Flight Training - May 2014 - 41

Although Fernandez Bay Village guests
are encouraged to practice the art of
relaxation, only a day passes before the
pilots assemble for their first island-hopping expedition. Five Aviation Adventures
Airplanes depart New Bight Airport,
accompanied by a sixth-an RV-10 flown
by Bill and Alicia Watson from North
Carolina, who are island hopping on their
own. "This place is perfect for pilots," Bill
Watson says of the Bahamas.
Today's destination is Staniel Cay,
part of the string of islands known as the
Exumas, for a day of boating, snorkeling,
and swimming pigs. Yes, you read that correctly. Swimming pigs-feral porkers that
live on an uninhabited cay off the mainland. And swim they do-right up to your
boat, so that you can feed them; the Staniel
Cay Yacht Club will even provide you with
scraps. After that, it's snorkeling at the
Thunderball Grotto-so named because
the diving sequence from the James Bond
film Thunderball was filmed here. The
inside is teeming with tropical fish.
Even though it has no Customs or fuel
service, Staniel Cay is the third busiest
airport in the Bahamas, according to
Martha Wohlford. She has arrived in a
golf cart to ferry the group to the dock,
where her family offers boat, golf cart,
and vacation rentals. "During March and
April, you won't find a tiedown place," she
says. "It'll be spilling over."
A quick flight from Staniel to Grand
Exuma is a necessity so that the pilots can

purchase 100LL. Not all airports in the
Bahamas sell aviation fuel, and it's important to check availability when making
flight plans. In fact, even an airport that is
reported to have fuel may not have any, so
a call in advance is a good idea.
WHERE COLUMBUS WALKED. It's tough to
top swimming pigs, but the group's second
flyout, to San Salvador just about 54 nm
southeast of New Bight, is a history lover's
dream. Six airplanes touch down on the
8,000-foot runway to visit the site where
Columbus is said to have landed in search
of the new world. A gleaming white stone
cross marks the location, along with a
massive sculpture that denotes the spot
where the Olympic torch began its journey to Mexico City for the 1968 Summer
Olympics.
The extra-long runway seems an
anachronism until an Airbus A330 arrives
bringing some 200 passengers, many of
whom are headed to Club Med. San Salvador's waters are known for great scuba
diving, but none of the Aviation Adventures group will be diving today so as not
to expose themselves to decompression
sickness. As before, the group ends the
afternoon with a quick trip to Stella Maris
Airport on Long Island for fuel.
All too quickly, it's time for the sunsoaked Aviation Adventurers to file their
return eAPIS manifests and collect their
belongings, travel documents, and cash
in preparation for departure (see "Don't

DON'T FORGET YOUR
WALLET
The Bahamas government requires a
$50-per-aircraft Customs processing
fee upon arrival. When it's time to
go, a $25-per-person departure tax is
collected. The fees make a day trip
for lunch less attractive, and some
pilots have been highly vocal in their
criticism of the practice. However, it's
worth noting that pilots planning a
longer trip have obtained fuel credits
by staying at certain resorts; the
Aviation Adventures group qualified
for a $300 per airplane fuel credit. See
www.bahamas.com/private-flying for
more information.

Forget Your Wallet," above). Snow, ice,
and sleet are in everyone's forecast back in
Virginia and Kansas. For this week, however, there's been nothing but sunshine
tempered with the realization that only
general aviation could make a trip like this
a possibility-let alone a reality.
Reflecting on the trip, Van Der Haegen
says he gained a lot of real-world flying
experience, and he felt comfortable being
surrounded by a group of more experienced pilots. "I firmly believe such a trip
made me a better pilot."
Technical Editor Jill W. Tallman is an instrumentrated private pilot.
MAY 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

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