Trip report: Caribbean 2019 Tour with a C177 and a SR20

Hi everyone!

I’m Marco from Italy. Every year, with friends and colleagues, we fly a long cross country trip around the world.
In 2017 we flew in the USA west coast and deserts, in 2018 we flew from Italy to Canaries Islands and back (see here: https://www.euroga.org/forums/trips-airports/10352-trip-report-southern-europe-2018-tour-with-a-s22t#post_202451) and last year (sorry for the delay but I had literally no time to do it before) we flew from Florida to St.Maarten and back! Landing in some beautiful countries like Bahamas or Turks&Caicos. A truly wonderful experience.

We were 4 pilots and we rented 2 planes: a beautiful C177RG and an SR20.
I was part of the C177RG crew and we rented it in Tampa at Atlas Aviation. I can simply recommend the flight school and the airplane. We had a great time.
The SR20 crew rented it in Miami Opa Locka with Gold Standard aviation and they were completely satisfied as well. Nice looking plane and perfect assistance at the flight school.

• April 24th: We spent the first day in Tampa Peter O’Knight (KTPF) doing the rental checkouts with Atlas Aviation and we were glad they were really comprehnsive and profound training sessions.
  
  
  

• April 25th: The day after we left for Everglades airpark (X01) for the meet up with the SR20 crew. We had nice alligator lunch in X01 and then we left for Key West (KEYW) for the night.
  
  
  

• April 26th: We left in the late morning to get to Nassau (MYNN) in order to get customs and immigrations checked. Passing the ADIZ and using the e-APIS was no big deal expecially on this outbound leg from the US. The customs in Nassau were kind and nice with all of us.
  The took the day to explore Nassau and it’s surroundings.
  
  
  

• April 27th: We departed in the early morning to see the beautiful islands of Normans Cay and Staniel Cay (MYES). In Normans Cay we had a 600 meters swim to get to the crashed DC-3. A truly amazing and unforgettable experience. You can also spot the DC3 for the airborne photo. In Spanish Cay we went to the famous Pig Island. In the evening we landed in Great Exuma (MYEF) for the full stop and a deserved night rest.
  
  
  

• April 28th: In the morning we left Exuma for Crooked Island Lodge. A small island lodge with a private airstrip called Pitts Town. Originally built by the Sporty’s Pilot Shop owner. They are now working to build a new marina for yachts.
  
  

• April 29th: The toughest day of the trip. We left in the very early morning from Pitts Town and we arrived in Great Inagua (MYIG) airport where we had to be checked for customs and immigration leaving the Bahamas. When leaving Great Inagua for Puerto Plata (MDPP) for a fuel stop, we had an avionics failure upon departure. We immediatly came back for landing and we did all the checks on the ground as instructed by phone with the engineer. Unfortunately, there was no fuel (fuel pump inop) and no maintenance onsite. We had a long ground run-up test and then we left for Dominican Republic with only the most basic avionics instruments on. We also had a portable handheld device as radio backup. The flight was smooth and ok. After a quick fuel stop in Puerto Plata, we left in time to get to St. Thomas (TIST) in the US Virgin Islands for a deserved rest. We also requested an check on site but the avionics engineer found no malfunction. A very long and stressful day.
  
  
  
  

• April 30th: Time to fly to the turning point of the trip…and what a turning point!. We departed St.Thomas in the morning to get to St.Maarten (TNCM). Princess Juliana is probably one of the most famous airports of the world and doesn’t need much description. It was probably one the best experience in my life. We had a permission to make a touch & go before arrival and before the departure the next day. ATC was super helpful and we had a lot of fun. A day to remember! We stopped for one night.
  
  

• May 1st: We left in the late morning to get to Providenciales (MBPV) in Turks&Caicos. Some great beautiful islands in between the Bahamas and the Antilles. The flight was around 4 hours long but was very smooth and relaxed. We stayed in Turks&Caicos 2 nights in order to rest and enjoy the best beach ever seen in my life.
  
  

• May 3rd: Time to fly back to the Bahamas! We left Providenciales to New Bight (MYCB) airport in Cat Island. We had to undergo through customs and immigration for the probably 10th time but everything went always smooth. We stayed in a nice and small lodge close to the sea. Another fantastic experience.
  

• May 4th: Another small island hop to North Eleuthera (MYEH) where we spent a night at Dunmore Town and it’s famous pink beach.
  
  

• May 5th: After a short flight, we arrived in Marsh Harbour (MYAM) in Great Abaco island. We toured around the city for the day and we celebrated my birthday with a beer. I’m so sad that this island got almost fully destroyed by the Hurricane Dorian.
  
  

• May 6th: Hey Florida! Nice to see you again! We had all the US customs and immigration procedures done in Ft.Pierce (KFPR). Everything was quick and easy. After loading some fuel, we departed to get back home in Tampa (KTPF).
  
  

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS:
It was a truly remarkable and unforgettable experience. We flew over the best beaches of the world and almost everything went as expected.
But a trip like this, needs a lot of studying and preparation at home: customs, immigration, airspace restrictions and airplane limitations are a lot so there is a lot to think about before even being there. We visited 5 different countries with each one different laws and rules and it wasn’t easy to cope with all of them but we managed to make it with no issues. For example in Turks&Caicos there was an extra landing fee of around 500$ in case of landing in the weekend! Luckly i found that rule before being there.
The US entry and exiting rules via plane are very restricted and precise. So you must be very prepared on that matter.
The weather was luckly fine and ok all the trip. We had to avoid some CBs on the way but we always had a backup plan in our pockets that kept us safe all the time.
We flew around 28 hours totally and that complied with our expectations.

I leave here some links that might help you in case you would like to plan a trip like this. In case you need anything else, drop me a PM. I’ll be glad to help.

LINKS:
CBP Private Air APID Guide: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/CBP%20Private%20Air%20Guide%203%200%20%28Jan%202015%29.pdf
AOPA eAPIS Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.aopa.org/travel/international-travel/eapis-frequently-asked-questions
Bahamas Pilot Guide (a must have): https://www.banyanair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bahamas-pilot-guide-2018-2019-web.pdf
AOPA Bahamas: https://www.aopa.org/travel/international-travel/bahamas
AOPA Caribbean: https://www.aopa.org/travel/international-travel/caribbean
AOPA Pilot Guides. Bahamas and Caribbean: https://www.aopa.org/travel/international-travel/bahamas-and-caribbean-pilots-guides
AOPA US Customs Checklists: https://www.aopa.org/-/media/files/aopa/home/go-flying/cross_border_flying_final.pdf