A few weeks ago my neighbor and fellow pilot, asked me it I would
assist him in putting together a fly-in at Puerto Penasco, Sonora Mexico more commonly
known as Rocky Point. I told him I would be delighted to help. I had been looking for an
excuse to return to this beautiful little fishing village and this seemed to be the
opportunity I was looking for.
Although flying into Mexico had never appealed to me because of the stories I had heard of
people experiencing difficulty clearing Customs, he assured me that the Mexican government
was doing everything possible to encourage American visitors to come to their country. He
indicated flying into Mexico had become quite routine, especially Rocky Point, now that it
has become a port of entry.
He started flying to the area in 1988. He has a beach home there and is one of the owners
of the Best Western Playa Inn Resort Hotel, so his visits are frequent. Seizing the
moment, I suggested that we make a flight to Rocky Point with him showing us the correct
procedures, so we could share them with fellow pilots. Thus the stage was set for the
fly-in scheduled for February 1996.
On the morning of Oct.30 we departed from Chandler's Stellar Airpark in his Cessna 182
Skylane, destination Rocky Point. On board with the Captain and myself were his friend and
my wife. Estimated time enroute: one hour and ten minutes. I thought to myself, "This
sure beats driving."
We topped off the fuel tanks to permit returning to a port of entry in the States, as
Penasco only stocks emergency fuel on the field. In addition, everyone on board was
checked to make sure they had proper identification. A visa, birth certificate, military
ID or voter registration is acceptable; vaccination cards are not required. Aircraft
liability insurance written on a Mexican company is required and may be obtained through
your local agent on a yearly or per trip basis.
We carried tiedowns and wheel chocks along. Customs forms - both U.S. and Mexican - were
on board and filled out prior to landing. These may be obtained on the first visit or from
the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix. A final check on weather was made and a flight plan
filed with Prescott Flight Service, with a request to notify Mexican Customs of our
estimated arrival time at Rocky Point. We were on our way!
In order to clear the restricted area R2304 and Sells 1 MOA, we established a magnetic
course of 180 degrees until intercepting the 200 degree radial from Stanfield VOR.
Thirty-five miles south of Stanfield we turned to a heading of 210 and intercepted the 030
degree radial inbound to Penasco VOR: 112.1 on your dial. Total distance was 146 nautical
miles, and with a ground speed of 137 knots we did in fact make the trip in just under
1+10.
Before landing he gave us a real treat. He flew east of the city to the First Estuary and
then turned west so we could see the beautiful homes that have been built along the beach.
It looked like something right out of the show "Life Styles of the Rich and
Famous."
He already had our visitor's visas, aircraft registration and proof of insurance ready to
show the Customs agent and the airport commandante. A few miles out we called to Penasco
Unicom on 122.8 reporting: Penasco, this is Cessna N9786, five miles west, inbound for
landing.
The reply from Juventine Salceda, airport commandant, was: "Runway11 in use,"
followed by the normal standard briefing in English. Sr. Salceda has been a pilot for many
years and is very interested in promoting the use of his airport.
After landing on a paved runway, we taxied up to the ramp close to a very modern terminal
building and secured the aircraft on one of eight tie-down spots. On a busy day it may be
necessary to park in one of the grass areas. In addition, not all of the ground anchors
have ropes or chains on them, hence the need to carry our own tie-downs.
We had exited the aircraft and were unloading our bags when we were greeted by a nice
young Customs agent. He wanted to know where we had come from and asked to see our papers.
Satisfied that everything was in order he cleared us without going through our bags. This
procedure may vary to some degree. Inside the Customs side of the terminal is a traffic
light with red and green lenses and a button that the visitor is asked to push which
results in a random baggage search. Green light - you pass right through; if it comes up
red you are asked to open your bags for a look-see. The red-green system was not in use
this time.
As we walked from the aircraft toward the terminal with our bags (cars are not permitted
on the ramp for loading) we were greeted by two young military personnel accompanied by
their black Labrador Retriever (narcotics sniffing dog). They asked if they could approach
the airplane and let the dog check it out. We said, "No problem," and then they
let us continue on our way. The dog is a new addition, part of a stepped-up program, in
concert with the U.S., to curtail drug running by air. We did not feel threatened by this
activity; as a matter of fact it was good to know that these folks are serious about
taking care of the problem.
Inside, we were greeted warmly by Commandante Salceda. We told him that we were doing a
story on flying from the U.S. to Rocky Point for Arizona Flyways. He was delighted and
showed us several previous issues on his desk. We paid our $10 (U.S.) landing fee and he
picked up the keys to his airport VW van. We were headed for town.
We stopped for a second breakfast at the La Curva Restaurant. This is not a fancy place,
but clean and neat. The food is good and very reasonable. The La Curva is just south of
Blvd. Kino on Sinaloa Street.
Then we went on to his Best Western -Playa Inn Hotel where we were guests for the evening.
The hotel has 22 two-room suites with kitchens and bars, 44 regular rooms with a choice of
one king or two queen-size beds. A new section nearing completion includes 14 mini-suites,
a covered canopy entrance and large reception and lobby area for arriving and departing
guests, plus a five star restaurant and bar.
My wife and I were very impressed with the facility. Our room was as nice and fresh as
anyone could ask. Linens and towels are changed daily and the staff was very friendly and
helpful. A free continental breakfast of cereal, fresh fruit, sweet rolls, coffee and
juice is provided daily. his managers speak good English and go out of their way to make
you feel at home.
