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Posted By:
Hal Brown
Date Posted:
Jan 15, 2013
Description:
The new SeaRey LSA is leaving the country. After Sebring, it’s joining the Aviators Hotlist flight to Grand Bahamas and Bimini. Adam and I will be flying N982SR, leaving on Sunday Jan. 20 for four days in the sand, sun and surf. Phil M. is going too. Anyone else?
Date Taken:
Jan 15, 2013
Place Taken:
SeaRey Central
Owner:
Dan Nickens
File Name:
Bahamas_Bound.jpg - Photo HTML
Full size - <img src="/show.php?splash=SZIU50000h">
Medium - <img src="/show.php?splash=SZIU50000m">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=SZIU50000s">
Category:
515, Factory Flying
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Read what others had to say:
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Dan Nickens - Jan 15,2013
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Bill Fosdick - Jan 16,2013
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Linda and I participated in this event last year and thought it was very well done. Our trip was cut short a little by weather in the islands but was a great experience anyway. I will do it again. The custom sticker can be obtained online and even if it doesn't show up in the mail on time you can use the receipt as your proof. Nobody asked or looked at mine at our Ft Pierce re entry point, which was very friendly.
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Don Maxwell - Jan 16,2013
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Here's some info about flying to the Bahamas: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHGKDFkIQO0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHGKDFkIQO0</a> (And I'm sorry to see that I lack a required customs decal.) I think the AOPA has info, too.<br /><br />
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Kenneth Leonard - Jan 18,2013
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Would love to go Dan, but am flying to key west and dry tortuga that day. Any takers?
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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One hundred miles of Atlantic to cross and the situation is not optimal.<br /><br />The forecast calls for widely scattered showers with cloud bases at 3000. The view beyond the windscreen is a ceiling of scattered to broken clouds with unobstructed flight only below 2000, sometimes lower.<br /><br />Miami Center just advised, “Flight following not available.” There was going to be no reassuring voice on the radio.<br /><br />Why should the flight center in Miami follow an amphibian trying to cross the Gulf Stream? Lindbergh didn’t need a radio. He had voices in his head.<br /><br />Lindbergh didn’t have the luxury of a flying boat. Here’s my rationalization: “If a problem develops, we’ll just alight on the water and sort it out.” Now, surely that’s a risk reducer for blue water crossing.<br /><br />There is a theory known by some as “risk homeostasis” or risk redistribution. Something that should make a situation safer doesn’t always do that. Why? A human tendency to take advantage of lower risks in one area only to assume greater risks in others. The net result is often a static or higher level of risk.<br /><br />A classic example is a popular small airplane outfitted with a ballistic parachute. It should have a great safety record. Instead its record is significantly worse than planes without that safety advantage. Some propose that the reason is that its pilots unreasonably rely on the parachute to bring them safely to the ground, taking flight risks they wouldn’t otherwise.<br /><br />Maybe that’s like relying on putting an unpowered SeaRey down in the Atlantic breakers. It’s an iffy proposition, but not impossible. It is, however, in most cases better odds than with a conventional land plane. Therefore there is more risk I’m willing to take. End result: no net improvement in the odds of surviving the crossing.<br /><br />Ah, but the rewards! Four days of Sand, Surf, Sun and SeaReys. That’s certainly worthy of the minimal mechanical risks associated with a new SeaRey.<br /><br />I will readily accept greater risks on the unreasonable assumption that a little flying boat could deal with any seas the Atlantic could roll. As Alfred E. Neuman is known to say, “What? Me worry?”<br /><br />
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Outbound Situation
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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The ocean is not so blue when it is covered by clouds. The deep blue breaks free when the sun shines through. The blue is especially good when the water isn’t frosted with white caps. The water is looking good, but the long swells are perpendicular to the wind. Ah, well, it could be worse: the water could be glassy.<br /><br />
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Mostly Blue
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Don Maxwell - Jan 26,2013
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Can't guess your altitude there, Dan. But of course you know that above a few hundred feet inland-waterway waves tend to look flat. My first ocean crossing had me facing backwards in a military Super Constellation, so I had a lot of time to consider the Pacific from 25 or 30 thousand feet up. The waves looked very tiny--until it occurred to me that I was seeing them from 5 or 6 miles away. Then they looked a lot bigger.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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25,000'? SeaRey dream...or nightmare? You'd have to divide by more than 100, Don, to find this view! An even lower perspective was indeed considered....until I realized that a lower perspective might dispel a fine illusion of manageable risk.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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Relief! Turquoise mixed with other beautiful blues signal arrival at Grand Bahama. The engine runs a little smoother. The radio comes alive with, “Welcome to the Bahamas, mon.” Risk is now nearly rewarded. Only one more gauntlet to run: Customs and Immigration.<br /><br />
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Lighter Shade of Blue
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Don Maxwell - Jan 26,2013
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Gorgeous!<br /><br />My introduction to the SeaRey came in an early issue of KITPLANES--about 1995, I think--with this photo that I think was taken in the Bahamas:<br /><br />You were probably already flying a SeaRey, yourself, then. And maybe there will be some photos of WT on that same beach--yes?
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srbahama 30pc
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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This trip is to show off the newly minted LSA Searey, Don ('N982SR'). You can certainly expect a beach scene, same or similar.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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Now to face the most daunting danger: bureaucracy. Did my eAPIS arrive before me? Was my flight plan on file? Is the C7A form properly completed? Where did I hide my passport?<br /><br />“No worries, mon. Relax. You’re in the Bahamas now.”<br /><br />Whew!<br /><br />Arriving in the reception area my phone rings. “Lockheed Martin calling. Are you safely down at Freeport?”<br /><br />“Uh, yeah.”<br /><br />“Great. Your flight plan is closed. Have fun.”<br /><br />That was a direct order.<br /><br />
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Here to Help
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Frank A. Carr - Jan 26,2013
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Congrats Dan, and enjoy the Bahamas, and don't worry at all about the worst part of the <br />trip which is coming back to the (formerly) good ole USA.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 26,2013
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Some might think the good ol'USA is now home of the fearful, Frank, judging from the unreasonable paranoia of a few government bureaucrats. I think they are wrong. We shall see.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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At the arrival dinner I was surprised to find out the adventurous aviators that had flown to the islands had a grounded plan for the following day. “Relax around the hotel pool,” was the group consensus of inaction.<br /><br />“Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see the gorgeous free-range water around here?”<br /><br />Well, they actually had an excuse. Most of the flight crew had spent hard days trapped in booths at the Sebring Air Expo. And, they didn’t have a Searey.<br /><br />But, that was their problem. I had no problems, mon, that wouldn’t be cured by relaxing on a deserted beach.<br /><br />
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Flight or Swim
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Of all the participants, only the Searey is launching on a flight of beach exploration.<br /><br />The first order of the day: file a flight plan. Any flight from Freeport or Nassau requires one.<br /><br />The smiling lady at the support desk is only too kind. “Where will you be going today, my friends?” she asks.<br /><br />“We are going to the Abacos and then returning.”<br /><br />“A wonderful day for seeing our islands. Let me help you with your flight plan. Since you are returning you will only need a local flight plan.”<br /><br />“Local? We’ll probably stop for fuel at Marsh Harbor.”<br /><br />“Sure. No problem. Have some conch fritters at the green house next to the terminal too. All you need is a local plan. I’ll fax it to Nassau.”<br /><br />Then she hands me the completed form and dials the phone for flight service.<br /><br />“We have your local flight plan, Searey. The weather will be fine.”<br /><br />“But we’re flying to the Abacos and back. Is that really a local flight plan?” Ninety-two miles one way doesn’t seem all that local to me.<br /><br />“No problem. You plan is on file. The conch salad is delicious at the airport restaurant. Have a great flight.”<br /><br />It was so easy as to make me uneasy, but, “no problem, mon.”<br /><br />On the way to the ramp a new Bahamian Customs crew smiles and greets us.<br /><br />Trying to show off a bit, I tell the Customs lady “I have my C7A Inter-Island cruising permit ready to stamp.”<br /><br />“You won’t need that, sir. Enjoy your local flight.”<br /><br />Okay, now that’s just too easy to be right!<br /><br />
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Grounded Flight Line
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Outside the Freeport Terminal Control Area the buildings melt away leaving miles of unpopulated beaches washed with tropical water.
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Low Cruising
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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This is no vacation! It’s a mission: get photos for the marketing guys. See Adam’s grim look of determination? And to think some might believe we’re just out having fun!
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First Photo Stop
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Don Maxwell - Jan 27,2013
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Ah! This is more like it, Dan. All it needs is some of that blue water in the frame. And a big smile. Maybe a girl or two.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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A trickle of a tidal stream flows past the waiting Searey.
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Beach Creek
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Who knew the Army Corpse of Engineers works in the Bahamas? How else to explain such beautiful beach lines that aren’t quite straight.
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Wavelines under Skylines
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Looking for more beaches could be a full time occupation in the Bahamas.
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Beach Survey
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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It’s so easy to find fine beaches in the Bahamas.
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Beach Find
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Frank A. Carr - Jan 27,2013
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Dan, I don't see an anchor rode; did you bring an anchor?
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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No. I brought Adam. He's a good swimmer. (And the wind was blowing on shore.)
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Just like a kiddie pool, there are plenty of shallows to wade into.
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Wading Pool
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Adam takes this work seriously. At least for now. It takes a day or two to get into the real Bahamas Mode, mon.
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Photographer at Work
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Frank A. Carr - Jan 27,2013
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Don't barracuda like these shallow waters?
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Maybe. Aren't they harmless? Seems so, what with that silly toothy grin they always wear.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Somewhere between islands, between morning and afternoon, between sky and sea, at an indeterminate time and place, squarely inside the Devil’s Triangle.
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Devilish View
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Not everyone was having a good day in the Bahamas. These two pilots were nowhere to be seen when we parked at Marsh Harbor in the Abacos.<br /><br />Adam says, “Ah, it is possible to have a bad day in the Bahamas.”<br /><br />“No worries, mon. A cup of conch chowder will make anything better.”<br /><br />The lady in her Customs uniform guarding the exit looks like she’s not having the best of days. I smile and say, “We’d like to walk across the street to the restaurant for lunch.”<br /><br />My smile is not returned. “Your Transire please. Where did you arrive from?”<br /><br />“We flew over from Freeport. I don’t have a Transire, but I have a C7A Inter-Island Cruising Permit.”<br /><br />She takes that from me and frowns. “You should have a Transire,” she says.<br /><br />“This is what they gave me at Freeport for the flight. They knew I was coming here.”<br /><br />“I’ll need to call my supervisor.”<br /><br />That sounds ominous. As I wait while she walks away I see a poster next to her desk. It is a Bahamian Pilot Bill of Rights. One of the provisions says, “No Transire (C38) is needed for private pilot, cruising through The Islands of the Bahamas for pleasure (a copy of the C7A will suffice).”<br /><br />Now I’m smug. Her supervisor will set this straight.<br /><br />Her supervisor strides over quickly with the harried look of a heavily burdened administrator. “You should have been given a Transire,” he says without greeting.<br /><br />I shrug. Should I cite chapter and verse of the Bill of Rights? No. I’ll hold that in reserve.<br /><br />He waives off my C7A. “We will fix this. You can fill out a Transire now. I will stamp it for you.”<br /><br />Crisis averted? At least for now. No need to go legalistic and proclaim the poster’s Rights.<br /><br />A Transire form is handed over. It has spaces for Tonnes of Cargo, Ports of Call, and lots of good nautical stuff. There is nothing about an airplane or private flight. It does require a signature of “The Captain.” Well, at least I will get a self-promotion for purposes of the form.<br /><br />With the form firmly stamped in red, we are cleared out of terminal building. A short walk takes us to a green block building with interior walls covered in Bahamian bills. The bar is open but there is no conch chowder. A conch burger will have to do.<br /><br />With much contemplation through mouthfuls of crunchy fried conch, I plot our return to the airplane. Should I go back through the airline terminal with my recently fabricated Transire and fake captain’s status? No. We’ll sneak back in through the fuel office. It’s a longer walk, but I won’t be forced to rely on a faded Bill of Rights.<br /><br />It is also a good idea to check back in with Flight Service and extend our “local” flight plan time to cover for bureaucratic and beach delays. The briefer takes my time extension request without comment.<br /><br />
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Bad Day in the Bahamas
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Steve Kessinger - Jan 27,2013
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Shoot, I wish my promotion to Captain had been as easy. ;-)<br /><br />42F, been raining the last 4 days, you're making me think I live on the wrong coast, Dan.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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See, Steve, you are in the perfect place for building your SeaRey. After it's flying, that's a whole nother story.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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The open ocean waits just off the eastern edge of the Abacos. A thin line of reefs buffer it from the islands. As we cruise north along the reef the local sharks keep a wary watch from their liquid kingdom below.<br /><br />
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On Reef Patrol
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Someone had a bad boating day in the Bahamas.
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Reef Wreck
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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What’s one to do when there is pretty beach with no else one to enjoy it?
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Call of the Beach
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Frank A. Carr - Jan 27,2013
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With gorgeous views like this Dan, you're probably not worrying about ICE, FAA, ATC on the flight home.<!-- >'"><br><font color=red size=6>' or > missing in user HTML. Please fix the HTML.</font> -->
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Like the song says, Frank, I got no worries, just being happy.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Just floating on a liquid blue crystal will mess with your mind.
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Light on Blue
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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It’s a guilty pleasure to beach on undisturbed sand knowing no one else is around to enjoy it.
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Nosing In
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Is it pollution to mark up a naked beach with bare footprints?
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Beach Prints
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Robert Charlwood Richardson - Jan 28,2013
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Jack Sparrow would proud ;-)
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Don’t you hate having a schedule? Our flight plan said we should be getting back to Freeport. The darkening skies add a bit of drama to our way back.
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Darkening Prospects
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Dan Nickens - Jan 27,2013
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Rain to the right. Rain to the left. Clouds pushing down from above. Just enough space for a Searey to squeeze through. Whew!<br /><br />“Freeport Approach. Searey N982SR is twenty out for landing Freeport.”<br /><br />“Searey say your point of origin.”<br /><br />“Freeport for N982SR.”<br /><br />“There is no flight plan for N982SR.”<br /><br />“2 Sierra Romeo filed a local flight plan this morning.”<br /><br />“Have you’ve been flying locally all day?”<br /><br />“No sir. Had lunch at the Marsh Harbor airport.”<br /><br />“That’s not a local flight. A local flight remains within the control area.”<br /><br />“Roger. We were told differently by the briefer.”<br /><br />“Next time you’ll know. Welcome back.”<br /><br />Whew. Another save logged by the good graces of our hosts.<br />
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Closing Door
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Kenneth Leonard - Jan 27,2013
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Awesome pictures and adventure Dan. That closing door picture looks like high pucker factor with dark <br />coming. Not the time for the flat screen to croak.
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Frank A. Carr - Jan 27,2013
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Might consider dropping this "Closing Door Photo" from any Album or Advertising.<!-- >'"><br><font color=red size=6>' or > missing in user HTML. Please fix the HTML.</font> -->
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Don Maxwell - Jan 27,2013
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On the other hand, it shows where a SeaRey can safely go. '<br /><br />What's that line from Star Trek? 'To safely go where no seaplane has gone before.'
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Chuck Cavanaugh - Jan 28,2013
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Dan, this is great. Please keep posting. This is exactly why I jumped into this project and exactly the kind of stuff I hope to be doing.
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Mike Freeman - Jan 28,2013
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Dan We hope to go there in the near future,eather by serreylsx (need to finish <br />construction )or our rv7a. do have one question are you stil required to have a raft on <br />board the searey<br />like the pictures
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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For a private flight, Mike, no raft is required.
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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Any sight of land in a long water crossing is welcome. Great Isacc Island doesn’t offer a lot of relief, though. The waves give it a pretty good beating.<br /><br />Getting this far was an unexpected benefit based on the morning’s developments.<br /><br />There was a bit of vindication in the Customs office. The group of LSA’s planned to fly over at about the same time. When we arrived at Customs a serious disruption to the program had developed. Pilots were being sent back to get their Transires filled out.<br /><br />The Aviation Rep from the Bahamian Tourist Board took up the pilot’s cause. “All that’s needed is a C7A,” he explained to the long suffering Custom’s agent.<br /><br />“I’ve already checked with my supervisor,” she responded. “We need to have a completed Transire for each plane.”<br /><br />The debate raged until the frustrated aviation rep realized it was going nowhere. He marched off mumbling that there was no point to having a Bahamian Pilots Bill of Rights if it wasn’t right.