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Posted By:
Nickens, Dan
Date Posted:
Nov 23, 2017
Description:
Sometimes you just gotta go. Since the SeaRey had been parked up top with the helicopter for the boat show, we got kicked off the yacht so it could fly off to get guests.
Date Taken:
Nov. 8, 2017
Place Taken:
Off Albany Marina, New Providence, Bahamas
Owner:
Nickens, Dan
File Name:
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Going Overboard (or Bahamas Number 1) |
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Getting off was a lot easier than getting out.
Getting into Bahamian airspace wasn't so easy. There are two prerequisites for flying a Light Sport Seaplane in the Bahamas: (1) getting written authorization for a Special Airworthiness Certificated LSA, and, (2) securing permission to operate at other than a licensed aerodrome.
But, it's the Bahamas, right? Light Sport Aircraft were officially welcomed there in 2010. Every year a group flies over from Sebring. And, seaplane operations happen there all the time. No need for an agent to get authorization this time. "I can handle it." Easy.
I started a month earlier. First I called a nearby official Bahamian Aviation Ambassador for LSAs.
"You want a letter?"
Me: "Yes, written authorization to operate a LSA in the Bahamas."
"You don't need that. We fly over there all the time."
Me: "But what about the Airworthiness Limitations? They specify that a letter is required to operate in foreign airspace."
"That must be a Searey thing."
Me: "No, actually it's a FAA thing. All LSA Limitations have it because it's not an ICAO compliant airplane. Same thing for amateur-built experimentals, but the Bahamas publishes a Letter of Authorization for them. Not for LSAs."
"Well, I've never had any one ask for one. You can try to contact the aviation certification people."
I did. I went through multiple bureaucrats until I found the head guy.
Him: "Never heard of such a thing. I'll ask my inspectors to look into it, but we have a new government and we're cracking down on foreign commercial operations."
Me: "Not commercial. It's private."
Him: "Well, we're really busy with serious issues right now. I'll get back to you."
So, I let it ride for a couple of weeks. Then I checked back in and got the same story.
With one week to go, having not heard back from the Bahamian aviation ambassador, or the chief inspector, or the off airport authorization guy, I went to the agent.
Agent: "No worries. We'll get it."
Right. The agent got the same reaction I did: "You want what?"
I sent in mass quantities of documentation. The agent was optimistic it would happen.
It didn't. With the trip ready to start, panic started to creep in. A helpful SeaRey guy who was going over too put me on the phone with the chief official Government of the Bahamas aviation ambassador who happened to be at the Ft. Lauderdale yacht show with SuRi.
COGBAA: "LSAs are welcome in the Bahamas. Have been for many years."
Me: "But what about my Limitations? A pilot's just got to know his limitations."
COGBAA: "There are no limitations for LSAs. Come on over."
Me: "But I'm scared. My airworthiness certificate says I need a letter. If I don't have one, I don't have a valid airworthiness certificate. If I don't have a valid airworthiness certificate I'm in violation of Part 91.9 which requires compliance with an airplane's operating limitations. And what about the insurance company? Knowingly operating without a valid AWC is not going to make them happy."
COGBAA: "Never heard of such a wimp. It's the Bahamas, mon. Come on over. But, if you're really scared, I'm meeting with my boss and the FAA's head of LSAs Monday morning. Send me your documents and I'll check it out."
The COGBAA wasn't the only one questioning my pilothood. There was a group of SeaReys flying over. Some of the guys just went anyway. One of the guys called his insurance company to ask about it. The agent said, "What? Don't ask me. Sounds like it will all be good."
The other guys were all like, "Go for it and ask for forgiveness later."
Great.
Me: "And tell the boss that I just cracked up the airplane with a guest and, oh, yeah, the $100 million liability policy may or may not cover it? Yeah. Forgiveness sounds like a good plan." Not.
Monday came and went. By Monday afternoon, however, the aviation agent was getting really optimistic. "It will happen." On hopes and prayers we flew 3 'Reys down to south Florida to wait for permission.
It came Monday night. Tuesday morning we were up early printing out our Letters of Official Blessings. Good to go. Including a letter saying I could operate SuRi's SeaRey from the yacht. In the Exumas. Not Nassau. Well, close enough.
Only it wasn't close enough because when the captain found the SeaRey fowling his helicopter deck he quickly consigned us to the deep blue. Off Nassau.
No worries. I filed a flight plan to the Exumas from outside the marina on the border of P-3002. Just outside, but not inside.
So, as I splashed around in waves from a brisk wind I called Nassau approach for my clearance.
Approach: "You don't have a flight plan."
Me: "Yes I do. I filed it with the local FBO."
Approach: "Standby"
I didn't say there was nowhere to stand in 20' of ocean. I just hung around for 15 minutes then called her back.
Approach: "You don't have a valid flight plan. Contact tower at this number: BR549."
(Okay, so that's not the tower's telephone number. It's from HeeHaw TV in the 1970's, but it seemed to be appropriate.)
So I telephoned tower. The operator had to find the supervisor.
Supervisor: "You don't have authorization to operate from an unlicensed seaplane base."
Me: "But I have a letter authorizing seaplane opertion."
Supervisor: "From whom?"
I gave him the name and date on the letter.
Supervisor: "Call back in fifteen minutes and I'll let you know."
There are worse ways to spend 15 minutes than rocking around on the ocean. At 15:01 I called back.
Supervisor: "The letter writer says he has never heard of you. I can't approve a flight plan to the Exumas."
Me, thinking, "Uh oh. SuRi has left and I've no place to go to straighten this out. Wait! He said he couldn't approve a flight to the Exumas. What if...."
Me: "Okay, can you approve a flight plan from the marina to Nassau Pindling International?"
Supervisor: "That's approved. When you land call from the FBO and we'll straighten this out."
So, after 45 minutes of salty floating, I was off to the International Airport five minutes away.
Did I get it straightened out? No. I simply filed the required VFR flight plan from Nassau to Staniel Cay. It was some consolation that I wasn't the only one. The helicopter didn't have permission to operate off airport either. He was stuck at the airport for an hour with guests trying to get it all sorted out. At least my fumbling attempts at international ops only inconvenienced myself!
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Leaving Nassau, Approach told me to contact the local FSS to open my flight plan. I considered rebelling. "I'm outta here and don't need no stinkin' plan!" But, no, after going through bureaucratic purgatory I wasn't going to blow it. At least I had previously filed an "open" flight plan and wouldn't have to worry about closing it. And I had filed for 2 hours for a 1 hour flight. I was too late to catch up with the other 'Reys so I deviated straight for the northern Exhumas.
Up north there were ruins of an old lighthouse. The Beacon Cay Lighthouse was established in 1893 to mark an approach to Nassau from the open Atlantic across the shallows of the Great Bahamas Bank. It's blown to ruins but still marks the spot.
| | Attachments:
3 Beacon Cay Lighthouse 7599
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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An out-there splashdown?
Even though there was a stiff wind with Atlantic waves crashing in from the east, some uninhabited islands offered an attractive landing area to exercise my hard-earned letter of off-airport operation authorization.
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4 Upper Exumas 7569
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Whatzthat? A pretty little sandbar smack dab in the middle of a wave-protected area?
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5 Bar Parking 7572
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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A low approach showed the water was not so smooth with a complex pattern of reflection and refraction. Well, no worries. I had plenty of time to search out slicker water heading south towards Staniel Cay.
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6 Not so Smooth 7578
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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The thin strips of limestone separating the deep blue Atlantic from the aquamarine banks were plenty rugged from time-unremembered poundings.
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7 Rough Strip 7593
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Strong tidal currents passing between the deep ocean and shallow bank make interesting patterns, and unique habitats.
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8 Sandy Waves 7608
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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The bald limestone doesn't provide much of a land base for plants.
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9 Ocean Edge 7614
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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The soft white watery places were just too inviting to pass up. I found a nice calm channel and settled down into the clear water.
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11 Short Approach 7662
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Approaching the beach I decided to put the gear down to protect the hull from the occasional broken limestone and coral chunks. Surprisingly the bottom seemed quite firm and easy to taxi over. It was such a nice surprise that it convinced me to taxi up higher than I had intended.
As soon as I stepped out into the soft sand I realized my mistake. The bottom seemed hard when the wheels were moving but as soon as we stopped they began to sink, just like my bare feet were doing!
The thing about the "sandy" beaches in the Bahamas is that they are not really all that sandy. Sand is technically just a particle size. The beaches in the Bahamas tend to be finer, however, closer to silt size. And the beach is primarily composed of calcium carbonate, not quartz. Of course I knew that going in, but ignored that knowledge in favor of the fine feeling of smoothly rolling up towards the beach.
Now that little bit of ignored knowledge was smacking me over the head. The tires were settling into the sand with each little wave washing by.
Sigh. Well, no worries. I decided I would just lift the tires up onto the top and they would roll like they did before.
Right. It was a good plan except the silt size carbonates sucked at the wheels. Despite my best efforts it was a tough lift. And, as soon as I'd get a wheel up, it would settle right back in when I quit lifting. All I got for my increasingly frantic exertions was a bruised shoulder.
Did I mention the tide was rapidly going out?
Well, simple brawn wasn't working. How about applying some leverage? I found a big log and plastic jugs that just might work as a fulcrum. Engineering, right?
Wrong! So what if I lifted the wheel up. I didn't have any way to hold it up and wedge something hard underneath.
Did I mention that this debacle was wearing out the sunshine? Time was advancing as rapidly as the tide was equally quickly retreating. I was certain I had filed an open ended flight plan but wasn't sure how that would work since I had activated it over the radio after the specialist asked me to call when I landed.
Okay, so maybe I'll just call now and let someone know the mess I'd gotten myself into. Only there was no cell coverage. In the rush to get off SuRi I had left the satellite phone safely in its charger on the boat's bridge.
Now what? I had a tracking system that I could send out an alert but that would just generate way too much concern over a predicament, not an emergency. And I had two bottles of water and a granola bar for dinner stashed in my backpack. How bad would it be to spend a quiet night under the stars? Lying on the soft sand, watching the brilliant stars flow by, had a certain romantic appeal. That was offset by the consternation I'd stir up doing it without notice.
What to do what to do?
Two big plastic jugs half submerged on the beach gave me an idea. I jammed them under the hull on both sides of the airplane as far as I could get them. I pulled the circuit breakers on the landing gear and lifted the retraction lever. Then I went back to the shallowest wheel and began digging it out. I had to be quick because as soon as I'd get it free, it would start filling back in. After I cleared the wheel I quickly reached into the cockpit and pushed in the circuit breaker. The wheel rose and the plane settled onto the big jug.
Fortunately the pilot side wheel was in deeper water, making it easier to get the second jug under the hull. Working the same plan, but getting a lot wetter because of the deeper water, I raised it too.
Now, what about the tail wheel? It was down, but so what. Well, "what" is I didn't want any additional drag trying to scoot off the slick carbonate sand. And then there was the symmetry of having all the wheels in the proper position, right? Anyway, lifting the tail wasn't hard and the tail wheel slammed into position. Only it did so with a surprisingly loud wham! Maybe I should have lifted the tail a little less energetically.
Now, could I scoot off the entrapping bank from inside the airplane? Or would I need to work the throttle from outside and possibly get run over or lose the airplane as it became a drone and flew away? Well, it was crazy to take that kind of risk and I wasn't stupid enough to do it.....just yet.
What about the jugs? Screw the jugs! A little bit of rudder wag behind the big Rotax fan and they departed as the plane squirmed out into open water. They began to float away on the current.
Save the jugs? Save the environment? Some other day. I was tired, bruised, wet and late. I just flew away.
| | Attachments:
12 Soft Parking 7670
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Even though I should have been hurrying towards the Staniel Cay airport to allay schedule concerns, I couldn't help but linger a bit over the beautiful blue hues that were still alive in the late afternoon sun.
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13 Sand Smudge 7678
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Amid the rapid washing of silky white sand from the deep blue water rushing through the narrow corridors of land is the habitat of rare, ancient stromatalites. I was on high alert seeking them out. No doubt they were somewhere down there, but I didn't have time for a careful search.
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14 Breakthrough in Blue 7688
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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Just looking at all the possibilities for SeaRey exploration had me powering back, ignoring the ticking time bomb of a flight plan in Nassau's Flight Service Office. Ah, well, there is (almost) always tomorrow for casual exploration! On to the airport. Sigh.
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15 Beachsides 7695
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 23,2017
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After navigating a stiff crosswind to touchdown at Staniel I found my phone vibrating. It was a call from the Nassau Flight Service Office. I couldn't get the plane shut down in time to answer. I tried to call back. All I got was a busy signal.
Meanwhile Wolfgang and Michael showed up to help me secure the SeaRey. An entire SeaRey gang had successfully arrived and settled into local accommodations.
Michael, his wife, and Wolfgang were there perfectly positioned with their 915iS powered Spirit of the Exumas. Parked nearby was Rob Galloway's SeaRey. He had flown in with a student earlier. Kevin was there with the Progressive Aerodyne demonstrator plane, along with his photographer friend Dion. Daniel had parked PA's Blue Adventure Searey next to where Kerry Richter had tied down SuRi's old Searey, an older twin to the one I was in. The SeaRey from "Fly the Beach" had departed earlier, leaving us with six on the ramp for the evening.
Katie, a friend of Dion's who flies Caravans on floats had joined up with the motley SeaRey crew in Nassau. All gathered for cold tropical drinks on the veranda of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club to toast another fine setting of the sun after another great day of SeaRey adventuring. Cheers!
(Yes, I finally got a call through to Nassau. They didn't seem concerned about my late status because, after all, I had filed a flight plan.)
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Don Maxwell - Nov 23,2017
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Ohhh! All those bureaucratic barriers! Dan, you certainly do suffer so. I hope the rest of your, um, travail goes better.
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 24,2017
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It would be a woefully short tale if I skipped tilting with windmills and went directly to rescuing the damsel in distress from the Isle of Dragons, Don.
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