The Playa Inn may be reached by following Benito Juarez Blvd. (the main street through
town) south from the airport. Turn left on Blvd. Fremont at the municipal building and
fire station, then proceed one quarter mile east and turn right.
Hotel reservations are made by calling 602-899-3722 in Arizona and, in the rest of the
U.S., 1-800-952-8426. In Puerto Penasco it's 3-50-15.
It was now time to visit the market and waterfront area. The fish market was the first
order of business to see what the catch of the day looked like. Was it impressive!
Beautiful grouper, pinto, chicken fish (I had never heard the term). This was the vendor's
name for flounder - "no bones," he said. They also had the most beautiful shrimp
of all sizes. We promised one of the vendors that we would be back the next day and make
our selection to take home.
Next we surveyed the little family-operated stores (tiendas) displaying clothing, leather
goods, blankets, jewelry, carvings in stone and wood. T- shirts are big in this area;
Penasco has its own factory.
Shopping gave us a pretty good appetite, so we went across Malecon Street to Lily's
Restaurant, which faces the Sea Of Cortez. It was beautiful so we sat outside on the
covered porch overlooking the beach. This is one of Penasco's better restaurants.
With our appetites more than satisfied we continued to tour the city by van. Of particular
interest were the commercial fishing docks and dredged-out harbor area. This was all new
to me. The boat yard where many a wooden fishing trawler and pleasure boat had been built,
had been converted from wood to steel hulls, and is under different management.
It was interesting to see that the little fishing village I knew 25 years ago had grown to
a population of over 40,000 with paved streets, modern city water and sewer service.
Twenty-two schools have been built to serve the children's educational needs. With all of
this, it still retains some of its Old World charm.
No trip to Rocky Point is complete without a visit to Cholla Bay and some refreshment at
JJ's bar. This is the place where the sports fishermen from the States have congregated
for years and have built seaside cottages where they come to get away from the pressures
of modern day life.
The evening was capped with dinner at the La Casa del Capitan Restaurant located high on a
hill overlooking the city and the Sea of Cortez. It is said that here the sky meets the
sea. Truly the lights of the city, the stars in the sky and the lights from the fishing
boats anchored offshore paint a wonderful picture in the darkness.
Next morning we prepared to return home. He called Prescott Flight Service from the hotel
and filed out flight plan by dialing 95-520-778 0314 and requesting that U.S. Customs be
notified of our ETA in Tucson. The call must be made at least one hour prior to arrival.
We chose Tucson as our port of entry as it was the nearest to our route home. If weather
is a factor, entry may be made at Yuma, Nogales or Calexico. For Yuma, call Customs at
520-627-3252 to assure that an agent will be there upon your arrival. There are no
full-time agents at Yuma.
If you are just down for the day, or filing at the hotel is not timely, public phones are
available at the Botica San Antonio Drugstore on B. Juarez St. opposite the Tecate beer
distributor building, and may be used for this purpose.
A quick trip to the fish market satisfied our quest for jumbo shrimp, then we were off to
the airport where Sr. Salceda greeted us and we asked to take his picture for the story.
Filing a flight plan with the Commandante is a requirement, so he provided him with the
details of our flight which he entered on the same form as we use in the States, except it
is in Spanish. We bid our Mexican friends adios, cleared Customs, and boarded the Cessna
for home.
Our course was set for direct Tucson on the GPS. However, we deviated slightly to the
north to avoid Kitt Peak whose top was obscured by clouds. As soon as we reached 7,500
feet we called Prescott FSS on 122.4 and our flight plan opened. A transponder squawk of
1224 was assigned until crossing the border; we went back to the standard 1200 VER code
thereafter. We estimated border crossing 77 miles from Tucson. Broken layers of white
puffy clouds were encountered along our flight path but the air was smooth as glass.
The Tucson ATIS provided us with the numbers, and a call to Approach and Tower brought us
in on Runway 11. Clear of the runway we advised Ground that we were going to Customs.
Again. our Customs Declaration form and Private Aircraft Enforcement System Arrival Report
# 178 were filled out prior to arrival. A $25 per year Customs inspection sticker is also
required. The sticker and the forms may be obtained from the Customs office in Phoenix or
on first entry into the States.
A green line painted on the ramp starting just south of the tower leads the way to the
Customs building. It is important to park in front of the video camera on top of the
building. Otherwise, the agent will not be aware of your arrival. In the U.S. the rules
change a little - you are not to leave the aircraft until after you are given clearance by
the agent. In a few minutes a uniformed agent came to the aircraft and asked for our
papers and wanted to know what we were carrying. We told him we had shrimp and a case of
beer on board. One quart of liquor per person, 21 years and older, is permitted duty free
- and all the shrimp and fish you can carry. In a few minutes we had cleared Customs
without an aircraft or baggage search and were on our way home.
This was, without a doubt, one of the most pleasant flying trips we have experienced. One
of the best testimonials came from mywife, who never enjoyed our fishing trips to Mexico
years ago. She exclaimed that she had a wonderful time and looked forward to future trips
to Rocky Point.
There are many other adventures waiting in Penasco, such as fishing charters, scuba
diving, etc.- far too many to cover in our story. So why not experience them for yourself?
