Annual Mexico Hunt trip

[brad]

Baja Bush Pilots continues to make flying to / from Mexico easy.  Cleared in at MMPE.  Stayed a couple of nights at Mayan Palace.  Airport rate for 2 bedroom Suite was $179 US.  New AIU process completed with EAPIS.  Flew to El Fuerte.  Cleared out at MMGM.  If anyone is reluctant to fly to Mexico, don't be.  This was my 27th year with a Mex flight.

[MikeOH]

@brad

Do you have the website link for the Mayan Palace you stayed at? My Google search found $2,170 per night!

[brad]

You need to fly your aircraft into MMPE to get the airport rate.  The airport manager will make the res for you.

[MikeOH]

4 minutes ago, brad said:

You need to fly your aircraft into MMPE to get the airport rate.  The airport manager will make the res for you.

Ok.  Was just hard to believe the 'rack rate' is over $2,000 and the discounted rate is only $179.  Doesn't seem too trustworthy a policy...

[Hank]

1 hour ago, MikeOH said:

Ok.  Was just hard to believe the 'rack rate' is over $2,000 and the discounted rate is only $179.  Doesn't seem too trustworthy a policy...

Convert from Pesos ($) to Dollars ($).

Google says right now 1 Peso = $0.049, so $2000 (pesos) = $98 US. Having the same symbol makes it confusing; many places outside the U.S. use "USD" to minimize this confusion. 

But no one converts at the actual rate, they add profit to stay open. How much? They will each tell you their conversion rate if you ask.

[MikeOH]

7 minutes ago, Hank said:

Convert from Pesos ($) to Dollars ($).

Google says right now 1 Peso = $0.049, so $2000 (pesos) = $98 US. Having the same symbol makes it confusing; many places outside the U.S. use "USD" to minimize this confusion. 

But no one converts at the actual rate, they add profit to stay open. How much? They will each tell you their conversion rate if you ask.

@Hank

Well, having just returned from Tulum yesterday, I'm well aware of how pesos convert to US dollars, thanks.

Silly me for thinking "USD $2,170 per night" on their website meant US dollars, not pesos:

[Hank]

31 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

@Hank

Well, having just returned from Tulum yesterday, I'm well aware of how pesos convert to US dollars, thanks.

Silly me for thinking "USD $2,170 per night" on their website meant US dollars, not pesos:

That's just crazy!!

But I didn't visit their website, and I don't keep up with your itinerary. 

[MikeOH]

7 minutes ago, Hank said:

But I didn't visit their website...

Yeah, why bother before assuming I was the ignorant one in need of an 'education' on currency conversion? Got it.

[Echo]

Theme

[wombat]

I just heard from the Baja Bush Pilots that Mexico no longer is issuing a flight plan to any private airport in Mexico that is not listed as a Third Party port.  There are only four of these airports in Mexico.

To see more, click here

To read the AFAC circular, click here.

 

[kortopates]

I just heard from the Baja Bush Pilots that Mexico no longer is issuing a flight plan to any private airport in Mexico that is not listed as a Third Party port.  There are only four of these airports in Mexico.

To see more, click here

To read the AFAC circular, click here.
 

Stay tuned for another week or so and this stupidity will undoubtedly be retracted.

Me -i am just happy i got my Whales trip last weekend! Feeling sorry for those that were headed down this weekend!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[1980Mooney]

1 hour ago, wombat said:

I just heard from the Baja Bush Pilots that Mexico no longer is issuing a flight plan to any private airport in Mexico that is not listed as a Third Party port.  There are only four of these airports in Mexico.

To see more, click here

To read the AFAC circular, click here.

Probably to close an easy loophole in the flow of Fentanyl to the US.  Just like in the days of the rise of use of marijuana and cocaine, "cowboys" smuggling by air has been a favorite of Americans. "Hunting Trip" - great cover..... And with Fentanyl it is so much easier.  CBP posts seizures that show that just one (1) pound of higher potency Fentanyl pills (5,000 - 1 gram pills) can have a street value of $100,000.

[kortopates]

Probably to close an easy loophole in the flow of Fentanyl to the US.  Just like in the days of the rise of use of marijuana and cocaine, "cowboys" smuggling by air has been a favorite of Americans.  And with Fentanyl it is so much easier.  CBP posts seizures that show that just one (1) pound of higher potency Fentanyl pills (5,000 1 gram pills) can have a street value of $100,000.

Absolutely nothing to do with drugs. Besides the owners of these private strips can still use them, just not 3rd parties meaning tourist. And nothing to do with CBP or crossing the border where they do seize drugs except not on private GA aircraft but vehicles.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cliffy]

Some politician has a desk drawer open for "donations" just like the Commandant at Mexicali did when I went through there 

50 years ago. Transit was always easy if a "donation to the children" was made to his open drawer (conveniently  showing  $10

and $20 US dollar bills in the drawer) as you stood next to his desk with your papers in hand.

ALL the Baja airport s were open then :-)

[brad]

I have not found that to be the case.  AFAC, Immigration, Administration are all very professional.  I tip upon completion of their stamp.  Fourth player, Customs, will not accept a tip.

Important to note that offering $ before the service is complete falls into a different category... bribe, and is frowned upon.

[FlyingDude]

On 3/10/2025 at 1:23 PM, brad said:

If anyone is reluctant to fly to Mexico, don't be.  This was my 27th year with a Mex flight.

Is that true that you need to pay to use their ATC but you can only pay inside Mexico and at a Mexican bank?

Thanks. 

[brad]

Have never heard of that being the case.  Crossing the border I contact Mexicali Tower.  They hand off to the next station and it's just like flight following.  

[kortopates]

Is that true that you need to pay to use their ATC but you can only pay inside Mexico and at a Mexican bank?
Thanks. 

Yes and no, every country charges fees for services including the US. In the US we pay with each gallon on gas.
Canada does it through quarterly flat rate fees.
Mexico does it in 2 ways - either a permit, currently an AIU, or when you don’t land and get a permit aircraft are subject to Overflight fees.

The AIU you pay ~120US every 6 months.
In the old days, rather than pay Cliffy’s commandante bandito we had go to the local bank so that the fee went directly to Mexico City (CDMX) to avoid corruption.
But these days virtually all public mexican airports have the infrastructure to make a direct credit card payment to CDMX - only then do we get the receipt necessary to go with our AIU permit.

There are still a few private airports that can’t process the credit card payment directly to CDMX, including the very popular San Felipe airport. So there we have to give the very honest inspectors a cash payment plus a small convenience fee and they will take it to the bank in a few days, stand in line and process several payments. but again only after the banks issues the receipt do they get our receipt that they can email a copy to us for future use or hold it till our next visit. But until a pilot has the receipt to go with the AIU the AIU isn’t entirely valid and any other airport will have to call San Felipe (or issuing airport) to confirm it’s been paid for before they will process your flight plan.

As much as i like the guys at MMSF, i prefer to get my AIU at an airport that i can get my receipt at time of purchase. Now if you really wanted to get your receipt immediately at San Felipe, you could pay the $20+ taxi fee each way to visit the bank in town and get it.

Flight following or radar services are very limited in Mexico; essentially only available when in an airports class D airspace; yet their class D are huge and can go out as much as 50-60nm over victor airways.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk