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Great Exuma on 118.0. Direct Dial telephone numbers for Miami Flight Service is (305) 233-2600 and Nassau Flight Service can be reached at (242) 377-7116. If your destination airport in the Bahamas is not MYNN, MYGF, MYAM or MYEF, you will need to decide whether to close your flight plan in the air by radio or on the ground via telephone. As Miami Center only controls the airspace down to 6,000’ MSL, you will have to make that decision prior to being cleared down to this altitude. The weather is almost always clear, so most pilots will close in the air and proceed under VFR. Remember to record the Miami Center frequency you were on so that you can contact them to get your IFR clearance when you depart. Arriving at the Islands When you arrive in the Bahamas, you have two forms to fill out: an INWARD General Declaration Form (GENDEC) for the aircraft, and an Immigration Form for each person onboard the aircraft. Due to a quirk in Bahamas Customs regulations, if your aircraft is registered in the name of a corporation, you may be considered a “commercial” flight for customs purposes and you may be required to complete a Bahamas C7 GENDEC and pay $75 USD. Otherwise, you will complete a C7A GENDEC form and pay $50 USD. In either case, a copy of the C7 or C7A will be stamped by Bahamas Customs and returned to you along with a copy of each immigration form. Do not lose these documents. You will pay a nominal landing fee as well. And that’s it! C7 and C7a forms can be downloaded for free from the Bahamas government website or the Caribbean Sky Tours Member Website so that you can complete them in advance and minimize paperwork delays. If you plan to fly within the Bahamas, the short dis- tances imply that you will be flying below Class A air- space, and most pilots will make these flights under VFR which does not require a f light plan unless you are f lying to, or within 25 DME of, MYNN. If this is the case, you will have to file a flight plan with Nassau Flight Service. Bahamas Customs regulation requires that whenever you depart or arrive at an airport where Bahamas Customs is present, you must have your C7/C7A stamped. If the airport has an FBO, Bahamas Immigration and Customs officers are typically located there, making the process quick and easy. Returning to the United States Your return to the USA is just as easy. Make sure that you have properly filed your arrival eAPIS manifest, contact CBP at your port of arrival to advise them of your arrival intentions, and record the initials of the CBP officer you speak to. Unless you have a CBP Border Overflight Exemption (BOE), you must file your return flight plan to one of the eight CBP “Designated Airports” on the Florida East coast or Marathon, Florida. You may file Factory Direct Preferred 22 • TWIN & TURBINE / November 2019