Border Crossing Procedures
Preflight
Call
San Diego FSS for weather briefing at (866)
682-2175. You can get current weather
and forecasts for Mexicalli and Loreto as well as satellite image info on
cloud cover etc. Confirm fuel availability at Mexican
airports by calling them at this time.
San Felipe 011 52 686 577 1368
Loreto
011 52 613 135 0498
Mexicalli 011 52 686 553 5071
File 2 flight plans.
1) U.S. departure airport to San Felipe MMSF the
Mexican Airport
of Entry
2) San Felipe to Calexico,
KCXL the
U.S. Airport
Southbound
Procedure
Take off and open your flight plan with San Diego
Radio on 122.5 They will give you a squawk. Upon crossing the border they will
have you squawk 1200. You don’t close this flight plan, it just goes away.
Contact Mexicalli tower on 118.2 and let them know you are passing through.
Mexican AOE
20 miles north of San Felipe call the tower on118.5 for landing instructions. Upon arrival let the tower know if you want fuel and they will direct you accordingly. Mexican procedures are pretty simple. They will direct you where to go and who to pay. Expect $50 for airspace fee, $21 per person immigration, $8 landing fee for a single. When you leave you will have in your hand a Mexican flight plan, tourist visa for each person and a General Declaration (form GCH40) that allows your plane to be in Mexico.
You may have to push a button on a traffic light type thing at Customs. The lights are random and if it shows green you are free to go. If it shows red they may want to look in your plane. No big deal, they are just doing their job.
Northbound Procedure
Proceed to San Felipe and clear Customs and Immigration outbound. Clearing out is simple, just follow their instructions. Upon departure, climb to altitude and accelerate to cruise speed then contact San Diego Radio on 122.6. This is an RCO at Yuma and they should pick you up 100 miles south of the border. Open your pre filed flight plan to Calexico and update the time of arrival at U.S. Customs. I usually use my GPS readout to tell them my arrival time. By the time I slow down to pattern speed, land and taxi I am about 3 minutes after stated arrival time. You need to show up within a window of your filed arrival time and up to 15 minutes later. They can fine you $5000 if you do not do this. You may update the time of arrival with at least 30 minutes prior notice. You may be arriving at U.S. Customs at a completely different time than was pre filed but as long as you update the arrival time with flight service with 30 minutes notice that is okay. For my own peace of mind I get the San Diego Radio operators initials. If for some reason Customs doesn’t get updated information they can verify the contact.