South to Argentina

I had a dear friend and instructor who would break out in a sweat when flying crossways over the James River southeast of Richmond, Virginia. Of course, he had spent several hours in the Everglades waiting to be rescued from the alligators, so I was sympathetic. 

The decision to make this type of trip—where there is significant overwater flying—is the single hardest step. The rest is just lift, drag, thrust, weather, and navigation. Oh, and some money. What follows is a rough guide that assumes a one-month voyage. One week down, two in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, and one week returning. The total distance from Florida to Montevideo and return is equal to two round-trip flights from coast to coast in the U.S. 

Here are some more reasons to go. Most of the controllers speak passable English, and generally the weather in the eastern 90 percent of South America is better than the same quantity of acres in the United States. Plus, there’s next to no high terrain to run into. You’ll have bucket-list experiences and memories that will gather a crowd at your annual airport day. You can do this.

But first, take stock of your airplane and skills. Are your IFR chops solid? You probably won’t need them, but better that they show up if called upon. What is your range and true airspeed? This will be a factor.

You need insurance for South America and the Caribbean. I found acceptable coverage through Assured Partners. All the countries require it, but few will ask to see the papers. Still, I wouldn’t leave home without proof. 

Carry a copy of your airworthiness inspection, plus all the other documents that we are familiar with. Currently, none of these stops require a visa for U.S. visitors, but double-check. Sometimes Brazil needs one, sometimes not. 

You will need a current passport with six-plus months of validity beyond your date of arrival. Don’t forget the radio station license, which isn’t required domestically but is internationally.

Bring about 100 or more general declaration forms—or “Gen Decs.” I prefill a master with names and numbers and print a stack before leaving. Pro tip: List your companion as the copilot. You can rent a raft and vests at Vero Beach or your favorite eastern Florida jumping-off point.

Money. Bring about $2,000 to $3,000 U.S., of which about 80 percent should be in denominations of $100, the rest in smaller sizes. Most fuel is now bought with a credit card, but plan for surprises. If the charge is $710 for a tank of fuel and all you have are $100 bills, you will spend $800 for that fill up.

I recommend either of the two “shoulder seasons,” March through June or September through November. These tend to have fewer tourists and hurricanes. The airport personnel outside of the U.S. will be variable. It’s part of the experience. Be appreciative, cooperative, and gracious. Only once have I been asked for a bribe. That person is now facing criminal charges, and it was in none of the countries on this trip. 

There are two halves to this trip: Florida to Cayenne, French Guiana, and French Guiana to Buenos Aires. The Caribbean has been covered in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) guide, but that is not our destination—we’re just passing through. Try to make your legs long and reduce the number of stops. The fees and other costs can stack up quickly just for landing. Nevis and Grenada are friendly stops and won’t punish you for spending the night.

First half, the islands: plan for longer-range aircraft:

KFPR – MBPV – TKPN – TGPY – SOCA = 2,192 nm

First half, the islands: plan for shorter-range aircraft:

KFPR – MYLS – MBPV – TJIG – TKPN – TGPY – SYEC/SYCJ – SOCA = 2,233 nm 

Second half, South America: plan for longer range aircraft:

SOCA – SBBE – SBPJ – SBGO – SBFI – SUAG – SUAA = 2,533 nm

Take a ferry from Montevideo to Buenos Aires.

Second half, South America: plan for shorter-range aircraft:

SOCA – SBBE – SBPJ – SBGO – SBMG - SBFI – SUAG – SUAA = 2,545 nm

Your return can be the same but consider substituting SBMQ for SBBE at the northern exit point of Brazil. 

Argentina is a superb trip on its own, but Buenos Aires for small airplanes is like choosing to combine the worst of Washington, D.C., and New York City airspace. If you wish to extend your trip into the heart of Argentina and beyond, I’ll cover that in a future article.

Montevideo is a one-hour ferry ride, and the small Ángel Adami Airport (SUAA) you’ll use is friendly and inexpensive, plus it has its own immigration and customs offices, making entry and departure in and out of Uruguay much easier.

AOPA has covered most of the details in its guide for these areas, although sometimes the important nitty-gritty is not addressed. Some islands are friendlier and more efficient than others. 

You must file with CARICOM EAPIS if you are leaving from, or going to, a CARICOM island. This is similar to the U.S. EAPIS. ForeFlight plan filing seems to work in the Bahamas and Caribbean, but you won’t always receive confirmation that it was received. The tower will tell you, and if it wasn’t, it will usually accept a verbal flight plan over the radio. You can also ask the local FBO about flight planning on its island.

I recommend making only three stops between Florida and French Guiana. If your range is not up to that, there could be six stops over the same distance. The flight from Grenada to Cayenne is the longest and often faces headwinds. I’ve had this leg take 5.5 hours or 7.5 hours (at 150 ktas), depending upon the wind and thunderstorms awaiting my arrival. 

The savings in fuel, fees, and time is worth waiting a day or two on Grenada for conditions that allow nonstop to Cayenne. If you can’t make it, there are two airports, Correia International (SYEC) and Cheddi Jagan International (SYCJ), in Guyana that can provide midtrip fuel. They are close to each other, so call ahead and find out their fuel and customs availability, prices, requirements, etc. 

The reviews on ForeFlight are older, with more recent verbal reports being generally positive. A stop at either will likely result in an overnight. If you can go nonstop to Cayenne, study your map and plan your route slightly northeast of the Georgetown FIR boundary. This will save you a $140-plus bill arriving in the mail. When Piarco control asks you to give it a time estimate for the boundary, reply that you will not be crossing into Georgetown’s airspace. The controllers may act surprised and ask for more information. Tell them you’re going direct into Parimaribo’s airspace, and be prepared to give them the lat-long of your point of entry. 

