 August 30, 2002 to September 2, 2002 - San Carlos, Mexico
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Summary and Images
(Click on these thumbnail images to view a larger image)
Mo writes:
Most definitely, a trip filled with lots of adventure.... from almost getting our equipment confiscated by the Mexican border patrol to flying with a flock of pelicans along a sandy beach in San Carlos to using up over 7 gallons of gas (just myself) PPGing around in two days.
Getting into Mexico was a huge area of stress. We were stopped by the Mexican border patrol and held for almost 6 hours till 2 am. After discussing with over 25 different guards who had 25 different reasons for what we did wrong and 50 different instructions for us to follow (such as go to this office, provide this document, remove this item from you vehicle, sign this paper, etc.) they finally let us go without incident.
Here's what I learned from my experiences to make it easier to enter into Mexico.
1) Ultralights are supposedly illegal. Do not tell them it is an ultralight plane. We told them it was a large kite to use along the beach. We told them the motor just helped to inflate the kite. Remember, 99.99% of people have never seen a PPG. There is no reason to think these bureaucrats will have even an idea of what a PPG is.
2) Motors are a source of problems. A visible cylinder head invites questioning. Cover it up out of sight. Wing bags work well since they look like they are part of the equipment. Pack the gas containers so they are not easily seen, even with an open door or trunk. On the way back home, we used dark, wing bags and more carefully packed the gas cans out of sight. We had no troubles at all.
3) Break the equipment down as small as possible. Have all cage pieces in their smallest configurations. Remove the prop.
4) You are allowed to bring in sports equipment. Stress (over and over) that this is your own personal sports equipment.
5) Do not leave your equipment out in the open if you are required to unpack it. Repack it back in your vehicle, even if you are told not to. Just do it quickly and discretely when they are not looking.
6) Do not give your car keys to anyone. Insist on being there when they open, inspect and close your vehicle. Lock your car if you are asked to go to an office where you will not be able to see your vehicle.
7) If you are stopped more than once, just tell them the previous officers had already cleared you.
Be patient. Eventually you will get a guard that will get tell you to go on your merry way.
Having never flown near a beach, it was a treat to experience the all day long laminar, thick air. The vistas from the air of the mountains and water around San Carlos were just breathtaking. Just incredible to fly low and slow over beaches and cliffs with the ocean waves crashing along the shorelines.
However, the heat and humidity were killer. Sweating doesn't help to cool you off when the sun is pounding down on you with the high temps and humidity. In fact it just makes you wet, sticky, hot, and miserable. Sand becomes magnetic when it touches sweat and it is impossible to wipe it off, sticking to everything. Needless to say, this was quite a frustration for a neat-freak like myself.
Beach flying certainly has it's challenges. The soft ground requires a different agility to stay upright with a motor on your back. But the wind is so laminar that inflations are almost always a breeze.
I tried launching the trike on hard packed, moist sand adjacent to dry sand and that quickly turned into a nighmare with sand sticking to everything and loosing all forward momentum on the dry sand. After 5 attempts to launch the trike in the sand, darkness finally forced us to pack up.
All in all, a very cool trip indeed. Wonderful flying. I'd sure go back again.
Bill responds:
You've confirmed that I'll never do Mexico. Mexican beer and that's it (and only from an American supplier!). OK, and maybe Mexican women, but that's it! Well, the food's not bad either, but only if it's served with Mexican beer by a Mexican woman.
Sorry you got tangled in the web there, I've always worried about that. Let's stick to the sands of Yuma! (and the Mexican beer and women)
Mo responds:
You've said it Bill: Mexican beer, women and food are world class. So are the beaches... and the flying.
I reread my first post and noticed I spent most of the time on the negatives of the border patrol, when that was only a small part of the overall trip. I will now describe more fully why I would go back.
I went down to San Carlos with a bunch of people, one a student of mine who wanted to fly along the beaches. Unfortunately, Larry did not fly, but he got some great kiting practice in. Also, I went down with a group of other friends and their families who are divers. We all stayed in a wonderful hotel called Plaza Las Glorias.
http://www.sancarlosinfo.com/sancarlos/servicios/hoteles/plalasg2.jpg
http://www.sancarlosinfo.com/sancarlos/servicios/hoteles/plalasg3.jpg
Very beautiful views of the marina, bay and mountains from the room. Not cheap at $110 per night, but very classy.
Mostly, I flew while I was there. We went to three different oceanside locations, all very different and unique, each breathtaking in beauty.
The first site was along a long sandy beach that stretched for miles in every direction. Nearby, was a 5 star hotel along the beach (Hotel San Carlos Plaza)
http://www.sancarlosinfo.com/sancarlos/servicios/hoteles/hotel1sc.jpg
Very nice flying along the soft, fine sand. There was also a giant 100' tall dune of sand that stretched for about 1/2 mile that made for some fun ridge soaring and landings. I tried to fly the trike without success due to the soft sand.
The second site was a one of a series of small peninsulas that jutted into the ocean. The dirt road was only accessible by 4 wheel drive or PPG. We settled on one of the larger peninsulas that had an LZ about 100' by 200'. Very tight, with no room for error or you end up in a cactus or the ocean. Gorgeous flying in the laminar soft air, watching the ocean waves crashing along the cliffs right below my feet.
The third site offered the most versatility in take-off and landing options. And I think it was the most beautiful.
http://www.sancarlosmexico.com/Pictures/Mex1.jpg
http://www.sancarlosmexico.com/Pictures/Mex3.jpg
A wide sandy beach with a spectacular mountain peak rising to over 1000', opening to a gorgeous bay and peninsula. Breathtaking from the air. There was a hard packed, large dirt section that would have worked perfectly for a trike launch.
A couple of other things. The ocean water was magnificent: clean, warm, and boyant. When things got too hot for flying, a dip in the salty waters offered a refreshing break. It took no time to acclimate to the temperature as warm as it was. The food was stupendous, stopping along the local restaurants. And the people we encountered were friendly and polite.
I hope this gives a bit more balance to my ealier reporting.
Mo adds:
A blast from the air
I must also add a small detail, that was truly one of the highlights of my trip. I know I will never live this down by stating it publicly here.
On the last day, at the third site, Larry, a student of mine, was practicing reverse kiting on the beach as I was flying. I had noticed he was standing there for a long time in the laminar air, with his wing gracefully floating above him. I circled around a couple of times and he just stood there, starring at his wing peacefully overhead.
I then got this wild urge to throw a wrench into his state of zen perfection. I flew about 50' upwind of him until my prop was level with his wing. Then, I gunned the throttle, throwing a huge blast of air directly to the center of his wing. As I looked behind me, a few moments later Larry's wing colapsed to the ground like crumpled piece of paper. I almost crashed from laughter, especially as Larry waved his fist at me and Brad, one of my other friends, offered Larry a rock.
PS. No dust was stirred from my blasting shinanigans.
Larry responds:
Butthead. Sure, tell me to practice, then blow me out of the sky. It looked like wylie-coyote's balloon collapsing just as he was about to catch up to the road-runner. Be assured, what goes around comes around!!! ha ha
Images
View from the hotel room. Wow!
First day of flying. Panorama of the beach site.
Second day flying. Pictures taken from the air.
Third day flying. Pictures taken from the air.
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