jestratton390
Well-Known Member
My wife and and I along with a couple of friends recently returned from a trip to North Eleuthera (MYEH) and Staniel Cay (MYES) in our Cherokee 6, Brown Sugar. We departed KBTR on Friday, Jul 19 and made a fuel stop at KMAI (Marianna, FL) after about 2.5 hours then continued to our planned overnight stop at Ft. Pierce, FL (KFPR). Flying from the panhandle and across Orlando around noon in mid-July meant we had to contend with the standard pop-up, widespread storms common to central FL in summer.
Approaching the MCO Class B at 9.5k we had to make a decision to turn due east just north of KSFB to follow the east coast down to KFPR or to try and get a clearance through the Class B at a lower altitude (3k) since Orlando approach wouldn't let us into the Class B at our altitude. We decided to take the latter option and the controllers took us right over MCO as expected. Once SE of MCO, we did a weather divert into KMLB due to storms all around KFPR. We fueled up at F.I.T. Aviation, which stands for Florida Institute of Technology. Their ramp is an orderly collection of single and twin engine training airplanes, but they are a full FBO with good gas prices, restrooms, and a break room. After about an hour on the ground we made the short jog to KFPR and were well received by APP Jet Center where we had a raft reserved. The lineman who met us pointed out where to park on the Customs ramp when returning from the Bahamas so they could fuel and tow us. Its hard to see, but the Customs ramp is marked for fueling / no fuel and it was helpful to have the lineman tell us what to do when we returned.
We stayed at one of APP Jet Center's preferred hotels, the Hutchinson Island Plaza Hotel. Meh is all I can say, but it was walking distance from standard FL beach bars/restaurants. I filed IFR to make the ADIZ crossing a non-event the following morning and filed ENDUW ZFP GRREG BARTS MYEH to minimize our time outside gliding distance from the shore. However, when Foreflight sent me my expected routing it was LEBUR JAKEL BR62V ZFP, taking us on a long overwater stretch right out of KFPR. I called flight service and told them why I filed what I did and they called the Traffic Mgt Unit (TMU) at Miami Center while keeping me on hold. When he returned he told me that the expected route is the coded one always given out of KFPR but that the controllers would basically let me do what I originally planned. I was not confident in that fact, but it is exactly how it worked. Palm Beach approach had gotten the word what I wanted to do and let me fly south at 7.5k until ready to turn east and make the shortest crossing as possible to Grand Bahama.
The flight to MYEH was smooth and we had one of APP's rafts on board. I cancelled IFR with Miami around Freeport but stayed with them for flight following. I'm glad I did because they gave me an avoidance vector for a small turboprop airliner climbing out of Marsh Harbor that was definitely a conflict. By the time you get to Freeport you are out of ADS-B coverage so we had very minimal electronic traffic SA and I'm glad I stayed with Miami. I terminated flight following (I heard the word "Terminate" used by a lot of traffic with the Bahamian controllers for ending flight following) as we began our descent to MYEH.
At MYEH we were met by White Crown Aviation linemen who grabbed our bags and took them to Customs and told us we could the put the airplane to bed before proceeding to Customs but that was wrong. The Bahamian Customs officers were a bit perturbed we didn't proceed right to them and advised us to do so next time. No hassle, just a stern statement. Other than that they were pleasant and helpful. They share the building with White Crown and everyone knows everyone else. 5 minute cab ride, 5 minute water taxi and we were on Harbor Island which is a whole other thread.
4 days later we departed MYEH to MYES. I spoke with Freeport radio on the way to MYEH and asked if I needed clearance from Nassau Approach to enter the polygon airspace that goes from 1,500 - 12,000 just south of MYEH. Since it is labeled a Class D I assumed I did, but no one could answer that clearly for me during my planning. Freeport told me, yes I did need to. So above 2k before entering I called Nassau and requested clearance and he asked me if I had a flight plan. When I said no, he told me to contact Nassau radio and air file. I did that with a 'non-closure' VFR plan (so I didn't have to worry about lack of radio coverage later) and they gave me a squawk. I then called Nassau back (firmly inside their Class D without a clearance) and they eventually responded to me. It seemed as if I didn't REALLY need a clearance, but their air traffic control is in the middle of modernizing so they will likely continue to expand their services. I don't think their radar sees much beyond 50 NM based on radio traffic between me and Nassau.