<br /><br />With the Transire and a filed Flight Plan all that remained was to fire up and fly out. In recognition of the pleasant warm temperature I decided to start off without using the choke. A brief stumbling attempt at starting changed my mind.<br /><br />I applied choke and turned the key. I got nothing but clicks.<br /><br />“Hmmm…that’s odd. The voltmeter shows plenty of battery juice. Let me try again.”<br /><br />Trying again achieved nothing more than some more clicks.<br /><br />“Stay here, Adam, and let me look under the deck.” Of course it looks exactly like it should: nothing amiss.<br /><br />Maybe Adam will have better luck. “Try again.” <br /><br />No better luck was achieved.<br /><br />“Wait. I’ll try tapping on the starter relay.”<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />Eventually our troubleshooting produced a different result: everything electrical immediately went dark and the circuit breaker on the Master Switch popped out in protest.<br /><br />“This can’t be good.”<br /><br />But it could be worse. We have a certified airplane here. We can call the electrical guy who wired it for advice.<br /><br />There is, however, a communication fluke to overcome. My phone can text and receive calls in the Islands, but not call out. Texting eventually provoked a call back.<br /><br />It’s hard to troubleshoot without any basic tools. So, this is hard to admit: I had not brought tool one. It’s a new airplane, after all! Memo to self: never, ever leave home without an emergency tool kit. It’s embarrassing enough at an international airport. It would have been uncomfortable in the extreme on one of the lonely beaches yesterday. <br /><br />Fortunately tools were available through a nearby aviation technician. He and Adam proceeded to bypass a balky master relay and get power to the rest of the plane. There was, however, no improvement in the clicking.<br /><br />Tracing the starter cable back to the engine the problem became apparent. Somehow someway the starter cable had loosed itself from the attaching terminal nut and was waving freely in the wind.<br /><br />There was no trace of the nut and no damage to the prop indicating its passage. A new nut brought the engine immediately to life.<br /><br />So, a few hours later, and with a slightly reconfigured electrical system, here we are. Humming happily over a barren outpost of land pushed along by a brisk tailwind.<br />
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Bimini Bound
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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Bimini Ho! One of Hemmingway’s Island’s in the Stream offers its welcoming bay. It’s a shallow body of water any Searey could love. And it’s all the sweeter when the Searey is showing a perfectly content electrical system.
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Island in the Stream
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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The big Customs Guy on South Bimini occupies a large volume of the small terminal building. He wordlessly stamps my Transire and tucks it into his stack of paper.<br /><br />“Er, sir, we plan to fly around the island tomorrow. Shouldn’t we have the Transire with us.”<br /><br />“No problem, mon. It will be right here with me.”<br /><br />At the late hour there was no argument in me.<br />
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Easy Ending
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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“When the wind really blows we really shouldn’t go,” might be the motto of the LSA crowd at breakfast. We were supposed to shoot some aerial photography of the two amphibs in the group. “Sure it’s a bit breezy, but the water in the bay is only nicely chopped.” No one was listening.<br /><br />No matter. It didn’t really matter. Our formal request for amphibian photography was under review by the aviation authorities.<br /><br />“When will we know?” the photographer plaintively asks.<br /><br />The Aviation Ambassador shrugs and says, “It’s the Bahamas. The request is in Nassau. The answer will come when it is ready.”<br /><br />“It’s just as well,” grouses the photographer. “The light is flat anyway.”<br /><br />As fine an excuse as any for me to set off wandering around Bimini!<br />
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Wind Brushed Waves
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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It’s confirmed. Light lies flat on the water under an overcast sky.
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Flat Light
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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Perhaps a flat light covers some of the ravages of wind and sea. Some. Not all.
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Lightly Ravaged
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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On the other hand, there may be some wisdom in not flying around in stiff island breezes.
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Not Lightly Ravaged
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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The old island freighter seems to grimace under the constant barrage.
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Face of Ruin
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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An island custom is to have brightly painted habitats. One of the buildings houses the fickle Customs officials plotting to improve the status of a simple Transire.
