorities have been welcoming, helpful and professional. Mexico has some beautiful places to see and visit, and it, especially Baja California, is delightful to explore by personal aircraft. I am still a work in progress on appreciating the music, but I am getting there. I love the scenery, I love the culture, l love the people, I love the food. The local authorities have always been welcoming, helpful and professional. A full-service port of entry in a beautiful location. On the ramp at Guaymas/San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico (MMGM). Most, if not all, of my flying in Mexico, not counting my former airline career, has been in the capacity of serving with the Flying Samaritans organization. I have flown through several Mexican ports of entry and another dozen or so airports-from airline-capable to dirt strips. I have traveled there about 20 times in my RV-10 and another couple of dozen times in my land-based RV.
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