MYES was amazing and thankfully the usual crosswinds weren't a factor, but I did land firmly on 16 as I came over the small ridge on short final and all the wind died. How did I know to land on 16? I used the website/app "Windy" and found their meteogram to be spot on with winds and weather. If you're going to tie your airplane down at MYES, bring strong stakes and a big hammer since you'll be hammering into some very hard earth. We did not tie down, which explains my 4 AM walk from our cabana at the Embrace Resort (right next to the airport) to my plane in the middle of a pretty good blow/storm to make sure she hadn't blown into the Navajo next to us. No drama, but it was not a comfortable feeling. I'm bringing a jackhammer next time and will tie down.
Our return was back through MYEH to clear Bahamian Customs and then back to KFPR. I filed a VFR plan with Nassau by cell phone from MYES and my trip back through the Class D was easier since I already had a plan on file. Nassau approach rogered my call approaching the Class D but couldn't see me on radar until I was halfway through, which is why I'm not sure its really all Class D. Out of MYEH I had filed a DVFR flight plan via Foreflight and called Miami radio by phone before departing to make sure they had it and they did indeed. They gave me a squawk for "Customs Identification" and told me if I received one from Miami during flight following that Miami's took precedence. Once I was abeam Marsh Harbor at 8.5k I called Miami for flight following with my Customs squawk and they did indeed give me a new squawk. Crossing the ADIZ was a non-event and being VFR meant I didn't have to wrestle with ATC for the routing I wanted.
We parked on the KFPR Customs ramp where indicated and took all our bags inside for a very easy clearance from polite and friendly agents. All-in-all, before the trip I studied the AOPA Bahamas guide closely and communicated via email with two Pilot Ambassadors found on the Visit Bahamas website. Both of them were American and extremely helpful and I felt very prepared for my first trip out of the country in our airplane. I crossed the ADIZ on both an IFR and DVFR flight plan and it was seamless both times. Customs in both countries was no stress and everyone from FBO's to linemen to ATC was extremely helpful. We're so glad we went and can't wait for our next trip to once again enjoy the extremely welcoming and friendly Bahamian people.
Approaching the MCO Class B at 9.5k we had to make a decision to turn due east just north of KSFB to follow the east coast down to KFPR or to try and get a clearance through the Class B at a lower altitude (3k) since Orlando approach wouldn't let us into the Class B at our altitude. We decided to take the latter option and the controllers took us right over MCO as expected. Once SE of MCO, we did a weather divert into KMLB due to storms all around KFPR. We fueled up at F.I.T. Aviation, which stands for Florida Institute of Technology. Their ramp is an orderly collection of single and twin engine training airplanes, but they are a full FBO with good gas prices, restrooms, and a break room. After about an hour on the ground we made the short jog to KFPR and were well received by APP Jet Center where we had a raft reserved. The lineman who met us pointed out where to park on the Customs ramp when returning from the Bahamas so they could fuel and tow us. Its hard to see, but the Customs ramp is marked for fueling / no fuel and it was helpful to have the lineman tell us what to do when we returned.
We stayed at one of APP Jet Center's preferred hotels, the Hutchinson Island Plaza Hotel. Meh is all I can say, but it was walking distance from standard FL beach bars/restaurants. I filed IFR to make the ADIZ crossing a non-event the following morning and filed ENDUW ZFP GRREG BARTS MYEH to minimize our time outside gliding distance from the shore. However, when Foreflight sent me my expected routing it was LEBUR JAKEL BR62V ZFP, taking us on a long overwater stretch right out of KFPR. I called flight service and told them why I filed what I did and they called the Traffic Mgt Unit (TMU) at Miami Center while keeping me on hold. When he returned he told me that the expected route is the coded one always given out of KFPR but that the controllers would basically let me do what I originally planned. I was not confident in that fact, but it is exactly how it worked. Palm Beach approach had gotten the word what I wanted to do and let me fly south at 7.5k until ready to turn east and make the shortest crossing as possible to Grand Bahama.
