Trip report: Florida & Bahamas Jan16-Jan26

I started browsing my pictures and found nice ones from my Florida/Bahamas trip, so let’s write a trip report !

I was on a work trip to USA last January (before COVID19 mess hit !), so invited Mrs to join for some vacation/flying after, most of my US flying was 2h rentals in LA/NY area and FBO burgers, the glitch my wife is pregnant: so she is not keen on burgers near NY, so we settled for 10 days holiday in Florida/Bahamas and she said yes and we started packing, turns out better: NYC had miserable weather with +60kts winds from storm Jacob !

Looking for rental: we decided to skip renting in NYC as it was too far & expensive (extra $$ for customs decals & insurance and the boss of my usual rental outfit just hated everything about Florida: sun, oranges, flat land, aligators, spaceX, drugs, guns…), most rentals in Florida are keen on Bahamas as it is their bread-and-butter but many have steep terms: busy training schedules, 10h checkout for an Arrow2, some require 300h TT & FAA IR for insurance… 

We rented a C177RG in Tampa (@Mark0505 flew that one and he stayed alive, so I went for that one as well), the Cardinal had few gadgets (GTN/G500/EDM) to keep me busy but the most important it was easy to fly/land, also we got in touch with some friends who offered valuable planning tips and kindly loaned us some survival gear (e.g. Raft, PLB…)

Florida out: overfly NASA runway, Kennedy Space Center, Arcadia Airport, watch Falcon9 launch from the air near Palm BeachBahamas route: Ft Lauderdale (KFXE), Nassau, Norman Cay, Staniel Cay, Cat Islands, Exumas and back to Ft Lauderdale Florida return: we had 2 days as as backup weather day that we used it to visited West Keys & Albert Whitted

All went according to plan except: SpaceX decided it was too much crosswind to launch Falcon9 on Saturday morning, so my CFI decided to delay the checkout flight, the next day we watched the launch from the beach, and the flight back Exumas to Ft Lauderdale took 6h instead of 3h (weather and technical gear problem)

We enjoyed this lifetime trip to Florida/Bahamas, the places are true flyer heavens: lot of things to see, GA friendly and very welcoming people !
For those interested in few pilot details:
- PeterOKnight (KTPF): we rented C177RG from Atlas Aviation, I highly recommend these guys !
- Fort Lauderdale (KFXE): very handy for US customs/shopping, 1st went W Aviation and 2nd to Banyan (say “Hi to Pablo”!)
- Nassau: Odysee handling, 30$ handling, 50$ customs, fuel at 7.6$, taxi 30$ to BahaSea and public bus 1.25$ 
- Norman Cay: Escobar C46 wreck snorkelling & nearby beach
- Staniel Cay: Enjoyed this place, no fees, golf car for rent 50$ half day (makes full day at no charge) and visit SC Yacht Club
- Cat Islands: no fees, taxi 60$ to Greenwood Resort, bit isolated but you can kitesurf & scuba there
- Exuma: Odysee handling, 15$ handling and 29$ customs, fuel 7.8$, taxi 30$ to Paradise Bay Resort, I liked more than Nassau  
- Key West: Signature handling, 34$, 20min walk to the beach (reminds me of GA visits to Le-Touquet LFAT)  
- Albert Whitted: 10$ ShelterAir, Hangar restaurant, 3min walk to Dali Museum, 5min Uber to Imagine Museum 

Our Donkey: our Cardinal (here at Staniel Cay)

P40 at KTPF: price wise it is a hard choice between 20min in this and 1 week in Bahamas, reminds me of a friend who did 10min in Duxford Spitfire and dared to ask the display pilot if he can count “those hours” for his CPL hour building 

Mentors at KTPF, honestly all those Beech need to go to the gym (also someone got jealous, I got 55h on T34C paid by taxpayers)

The closest one can get to SapceX/Falcon9 launch pad L39 

KSC (first Crocodile encounter was in NASA swamps as I took this picture)

My cowboy hat is not popular in Florida (so switched to KSC cap on the first day)

Flight Plan template (very handy in places where the insist to file the old way)  

Shame Lyco no longer don’t build these

Meeting friends at KFXE and shopping at Banyan

Miami Intrernational (they insist on 499ft or 501ft for VFR, your wish is my command Sir)

Nassau, Versaille Garden and French Cloistr, Wife pretended to know everything about these until we get kicked out (it is a private Garden )

Pablo Escobar C46 at Norman’s Cay

Staniel Cay Sectional Chart (we drove the golf cart 6 times around the Isle, also nice to swim with pigs)

SCYC club and restaurant, highly recommended

Someone is doing the ramp job at Cat Island

Looking at this we missed so much that we may have to come back again

Exumas

Nasty convective weather on arrival at KFXE (not good even for IFR), to add to the mix the gear failed to raise since departing Exumas

Key West restaurant

Key West beach 

Albert Whitted, I asked tower if we are the only guys on Frequency? negative, shame will NOT make Aircraft Carrier RT calls

Restaurant at Albert Whitted

Dali Musuem & VR experience

Extra trip bonus (more avgas smell from Rotax/Lyco engine while chasing swamp alligators)