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Island Customs
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Dan Nickens - Jan 28,2013
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Sad to think that not so long ago this place was home to the Chalk seaplanes. Before the tragic crash in Miami this was a popular port for the big seaplanes. Our aviation specialist quietly said his uncle was one the doomed flight’s passengers.<br /><br />Maybe that tragedy still affects the local thinking. We didn’t get our permission for local seaplane operations until late in the afternoon.<br /><br />Looking at the letter is disheartening. It reads,<br /><br />“Dear Sir:<br />Re: APPROVAL FOR THREE (3) AERIAL PRIVATE FLIGHTS<br />In accordance with the Civil Aviation (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations, 1076, approval has been granted for N982SR, N885PR & N5999C type SEAREY,LSA, SEAMAX,LSA, LSA (ALL AMPHIBIOUS SEAPLANES) to operate Aerial Flights over & around BIMINI and landing in BIMINI WATERWAY on 23rd & 24th JANUARY, 2013.<br /><br />RESTRICTIONS BY AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES<br />Except with Minister’s approval and Exemption the following complies:<br />1. Flights shall not be flown<br />(a) Over the congested areas of cities, towns or settlements or over and open-air assembly of persons at height less than 300M (1000 ft.) above the highest obstacle. (Minimum safe altitude is 1500 ft. in respect to Nassau Control Zone so 1500 ft. applies over cities, towns etc.)<br />(b) Elsewhere at a height less than 150 m (500 ft.) above the ground specifically the WATER<br />2. Additionally the operation must be done during VMC conditions and from SUNRISE to SUNSET<br />3. The pilots in command shall contact and monitor UNICOM on 122.8 MHZ in the BIMINI AREA.<br />Sincerely<br />Ormond E. A. Russell<br />(for) Director of Civil Aviation”<br /><br />It isn’t so much the words, it is that their meager permissions were a major all day battle for our Aviation Rep. The sun was low in the sky by the time we got the LETTER with its ominous italics, bold letters and under linings.<br /><br />The very large Customs agent gives our little group a dismissive glance as we pile into his office. “Sit. Someone will be with you shortly.”<br /><br />“Shortly” must have a different meaning in the Customs world. Our erstwhile photographer fidgets watching the sun sink towards the western horizon.<br /><br />Finally one of our group gets a wave. Tom pulls out THE LETTER. He gets a grimace. “Okay, you may go. We will leave at 5:30. You must be back by then.”<br /><br />“But sunset is at 5:45. We need the hour to get our photographs.”<br /><br />There is much consternation about this. Hard working Agents have families to go home to. But, we have THE LETTER. Clearly the Agent is wary of anyone carrying such a miraculous document.<br /><br />“We will wait.”<br /><br />With only intermittent sunlight it is a mad dash against the clock and shadows to do our work. The Searey is the photo ship. We buzz around the photographic subject frantically gathering all the golden light rays left.<br /><br />In the end it is too short. We are walking back to Customs as the last seconds of light and time slink away.<br /><br />The Customs crew waits by their small car. One locks the gate after we pass through. There is no one else in sight.<br /><br />“Where are the taxis?” someone asks.<br /><br />“They leave at 5:30 like we do.”<br /><br />It is beginning to dawn on us that darkness is near and it’s a long walk to the dock and a brisk swim to the North Island.<br /><br />One of the Customs agents shakes his head. “Wait for a minute. I’ll call you a taxi.”<br /><br />Human kindness at the Customs office? Yes! (And to think no one even asked for our missing Transires.)<br />
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Ghost of Seaplane Base
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Bruce McGregor - Jan 29,2013
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Dan, why was permission beyond your Cruising Permit required for flying in the vicinity of Bimini? The airspace appears to be uncontrolled on charts. Or was this a "commercial" flight with paid participants?<!-- >'"><br><font color=red size=6>' or > missing in user HTML. Please fix the HTML.</font> -->
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Dan Nickens - Jan 29,2013
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'Paid participants'? Is my check in the mail? It's probably been lost. Again.<br /><br />Special permission (“THE LETTER”) was only necessary, Bruce, because of the water operations. According to Leonard, our Bahamas Aviation Liaison from the Ministry of Tourism, the government is suspicious of seaplane activities. It seems that they could envision various nefarious purposes, including undermining Transires. For that reason Leonard wanted to secure specific authorization for operation in the vicinity of an Airport of Entry.<br /><br />There is at least one other seaplane operating the Bahamas: a Maule registered as “WET”. I’ve met with the pilot and he has a casual opinion of the local aviation authorities. The Maule pilot doesn’t believe in Transires for seaplanes. On the other side, one of the “authorities” I spoke with thought the pilot was a bit of an outlaw when it comes to properly documented airplane operation. <br /><br />Without any definitive authority for my interpretation, I’ve come to this conclusion: if you want to operate your seaplane in the vicinity of an AOE, make sure you clear it with the local airport. Be advised, however, that any formal approval will take a very long time. If you’re going to operate in the airport vicinity it would be prudent to contact someone like Leonard and get approval (“THE LETTER”) well in advance.<br /><br />There are, however, large swaths of seaplane friendly territory well removed from any airport in the Bahamas. Question: if a seaplane lands beside a deserted island and no one sees it, do the Transires care?<br /><br />(And, if they do, a splashdown might be necessary as a precautionary measure because of intermittent flashes in the cockpit. Sure, it might be glare off the water, but, alternatively, it could be an alien matter transmogrifier at work inside the Inter-Island Galactic Triangle Zone.)
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John Robert Dunlop - Jan 29,2013
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Love it!
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Dan Nickens - Jan 29,2013
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Watch out, John. I told one of your secrets to the Plane & Pilot photographer: Georgian Bay is fresh and lovely without all the pesky Transires!
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John Robert Dunlop - Jan 29,2013
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But you still have the fun getting back into the US 
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Bruce Bennett - Jan 30,2013
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From a lost voice. Hi Dan, Bruce & I flew over to Bimini a few times; when we lived in Miami. Bruce used to fly Scuba Charters to the Bahamas; but a few times he rented a plane and we flew there for the day. I love Bimini. The customs people were very interesting, they just stand there smiling, with their rifles out in the open; you say to yourself, one wrong move and this could be the last day of your life!! It is really a beautiful quaint Island. We also sailed our 31 Ft Hunter sailboat to Bimini a few times. We sailed to Bimini over a Thanksgiving Weekend, in the 1980's, with Bruce's Uncle Ken with us. It started out absolutely beautiful, super calm seas and a beautiful full moon. A few hours later, we were getting rougher seas which eventually got to be 10 ft seas!! Bruce & I were outside the whole evening with our safety harness's on, while Uncle Ken was down below, laying on the couch getting thrown around; somehow he survived. Bruce & I had salt all though our eyes, and faces, true 'Old Salts.' We became true sailors that evening!! I cooked a small turkey to be eaten the next evening, in Bimini. We, of course, visited one of Hemmingway's Haunts.........a Bar, naturally. We walked around the whole island, and had dinner at a great Restaurant ( I can't remember the name of it ) . Our trip back the next morning was super calm, not a ripple in the water; all the way back to Miami!! Unfortunately, we had to motor over and back; but it was a great trip. Just reminiscing on days gone by. Judy
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John Robert Dunlop - Jan 31,2013
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Love it Judy! Many years ago three of us took a Rasmus 35 from Lake Champlain to Marsh Harbour via New York. Finished in West End, then home from Freeport. Great trip! Wished I could have stayed and explored further south..
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Dan Nickens - Jan 31,2013
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Finally! A gorgeous blue sky with sparsely sprinkled white clouds! Perfect light for completing this foreign mission with some air-to-air photography.<br /><br />Our erstwhile photographer, Jim, is totally pumped! “Look at that sunrise! Let’s get going!”<br /><br />Er, Jim, remember where we are? It’s the Bahamas, mon. “Rush” is not in the island vocabulary.<br /><br />Didn’t you know the airport doesn’t open until 0900?<br /><br />“Well, why can’t we just go around the fence and fly away?” It’s true. The fence is a bit of a sham. It only extends about 50’ from the Customs building into the low scrub.<br /><br />“Ah, but what would become of all the Transires we would leave behind as orphans?”<br /><br />Our aviation liaison weighs in on the deviously conceived fence avoidance plot. “This would create a great many problems, mon. It is best to do this properly.”<br /><br />Considering the local mayor is Leonard’s sister-in-law, there is a personal stake in our proper conduct.<br /><br />“Besides, the ferry to the airport doesn’t start until 0830.”<br /><br />“Fine. We’ll meet at 0815 to do our U.S. Customs notification and file a flight plan.”<br /><br />Fine. Except at 0815 there is no one in the hotel's office to provide access to the one phone that works for contacting the U.S.<br /><br />At 0830 there is still no one in the office. A search for the missing receptionist is undertaken.<br /><br />By 0855 a much beleaguered Supervisor is found. The phone is available. Every number dialed, however, is busy. Tom dials his cell phone. It’s busy too. Busy sitting in his hand quietly waiting.<br /><br />“Did you dial ‘1’ first?”<br /><br />Oh.<br /><br />Okay, that works. Now we have the U.S. Customs guy on the line. He hears about 30% of what we’re telling him. Finally we all convince him we will arrive around 1300 local in Ft. Lauderdale. I can even catch his two code letters to confirm the arrangement (at least I hope I got them right).<br /><br />At last, I’m ready to go. Not so my fellow pilots. “We have to file a DVFR flight plan.”<br /><br />“On this phone? Why don’t you just file it online?”<br /><br />“There’s no provision for filing a DVFR flight plan to cross the Air Defense Identification Zone.”<br /><br />“But you’re filing from the Bahamas to the U.S. It’s an international flight plan using ICAO protocol. Don’t you think they can figure out you’ll be crossing the ADIZ?”<br /><br />“Who knows? It’s an unforgiving system. We’re calling flight service.”<br /><br />Fine. I decide to take my chances with the F-16s.<br /><br />At least everyone has already filed their eAPIS manifests. You can’t do that over the phone anyway.<br /><br />Meanwhile the sun is climbing higher and the golden light of morning is turning to silver. Our photographer is resolved to this fate.<br /><br />It is 1000 when we finally arrive. We only have a short time now to fly, come back to the airport to pay the Departure Tax, load up and attempt to penetrate the ADIZ close to our safely slotted time.<br /><br />Our Customs friends are now familiar with our magnificent LETTER and little time is wasted getting through their office.<br /><br />The airport is busy. The photo mission is briefed, but rapidly changes with the aircraft mix. We have a SeaMax, a CT on floats, a CT on wheels, and a SeaRey to coordinate. Jim chooses the floated CT for photography because it was his subject yesterday. Adam gets to ride in the CT on wheels for his photos.<br /><br />Off we go! Finally we’re in the air and getting our pictures made.<br /><br />Hmmm….why isn’t the charging system working? Voltage is dropping too. Oh, great. Our Freeport work-around apparently has a limited warranty.<br /><br />The air is full of planes and radio transmissions. The LSA crew is working hard to bring this photo mission to a successful conclusion. I can’t bother them with my electrical gremlins. They break off to shoot the SeaMax as I fly south towards some beautiful turquoise encrusted island to do my troubleshooting alone.<br /><br />When they come back to find me, my radio is unreadable. The meager electrical supply is rapidly draining away.<br /><br />Wait! I can’t fix this thing in the air, but I can give it a go on the beach. I even have a tool. One, purchased from the Freeport mechanic. Well, it’s worth a shot and there’s a great beach right below.<br /><br />
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Busted Flat in the Bahamas
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Dan Nickens - Jan 31,2013
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Beautifully beached. The coral heads are easily seen and avoided in the transparent water. The sand is smooth. The waves gently lap against the hull.<br /><br />All would be lovely except the Searey’s electrons are fading fast. I dare not stop the engine. I know it could never be started with the battery in such a low state. Maybe I could hand prop the engine, but maybe not easily.<br /><br />With the engine at idle, I carefully step out of the cockpit and move to the front of the airplane. I can just imagine a wave lifting the airplane off the beach and allowing it to taxi out into the open ocean.<br /><br />I check under the deck for another wire gone wild, but there is none. I dare not closely inspect the engine with its thrashing prop. There is no reason I can find that electrons are jumping ship.<br /><br />Meanwhile, overhead, the photo shooting continues unabated. I can hear them on the radio, but they can’t hear me.<br /><br />
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Stranded
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Dan Nickens - Jan 31,2013
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Although sitting on the beach is close to idyllic, it’s not quite relaxing. I’ve resolved myself to an inability to get back to the runway at Bimini. The gear might not extend. Partially extending would make a bad situation worse. So, now I’m flying a seaplane.<br /><br />Not getting back to the runway means missing the narrow time slot the guys at U. S. Customs will allot. That time slot is also important to getting back home before dark.<br /><br />Well, screw that. Being stuck in the Bahamas won’t be all that bad. And, I can still fly. I’ll just fly back over to North Bimini and beach the electrically diminished Searey at the old seaplane base. Maybe this is pretty idyllic after all!<br /><br />
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Robinson Crusoe with Searey
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Dan Nickens - Jan 31,2013
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The CT splashing down nearby dashes any thoughts of a Crusoe adventure. The Rescue Ship has arrived.<br /><br />Maybe. Jim has photos to shoot. Tom has to get the CT back to his wife at the airport. They agree, however, to relay details of my circumstances to Adam and ask him to meet me at the old seaplane base with his credit card.<br /><br />
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Rescue Ship
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Dan Nickens - Jan 31,2013
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“Goodbye CT. See you on the other side.”
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Left Behind
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Dan Nickens - Jan 31,2013
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Tom is one of the most experienced CT guys around. He’s the guy who did the certification testing on the floats. At least I’ll get to see how the CT does it on open ocean.<br /><br />
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Launch One
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