Across Mexico in my Cessna 185

April 2023 – Together with my friend Frode Kjems Uhre i moved my Cessna 185 fra Byron (C83) near San Francisco to David Wayne Hooks Memorial (KDWH) near Houston. And in order to make a small adventure out of this, we decided to fly across Mexico from west to east.

First day we flew from Byron (C83) around San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge to Half Moon Bay (KHAF, for coffee and big American breakfast) and further down the coast to San Luis County Regional (KSBP, for a little lunch). Then on to Santa Monica (KSMO) where we couldn’t land due to fog. Then directly over LAX (which was also hidden under the fog) and landing in Torrance (KTOA) in South Los Angeles. And finally all the way down to the border to Mexico, where we spent the night in a tent at the small airport Jacumba (L78), which is right next to the border.

Second day we flew on to Imperial County (KIPL, for fuel) and Calexico (KCXL, last stop in the US) from where we had flight plan and eAPIS ready to fly down into Mexico. The first stop in Mexico was San Felipe (MMSF) in Baja California where, after one hour, four offices, seven stamps and a thorough check of all my and the my plane’s papers, we could fly on on a handwritten flight plan. From San Felipe we flew further south Baja California before crossing over to the mainland and landing in Hermosillo (MMHO) for the night.

From Hermosillo (MMHO) we flew on to Chihuahua (MMCU) over some of the highest waterfalls in Mexico (Basaseachic Falls and Piedra Volada Falls), as well as over the Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon, Mexico’s answer to Grand Canyon). And after a night spent in downtown Chihuahua, we flew on over immeasurably desolate landscapes to Saltillo (MMIO).

After two days in Mexico we got to know the Mexican way of doing flight plans. They have to be filled in by hand, in four copies, they have to go through three offices to get the right stamps. In Hermosillo it cost a good 15 usd, and in Chihuahua they didn’t bother to charge for our little airplane. In the last airport in Mexico, Saltillo (MMIO), they charged around 30 usd.

After last stop in Saltillo, Mexico (MMIO) we flew straight east to the Gulf of Mexico and followed the coast north across the border at Boca Chicha (StarBase) and then a few minutes west before landing in Brownsville (KBRO) for immigration. In only took half an hour with very friendly immigration officials before we could continue on to Corpus Christi Intl (KCRP, for an overnight stay) and then on to Ellington (KEFD, to wait for better weather) and finally on to David Wayne Hooks Memorial (KDWH), our last stop from San Francisco to Houston. From Ellington (KEFD) to David Wayne Hooks Memorial (KDWH) we flew more or less directly over downtown Houston. Four hours after last landing, the plane was again washed, nice and clean 🙂