201er's Caribbean Adventure #3: Cuba

[201er]

Later the same day, Sunday November 20, 2016, we took a second flight. We departed Nueva Gerona and flew straight to Havana. This was just a 45 minute flight and pretty straight forward. They had me do a STAR which took a little prep but wasn't much to it. An ILS approach had me land to some jets holding short. Taxied behind a 737 but pulled into the FBO they have for GA. Havana was the only airport with a separate General Aviation terminal.

They were a bit more prepared to handle a small plane but everything still took forever. We had to show our passports to ten different people and wait and wait and wait at different stages of coming out of the airport.

We spent all of the next day, Monday, in Havana and flew out Tuesday morning. There is plenty to see in Havana. The contrast between grandeur and poverty is quite striking. Nearly all of the grand buildings are from before the revolution. Poverty is pretty much everything else. I think the video of Havana below sums it up quite well. You can see a Cuban supermarket in the freeze frame below:

 

 

[Danb]

Mike a treasure of remembrances you have acquired just remarkable, what headset you wearing and how does it compare to Bose

[Danb]

Mike a treasure of remembrances you have acquir d just remarkable, what h headset you wearing and how does it compare to Bose

[cbarry]

Word to the wise regarding an earlier post on desensitizing audible traffic alerts:  Starting one mile apart, the closure rate of two aircraft cruising (head on) at approximately 3 miles per minute is only about 10 seconds.  Although it's ultimately the PIC's job to see and avoid in VMC, I'd be careful about desensitizing equipment I had onboard that helped point out traffic.

[flyboy0681]

Regarding your poverty remark, just like Yogi Berra, my dad has come up with a few adages of his own over the decades. One of my favorite is "There is nothing inherently wrong with communism. It's just that everybody should be rich instead of poor.".

In case you were wondering, my other favorite is "If a woman isn't pretty on her wedding day, then there's no hope for the rest of her life".

[Piloto]

Excellent video Mike, very well done and educational. The 57 Chevys brings memories of my teens. You should do a video of Puerto Rico and the US VI. FBO facilities are better and no need for Customs if you fly non stop from the US.

José

[Piloto]

2 hours ago, cbarry said:

Word to the wise regarding an earlier post on desensitizing audible traffic alerts:  Starting one mile apart, the closure rate of two aircraft cruising (head on) at approximately 3 miles per minute is only about 10 seconds.  Although it's ultimately the PIC's job to see and avoid in VMC, I'd be careful about desensitizing equipment I had onboard that helped point out traffic.

You are very right. The NEAR setting is for use in a busy traffic pattern. TCAS II systems actually disable traffic call outs below 2,000 AGL because it can get annoying on approach.

José 

[flyboy0681]

13 minutes ago, Piloto said:

Excellent video Mike, very well done and educational. The 57 Chevys brings memories of my teens. You should do a video of Puerto Rico and the US VI. FBO facilities are better and no need for Customs if you fly non stop from the US.

José

About five years I saw an interesting program on either Smithsonian or Discovery about the old cars of Cuba. What I learned is that they contain very few parts that originated with the model. For example, a '54 Bel Air may contain the engine from a Soviet era Volga. And obviously, everything is hand crafted through the use of scraps of metal that can be found, most of the time not to exacting specifications. 

[prflyer]

Mike, excellent video and a great adventure for sure. Thanks for sharing. By the way, what camera are you using for the video shots of Cuba?

regards,

Fernando

[201er]

After spending a full day in Havana, we set off for the return flight on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 to Key West.

I did not get any fuel since departing south Florida 950nm prior. The JPI fuel flow was showing 23 gallons remaining, just enough to make it with legal reserve but not much extra. Dipping the tanks indicated at least 30 gallons. With the calculated amount of fuel being at least enough and the dipstick showing even more, I set off for the 1 hour long return flight.

You always hear "it's only 90 miles to Cuba," well here's a chance to see what that 90 miles looks like and decide if you're up for the challenge. Uncut timelapse flight from Havana to Key West:

After clearing customs in Key West, grabbed lunch and gas. The pump read 77 gallons which means the dipstick was spot on before the flight and the computer was a good bit off.

From Key West, it was an 8 hour nonstop flight back to Linden.

[Piloto]

Bermuda next? No AVGAS there but your Mooney has enough range for a unrefueled round trip.

José

[gsxrpilot]

What altitude was the flight from Havana to Key West?

[Marauder]

9 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

What altitude was the flight from Havana to Key West?

From what I can tell, low enough for his gonads to be dragging in the water. I am not a big fan of overflying water, especially if it is DEEP.

[gsxrpilot]

Just now, Marauder said:

From what I can tell, low enough for his gonads to be dragging in the water. I am not a big fan of overflying water, especially if it is DEEP.

Yeah, I'm thinking in my 252 I'd have filed for FL240 and by the time I reached altitude I'd be in gliding range of Key West.

[Piloto]

15 minutes ago, Marauder said:

From what I can tell, low enough for his gonads to be dragging in the water. I am not a big fan of overflying water, especially if it is DEEP.

No need to worry. These waters are continuously patrolled.

José

[mike_elliott]

On ‎12‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 7:14 AM, Danb said:

Mike a treasure of remembrances you have acquired just remarkable, what headset you wearing and how does it compare to Bose

Mike has agreed to speak at the Mooney Summit V and share his adventures! Mike, we welcome your attendance and your fascinating recaps of your adventures in your Mooney!

[gsxrpilot]

13 minutes ago, Hyett6420 said:

Deep. Depth is irrelevant, it's the temperature and the wind that will kill you quickest if you have a life jacket that is and are wearing it. I note that Mike wasn't, but when he attends the Mooney Summit next year he will learn all about water survival.   

Andrew

By "deep water" we mean any water so deep that the wheels on my Mooney can't sit on the ground without the water coming in the cabin.

[Piloto]

7 minutes ago, Hyett6420 said:

isnt this that famous pic of the African Pirates boarding Tom Hanks oil tanker?   

No, this is the DELTA Force on patrol over communist Cuban waters.

José

[flyboy0681]

7 minutes ago, Hyett6420 said:

isnt this that famous pic of the African Pirates boarding Tom Hanks oil tanker?   

No, this is the one

[Piloto]

9 minutes ago, flyboy0681 said:

No, this is the one

This is the Cuban ferry service between Habana and Key West.

[201er]

1 hour ago, gsxrpilot said:

What altitude was the flight from Havana to Key West?

FL060

[gsxrpilot]

29 minutes ago, 201er said:

FL060

I guess it would be easier to spot the wild life in the water from that altitude.

[thinwing]

Yep..sharks,barracuda ..all that good stuff