It’s just water, and warm at that.

This is the easiest entry into South America. It is part of the European Union and has the polished bureaucracies that we expect from the French. It’s best to refuel and file your flight plan before leaving the airport for your hotel, as you want to be off early the next morning. If they have room, stay at a hotel nearest the airport. The ones in Cayenne are OK, just a longer taxi ride. 

At the airport, you will be guided to all the required officials and payment collectors. Don’t get used to this level of friendly attention. At most stops you’ll need to ask, “Where do we go next?” 

Ask the flight plan guy in Cayenne to sign and stamp six original copies of your general declaration to Belem, or Macapa, whichever you choose. Officially, you must have a yellow fever vaccination to enter French Guiana. Unofficially, if you don’t leave the airport and city, it seems OK to go without.

You must apply online and receive your AVANAC number before entering Brazil. An email response will confirm your AVANAC number and provide some guidance. This is a form that will be checked and validated upon your first stop in the country, and which you will surrender at your last airport before leaving Brazil. Both airports must be airports of entry or have customs to perform these functions. This form guarantees you won’t be selling your airplane while you are in Brazil. You must list your AVANAC number on your flight plan filings while in Brazil.

You must download an app called FPL BR to your portable devices. This is the approved method for filing flight plans. There is an English option within the app, along with the expected Portuguese. The English is limited, but you should be able to navigate the abbreviations.

A flight plan is required for all flights within Brazil, both VFR and IFR. It must be created and transmitted via FPL BR, and an approval must be received before you go out to your plane. 

Hopefully, you filed and received approval in the days preceding your planned departure. This gives you time to wrangle with ATC if it has a problem with your plan. A common strategy is to file for a short flight to a not-far-off airport, then change your destination once in the air. Everyone seems to understand and embrace this work-around.

You can obtain an informal set of instructions for FPL BR. I recommend you download the instructions and practice creating and filing flight plans. You can transmit the flight plans with “test flight plan” in the remarks. If your plan later lights up “green” in the FPL app, you can save it, then send instructions to cancel the filed one. Use this accepted version as your template, you can create a copy, change the departure and destination airports, ETD and ETA, and a few other details, and have a good chance of getting quick approval.

If you totally fail to get your flight plan accepted, you will need to find a person that possesses the telephone number for their ATC system. It may be a tower controller, weather office, or airport manager. I have used a friendly Air Force helicopter pilot hanging out on the ramp. Ask them to help you in getting a flight plan verbally communicated to ATC for your departure the following morning. You will need someone who speaks Portuguese and has a grasp of what a flight plan needs.

Without these steps done in advance, you will spend half the day marching around the airport seeking signatures and assistance. After a while, it becomes routine. I now file IFR for most flights. I think it helps to get the flight plan approved, and it won’t change what you do in the air. Even when VFR, the controllers want to stay in touch, practicing their English. Once, while flying VFR, I found myself facing a solid wall of IMC. I circled, radioed a nearby airport, and asked, “I need IFR to SBFI,” and immediately got back “N28X, cleared as requested.” I rarely received an entire clearance when requesting IFR while en route. When the skies are largely empty, it’s easy. 

You already understand your relationship with weather. You’ve got your EFB and GPS full of South American data. Jeppesen has more and better data for this area. You know your route and fuel requirements. Where to find the rest of the info?

Brazil offers its AISWEB website. You can click a button to get English. Spend some time becoming familiar with this asset. ROTAER is where you will find detailed airport info. Only the cover page is in English, but it’s not that hard. For instance, if you want info about the Palmas/Tocantins airport, you will type SBPJ into the box labeled “Codigas ICAO.” For info on fuel, look for “CMB” (combustibles) and you will find “PF” and “TF” for piston and turbine fuel indicating they are available. Read the NOTAMs! These are sometimes available on ForeFlight in English. The FPL BR mobile app offers other resources, such as weather and preferred routes.

Expect fees for landing, parking, fueling, possibly weather service, and processing through customs and immigration. Not including fuel, these can add up to about $300 per stop at the government-operated, controlled fields. Sometimes less, sometimes more. However, many airports are labeled “R,” suggesting they are private and restricted. Most of these are indeed privately owned but welcoming to travelers. You can usually find a contact number in ForeFlight or the Brazilian AIS in the ROTAER section discussed earlier. Call and ask for permission, and you will get it. Minimal fees and hassle. These private/public airports will make you feel like you’re back in the U.S. Just make sure it’s not military and call ahead. Some require a three-hour notice, some 24 hours.

I recommend you enter at Belem because it has more people tending to these things and is better able to help you with your first Brazilian flight plan. You can say “no” to the pushy and expensive handlers and wade through it yourself. Leave from Cayenne early, arrive at Belem about noon, and spend the rest of the day sorting out the AVANAC, getting refueled, and filing the next day’s flight plan. Regardless, you may find yourself finishing up these forms and other loose ends in the morning. It is rare to depart a Brazilian airport in less than three hours after your morning arrival from the hotel, but that is improved by taking care of things the afternoon before. If you’re solid with FPLBR, Macapa is smaller and easier to navigate as your point of entry to Brazil.

After transiting Brazil, head south into Uruguay. This is about as congested and confused as flying over Kansas. Assuming you are beginning at Foz do Iguaçu International Airport (SBFI), where you surrendered your AVANAC, you have at least two choices for entering the new country. Artigas Airport (SUAG) is at the north end, and it will make you feel completely welcome, or continue straight to SUAA on the outskirts of Montevideo, where you will also feel right at home. Go to your hotel in Montevideo. Book your tickets on one of the ferries to Argentina, and off you go.

The trip doesn’t end here. Next month, I’ll take you along as we fly the Southern Andes and then, at the end of this short series, offer some suggestions for alternate ways home.