Saturday's schedule included a series of instrument proficiency training flights for the aircraft's owner. It also involved a lot of running around at most of the airports to get the various pieces of paper stamped and into the correct hands so we could depart on the next leg. Having been through the process several times, I think I'm getting a handle on the overall sequence of events. There are some cool pictures toward the end of this post, if you want to skip this boring stuff.
Before taking off from your departure point, you'll need to file an ICAO flight plan and file it with the local ATC authority. This is often done by fax, but sometimes you'll need to hand carry it to the appropriate person.
Secondly, you need to prepare an outbound general declaration document (usually referred to as your gendec). You'll need at least four copies (some destinations require as many as five copies). Your outbound gendec needs to be stamped by the authorities at your departure airport and they will usually keep just one copy for their records. If you plan to land at your destination and then continue to another airport, it's important to have a set of outbound gendec prepared in advance. Four copies are usually required for the outbound, but I'm told some authorities (like Trinidad) require as many as nine copies.
Here is our arrival at St. Kitts.
Once you have landed at your destination, the next step is to clear immigration by showing your passport, pilot's certificate and your inbound gendec. Immigration will usually keep a copy of your inbound gendec and they'll stamp the other copies for you. If you have an outbound gendec, they'll want to see it, too. Then they'll send you to customs.
At customs, they may x-ray or inspect any baggage and items you are carrying. If you left most of your stuff in the plane, this step will be a bit easier. They'll want to see your inbound gendec and then they'll clear you to enter the airport. Your next stop will the administrative office that handles arrivals and departures.
The administrative office (it goes by different names in different countries) is where you'll pay any arrival taxes and landing fees. They'll want to see a copy of your inbound gendec, your passport, and your pilot's certificate (or license). Sometimes there is a fee for each person on the aircraft and sometimes there are additional taxes, too. In my travels in the Caribbean so far, I haven't seen the fees for two people amount to a total of more than about $50US.
This same administrative office is usually where you'll pay any departure fees and taxes, too. If you are departing, they'll need to see your outbound gendec. They'll stamp and sign your outbound gendec, keep a copy, and they usually have a fax machine you can use to file your flight plan. But sometimes you'll need to hand-carry your form to the appropriate ATC office. Pictured below is what has to be the world's slowest fax machine at Juliana International in St. Maarten. I kid you not, the paper fed at the rate of about 1 millimeter every 10 seconds.
After your flight plan has been faxed or delivered and you've verified (by phone or in person) that it has been received, it's time to go through security so you can get back to your aircraft. At larger airports, they usually expect to see a boarding pass so you'll have to explain that you are a pilot and are flying a small aircraft. Be prepared to show you pilot's certificate (or license) and your outbound gendec.
Our situation was some what unusual since we were planning to do approaches into three different airports, hoping for a quick turn at each airport. We'd have to land at each airport clear immigration and customs, pay taxes and fees, file our flight plan and clear security before departing on the next leg. FBO2000 at V.C. Bird is a top-notch operation and all we had to do was tell them where we were going. They prepared all the gendecs for us. We just had to keep all the papers organized as the trip progressed; Not a trivial task.
After flying an approach and landing at St. Kitts, we departed for the VOR DME RWY 9 approach into Julianna International in St. Maarten. If you're wondering, yes, this is the airport where crazy tourists stand on Maho beach to be sandblasted by the jetblast from arriving and departing aircraft. You can see just a few bored tourists sitting on the guard rail by the beach when we arrived. I guess the Duchess didn't seem that impressive to them, but then they didn't know that she had flown over 4000 nautical miles to get there.
Next on our schedule was the RNAV RWY 10 approach into Wallblake Airport in nearby Anguilla. Unfortunately, Julianna Tower was not interested in helping us fly the approach. Instead, the tower had us do a climbing right turn after takeoff to cross over the St. Maarten VOR (near the arrival end of runway 09). They handed us off to Juliana Approach who gave us direct to Wallblake for a visual approach. Since we were in and out of the clouds, we asked for lower so we could call the field in sight. They weren't interested in that request either and handed us off to Wallblake Tower to plead our case. Wallblake tower gave us a descent to 1500 feet and we saw the airport. After landing, the total flight was less than 0.3 hours - kind of like a flight from Oakland, CA to Hayward, CA.
We did the usual paperwork drill at Wallblake, but it is so much smaller and low-key that the process was a lot easier. When it came time to file our flight plane, the woman who had collected our landing fee told us to go through security, then turn right and walk to the tower. As we approached the base of the tower, I expected to see an office.
All we saw was the door to the stairs leading up to the tower. So we opened it and headed up several flights of stairs to the last flight - a steep, ladder like arrangement. We entered the tower cab, handed our flight plan to the controller, and she did the rest. I mentioned how rare it is in the U.S. to be allowed to enter an ATC facility and asked if I could take pictures. "Of course" was the answer.
We clambered back down the ladder and the stairs to the plane, making a mental note to visit more airports like Wallblake in the future. In minutes, we were on our way back "home." V.C. Bird Airport is starting to feel familiar after just a few days. I know their routine, what they are probably going to ask us to do, and the controllers even seem to recognize our tail number.
Just a few more days of flying and I'll be headed back to the familiar, rapid-fire environment of the San Francisco Bay Area. But for now, we enjoy a bit of paradise.
