Page 15 - Volume 20 Number 8

A raft of ramp guys were on hand, all nicely safety vested to assist with parking (9 by count).AIP chart for Cuba.Another anomaly is that altimeter settings are usually given using the metric system, rather than in inches of mercury. Sometimes, if asked, a foreign controller will make the conversion for you, but that will make it known to everyone on the frequency that you are a novice at international flying...information you would rather keep to yourself. So, the best solution is to carry a chart showing the conversion, or divide the altimeter setting in metric by 33.9 and round up to convert to inches (1014 mm Hg/33.9 = 29.92 in Hg).Also, ICAO nomenclature must be used when filing flight plans, easily done on your cell phone using the ForeFlight program, which will readily explain it to you. You’ll also need to file outbound and inbound eApis forms, and while the U.S. government website for this is not as difficult as, say, applying for ObamaCare health insurance, it’s a lot more complex than it should be. The solution isHavana airport chart.to use one of the private-sector contractors for this service, such as FltPlan.Com. Finally, you currently need a State Department permit number, obtained over the internet, but that requirement is soon going to disappear.Having done all this a day before, on departure morning I copied a short two-line IFR clearance from KEYW ground and entered the fewrequired fixes into the Garmin box, while taxiing behind fellow Twin Cessna traveler Vern Raburn’s nice Cessna 414. The takeoff from Key West’s runway 9 was followed by a right turn to avoid the Navy base, then a leisurely climb through a few clouds to 8,000 feet while on a radar vector. No cumbersome de- parture procedure, traffic conflicts, mountainous terrain, convection avoidance or airframe ice. Once a couple of miles off the coast, we were cleared direct to MAXIM and given a frequency change to Miami Center.Arriving over MAXIM, the female controller in Miami with a distinct Spanish accent handed us off to Havana Center. Upon switching, we were answered in English by yet-another female controller, who had an almost-identical Spanish accent. We were cleared to follow the FARAC 1 arrival and to expect ILS 06 into Havana.Coasting in to Cuba’s north shore, a bit west of Havana at FL 040, it is hazy with in-flight visibilityAUGUST 2016TWIN & TURBINE • 13