Page 15 - Demo

Iguanas, Tortoises & Bad Gas
by Kevin Ware
Several years ago, we decided to fly our Cessna 340 from its home base in Washington State (KBVS) down through Mexico and Central America to Ecuador, and then 600 nm across the Pacific to the Galapagos. Well-maintained airplane; two
high-time ATP pilots; veteran passenger wives; two airplanes in loose company (a Baron and Cirrus) and a supposedly very experienced U.S. based handler to organize everything.
It seemed like a good idea. At least at the time.
And so, in a burst of innocence and enthusiasm, we started the trip with an 1800 nm flight to Brownsville, Texas, spent a night, then made the easy trip down the Gulf Coast to Vera Cruz, Mexico. We eased through Mexican Customs and Immigration and had the airplane topped off (with fuel at half the price of that in Brownsville). We then crossed the relatively low mountain range separating the Gulf Coast of Mexico from the Pacific to land at Tapachula.
Following a 10-mile hazardous, seatbelt-free cab ride into town, we arrived at a very modest motel for the night as arranged by the handler. The next morning, we were back in the precarious cab headed to the airport. What followed thankfully, was a pleasant trip in CAVU conditions down the coast of Central America to Liberia, Costa Rica where we made a problem-free fuel stop and departed for Panama.
It was VFR conditions when we arrived to the Marcos A. Gelabert Airport near Balboa, Panama and they were landing airplanes to the north. So, we approached from over the Gulf of Panama, passed over a small hill just before the runway and landed without difficulty. The customs folks met us at the FBO and were very friendly. We then took a van to the Hotel Gamboa, a very nice facility about halfway up the canal where we spent the next couple of days exploring the waterway and its surrounding jungle.
After that relaxing interlude, we returned to find the handler did not fully process our flight plans and clearances to Ecuador. A personal trip to the tower controller’s cab was required to re- solve the problem during which I found that my ability to speak Spanish was very helpful.
The weather at our destination of Guayaquil, Ecuador was marginal VFR with an occluded front over the area and rain showers reducing visibility and ceilings down to 2-3 miles and 1500 feet. While still over the Gulf of Panama, we found ourselves at FL200 on top of the system. It worsened as we made landfall near Tumaco and began dealing with an old-fashioned, radar vec- tor controlled IFR arrival into Guayaquil. The controllers all spoke a broken form of English and worked to space us between inbound airliners. There was a localizer approach however, and we broke out well in time to see the airport and land in light rain. This time, our handler actually ar- ranged for a rather nice hotel close to the airport. And even better yet, had a traditional Brazilian steakhouse right next door.
June 2018
TWIN & TURBINE • 13