Does anyone have experience in flying LSA aircraft throughout the Caribbean? Planning to fly my Super Petrel from Florida over Cuba to Jamaica with a fuel stop in the Cayman Islands. I would like to find anyone with experience doing this and pick your brain a bit. I see YouTube videos of pilots flying around the world in LSAs. Do I need a letter of authorization from each country?
@Ronald Levy
Yes, there is no mention regarding Light Sport Aircraft. However the Special Airworthiness Certificate of my aircraft states that it may not be accepted in some countries (such as Mexico).
Good day,
Be VERY CAREFUL. Experimental and LSA aircraft are typically NOT accepted by foreign countries. Just because others may have successfully traveled to a foreign country did not make it legal. The authorities either didn't check on the Category of the Aircraft's Airworthiness Certificates or the CAA staff were not knowledgeable that the aircraft was Experimental or LSA. However, it is not a problem, until there is a problem, and then it can be a VERY BIG PROBLEM.
On USA Experimental Airworthiness Certificates, the certificate states that you must obtain permission from the foreign countries where you wish to operate. On the newer certificates it goes further to state that you must have this permission on board the aircraft to present to a CAA inspector of a foreign country OR AN FAA INSPECTOR!. I am not familiar with the Airworthiness Certificates for LSA but I assume that there is a similar annotation.
Having assisted AOPA over the last 16 years on topics of this nature in Mexico, Central America, The Bahamas and the Caribbean, I have seen the ugly side when members get into trouble.
Beware of those that say “no problem” that do not have the regulatory support to substantiate that claim. After all, it is YOUR aircraft that will be impounded.