The flight to MYEH was smooth and we had one of APP's rafts on board. I cancelled IFR with Miami around Freeport but stayed with them for flight following. I'm glad I did because they gave me an avoidance vector for a small turboprop airliner climbing out of Marsh Harbor that was definitely a conflict. By the time you get to Freeport you are out of ADS-B coverage so we had very minimal electronic traffic SA and I'm glad I stayed with Miami. I terminated flight following (I heard the word "Terminate" used by a lot of traffic with the Bahamian controllers for ending flight following) as we began our descent to MYEH.
At MYEH we were met by White Crown Aviation linemen who grabbed our bags and took them to Customs and told us we could the put the airplane to bed before proceeding to Customs but that was wrong. The Bahamian Customs officers were a bit perturbed we didn't proceed right to them and advised us to do so next time. No hassle, just a stern statement. Other than that they were pleasant and helpful. They share the building with White Crown and everyone knows everyone else. 5 minute cab ride, 5 minute water taxi and we were on Harbor Island which is a whole other thread.
4 days later we departed MYEH to MYES. I spoke with Freeport radio on the way to MYEH and asked if I needed clearance from Nassau Approach to enter the polygon airspace that goes from 1,500 - 12,000 just south of MYEH. Since it is labeled a Class D I assumed I did, but no one could answer that clearly for me during my planning. Freeport told me, yes I did need to. So above 2k before entering I called Nassau and requested clearance and he asked me if I had a flight plan. When I said no, he told me to contact Nassau radio and air file. I did that with a 'non-closure' VFR plan (so I didn't have to worry about lack of radio coverage later) and they gave me a squawk. I then called Nassau back (firmly inside their Class D without a clearance) and they eventually responded to me. It seemed as if I didn't REALLY need a clearance, but their air traffic control is in the middle of modernizing so they will likely continue to expand their services. I don't think their radar sees much beyond 50 NM based on radio traffic between me and Nassau.
MYES was amazing and thankfully the usual crosswinds weren't a factor, but I did land firmly on 16 as I came over the small ridge on short final and all the wind died. How did I know to land on 16? I used the website/app "Windy" and found their meteogram to be spot on with winds and weather. If you're going to tie your airplane down at MYES, bring strong stakes and a big hammer since you'll be hammering into some very hard earth. We did not tie down, which explains my 4 AM walk from our cabana at the Embrace Resort (right next to the airport) to my plane in the middle of a pretty good blow/storm to make sure she hadn't blown into the Navajo next to us. No drama, but it was not a comfortable feeling. I'm bringing a jackhammer next time and will tie down.
Our return was back through MYEH to clear Bahamian Customs and then back to KFPR. I filed a VFR plan with Nassau by cell phone from MYES and my trip back through the Class D was easier since I already had a plan on file. Nassau approach rogered my call approaching the Class D but couldn't see me on radar until I was halfway through, which is why I'm not sure its really all Class D. Out of MYEH I had filed a DVFR flight plan via Foreflight and called Miami radio by phone before departing to make sure they had it and they did indeed. They gave me a squawk for "Customs Identification" and told me if I received one from Miami during flight following that Miami's took precedence. Once I was abeam Marsh Harbor at 8.5k I called Miami for flight following with my Customs squawk and they did indeed give me a new squawk. Crossing the ADIZ was a non-event and being VFR meant I didn't have to wrestle with ATC for the routing I wanted.
We parked on the KFPR Customs ramp where indicated and took all our bags inside for a very easy clearance from polite and friendly agents. All-in-all, before the trip I studied the AOPA Bahamas guide closely and communicated via email with two Pilot Ambassadors found on the Visit Bahamas website. Both of them were American and extremely helpful and I felt very prepared for my first trip out of the country in our airplane. I crossed the ADIZ on both an IFR and DVFR flight plan and it was seamless both times. Customs in both countries was no stress and everyone from FBO's to linemen to ATC was extremely helpful. We're so glad we went and can't wait for our next trip to once again enjoy the extremely welcoming and friendly Bahamian people.
Last edited:
