What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Mexico for experimentals?

airguy

Unrepentant fanboy
Sponsor
Has anything changed recently with regard to Mexico not allowing experimental aircraft? I'm looking at possibly trying to bring an RV up from Brazil into the US.
 
Brazil

Greg-
The standard routing for decades has been S Florida down thru the islands to the NE coast of South America.
Experimental situation in Mexico has not changed and is not likely to change short term.
 
Brazil

All the flights that I know of went from the islands to French Guinea and then followed the coast.
 
I was looking at a route from Brazil into Caracas Venezuela, then Puerto Rico and Providenciales to Miami.

Not knowing the geopolitics, would French Guiana and the coastline be better/safer than going through Venezuela?
 
I was looking at a route from Brazil into Caracas Venezuela, then Puerto Rico and Providenciales to Miami.

Not knowing the geopolitics, would French Guiana and the coastline be better/safer than going through Venezuela?
IMHO, yes. I would avoid Venezuela.
 
Brazil

The island chain until just short of Venezuela, stay offshore in international airspace until off the coast of French Gieuna.
 
Brazil

12 nautical miles in most cases. Be careful about countries like Venezuela. Cuba may also have different standards. years ago Cuba shot down a civilian Cessna that was well within international airspace.
 
12 nautical miles in most cases. Be careful about countries like Venezuela. Cuba may also have different standards. years ago Cuba shot down a civilian Cessna that was well within international airspace.
Venezuela and Cuba both use the same 12miles standard so, unless you land there it should not be a problem. HOWEVER in the case of Venezuela, I would completely avoid their airspace if at all possible. I have flown in, out and around both of them in my airplane but not since 2018. I would fly along the east coast of Brazil to to Tobago (TTPP) which completely avoids Venezuelan airspace. After Tobago, just follow the Caribbean Island chain to Florida.

FWIW, I was going to ferry an airplane from Sao Paulo Brazil to Atlanta, GA and was going to use this exact route. It sounded like a huge adventure. But the airplane was registered in Brazil and I don't have a Brazilian pilot's license. So I either had to get a Brazilian pilot's license (take a test in Portuguese and a Brazilian medical) or get a Brazilian licensed pilot to fly with me, so I didn't do it. I have a pilot's license from El Salvador which allows me to fly airplanes registered in Central American countries except for Mexican aircraft.

:cool:
 
Last edited:
Why would would a Brazilian pilots license test be required in Portugese, when English is the international language for aviation?

Not arguing the point - just wondering why there would be a disconnect there from the "international aviation language".
 
Last edited:
Why would would a Brazilian pilots license test be required in Portugese, when English is the international language for aviation?

Not arguing the point - just wondering why there would be a disconnect there from the "international aviation language".
The International Aviation Language is for ATC purposes and has no bearing on who is authorized to act as PIC in a particular nations aircraft. Unless specifically authorized by a nation, you must be appropriately licensed in the country the aircraft you are PIC in is registered. Most nations in the world, including the US, require their license to PIC one of their registered aircraft. This is how ICAO rules works. Some countries make obtaining their license a simple process to already licensed pilots, others not so much. The US is notorious for being one of the hardest for a foreign pilot to obtain a US license based on their national license.

In addition to my US license I have an El Salvador pilots license. It required some paperwork, a written test in Spanish, a BFR with a Salvadoran CFI and passing a flight physical by a Salvadoran AME. I am 100% fluent in Spanish so the test was super easy as was the BFR. Since El Salvador is part of the Central American Free Trade and DR Agreement (CAFTA-DR), that license lets me PIC aircraft from all Central American nations and the Dominican Republic. Mexico is not part of CAFTA-DR so I would require a Mexican license if I wanted to PIC a Mexican registered aircraft. The same with Brazil. FWIW this is me with YS-270-PE, a Salvadoran registered Cherokee 180 I flew a lot.

BarillaPlaneGalin.JPG
 
Last edited:
So to make sure I'm understanding that correctly - a US-registered aircraft would not require a Brazilian pilots license to operate in Brazil?
 
So to make sure I'm understanding that correctly - a US-registered aircraft would not require a Brazilian pilots license to operate in Brazil?
You have it right! A US registered aircraft requires a US licensed pilot to act as PIC, but that applies anywhere in the world not just in Brazil.

BTW, if you come up the Caribbean Islands then to Florida let me know. I live in St. Augustine (KSGJ) and we can maybe meet up somewhere.

:cool:
 
Last edited:
Back
Top