Logbook 11-April-2011 Pignon-MTCH-TJIG San Juan

 Next morning, we had a visit to the Centre where about 50 women work. With the skillfull translation from creole to francais and vice versa, we tried to understand their issues. Main problem, how , where to sell their work. We may help them, get them on the internet, and into some stores in Nassau. Ultimately, they should form a cooperative, and not be just depend on the Convent.

 Also Mo as pediatrician and Ma as psychologist gained a lot of attention. Many sick children, an just a general practitioner in town. And psychologist ... never seen in Pignon.


And children averywhere, a young country, needing education and jobs.

Flying back Pignon to cap Haitien - 11 minutes on the tach
The exit procedurs at Cap Haitien were much easier than entering, and cost "only" about 70$, mainly a departure tax for my 2 passengers. Friendly, no pain. Only hassle from the controller after take-off: rather than straight to Puerto Plata, they sent me 38 nm into the sea, to be handed off to Santo Domingo at RETAK

Republica Dominicana, only from the air ... we heard too many stories of long delays in clearances, burocracy, but could not witness it... I just woke up when they called noviembre uno cinco cinco alfa tango ... that was us!

And arriving in San Juan, 3 hours from Cap Haitien. Nice views on final approach. The cruise ships turn just a couple of 100 ft from the 09 threshold. In that case, I observed small planes landing midfield to keep 500ft over those respectable boats.

US Customs, eApis, and they had even googled my name (and were expecting a jet, not a little single-engine...). Very professional service at Tropical, one of local FBOs. Last "cheap" fuel on the trip. Recommend close by old San Juan, Hotel El Convento, in a former monastery, very stylish.

Logbook 10-Apr-2011 Nassau - Pignon, Haiti

Nassau - Araras (Sao Paulo) -  4000nm, 33 flying hours over 8 days

My co-pilot, very skilled with the GPS



Our beautiful Bahamas ...

Approaching Great Inagua, the last outpost of the Bahamas

Refuelling in Gt. Inagua (no Avgas in Haiti!)

Last view of Bahamas

and 15 minutes later, first view of Haiti: Ile de la Tortue

Cap Haitien, the airport "hidden" behind the mountain if you come from west

Only land on the darker part of the runway!

Bienvenue au Haiti!

Cap-Haitien sur-la-mer

La Citadelle Laferriere, monument national haitien

our first night stop: Pignon, Plateau Central

Discharged the bags with clothing, donated by friends in Nassau

les rues de Pignon

After 2 years or so planning this trip, the day has come! My 2 co-pilots/passengers, Mo and Ma, are ready. The plane is full, Ma's 2 suitcases, a raft in case we go down, food and drinks for long flights, maps, computers, backup radios, a heavy prop lock, 10 liters of oil .... let's go!
First leg, Nassau to Inagua, beautiful weather, flown on instruments, lost Miami Center when descending below 7000ft or so, but had closed our plan before.
MYIG, Great Inagua, the southernmost island of the Bahamas, living on salt, and on thousands of wild donkeys (to eat) and flamingos (to watch). Short stop, refuel (call ahead to make sure they have the precious fluid...), customs/immigration to exit the Bahamas, and off!
10 minutes into the flight from Inagua, the mountains of Haiti appear on the horizon. Bahamas is all flat, the highest elevation 150ft, so the 4-5000ft hills appear quite impressive.
Miami Center handed me off to Port-of -Prince, but they didn't hear me. An American Airlines relayed my position (thanks, guys). Cap Haitien also just heard us when we were 5 miles final, courtesy of a mountain just W of the airfield. The controller has a Spanish accent, made me enter right downwind 05, so S-curved towards the field. Attention, the first half is not useable, and motorcycles, pedestrians and animals were clear signs not to land to early.

Bienvenue au Haiti... 5 or 6 demands for fees, totalling $260, all with a wonderful smile. 4 GenDecs (have these General Declarations pre-printed with the repeat info, every new country needs minimum 2, maximum 5 forms. But at least no harassing, all took no more than an hour, and we were airborne for a 15 minute flight to Pignon (later, in Pignon, we were told that on the road, this trip takes anywhre from 2 to 3 hours, bad road, potholes, animals on road, mountains, all unpaved, great to be flying!).

Received in Pignon (where Mo and I had been just after the earthquake last year) by the staff of Dr. Guy's Hopital de Bienfaisance, staying at their guest house. Walk around town, seemed much better than the shocking sights last year. But still much poverty, lack of infrastructure. Received by the Sisters of the Convent Dominicas de Fatima, wonderful they are doing, helping the local women learn sewing, stiching, embroidering. Dinner with Father Ronald, the parish priest of Pignon, a city of 30,000.

N155AT ready to go!
C182, cruise 135kt, at 11,000ft 12GpH