74 AUGUST 2018 ÇPlane&Pilot
Why was I doing lying a single seat Extra at 1000’ above
the ground, alone, over a country that has a “shoot
to kill” policy for unidentiied aircraft, and was not
talking to anyone? I had to ask myself. In moments like this
you can’t let yourself get mired in the meaning of the moment
or you might do something reactive or emotional. You have
to stay focused on the horizon and keep moving forward
toward the light.
It all started on my way to California for 2011 ire season. I
was lying my Extra, so it made sense to accept an invitation
to ly an airshow “along the way” in Honduras, a 1,000-mile
detour each way from Brownsville, Texas.
I would drop down into Honduras for the
weekend via Mexico and Guatemala, ly the
show at San Pedro Sula (MHLM), then ly
back to Texas and continue on to the West
Coast. My crew chief, Tim Fowler, met me
in Brownsville (KBRO), where we joined
another performer and his chase plane,
then lew south together in loose formation.
he light to Honduras is easily doable
in one day if you have the range (which our
aerobatic airplanes don’t), so stopping for fuel every couple
hours means running out of daylight and an overnight
stop in Mexico. Flying in Mexico isn’t diicult, but it does
require some paperwork. Before leaving the US you have
to register for eAPIS, the Customs and Border Protection
Electronic Advance Passenger Information System, and
ile an International Flight Plan. Once in Mexico, light
plans have to be iled at every fuel stop, and you basically
go through immigration and customs each time you land.
Everyone is friendly and helpful, but each stop takes about
two hours because of all the paperwork and payment of
fees (which are not excessive). After landing at Tampico
and Vera Cruz, then dodging some rain showers along the
gulf coast, we decided that Villahermosa (MMVA) would
be a good place to stop for the night.After clearing the requisite Customs and the stony-eyed
young man with a large dog, we were met by the jovial
airport manager who arranged for hangar space. Leaving
for our hotel, I waved and said “If we don’t see you in the
morning, we will see you Monday on our way back through”
(thought bubble: this is going to be such an easy trip). But,
“Oh noooo...,” the Manager said, “his border has closed
and there are now only two airports of entry, Tapachula
and Cozumel.” his was a situation of major signiicance.
I would be adding hundreds if not thousands of miles to
my trip and many hours, possibly days. Neither option was
desirable. Tapachula to the West meant lying over some of
the most rugged mountains in Central America; Cozumel
to the east was a sea-level light, but would take me almost
back to my starting point.
I was in a state of denial taking of the next morning for
Honduras–what else can you do? We lew over beautiful
Guatemala, its jungles, reserves and ancient ruins that spill
out to the Caribbean Sea that would lead us into Honduras
and San Pedro Sula. MHLM is a fairly large international
airport. We taxied to the Honduran Air Force ramp, where
we based for the weekend, and were met by our local hosts
who were hospitable and friendly aviators and enthusiasts.
he hotel was nice, and while we were instructed not to
leave the hotel proper, we were escorted by an armed guard
whenever we went out somewhere to dinner or back to the
airport. A representative from the U.S. Embassy, who was
there for the airshow, said “Welcome to the murder capital
of the world.” But I never felt like we were in danger, likely
because we weren’t targets of the gang violence that a lot
of the locals are.
he airshow took place on one runway while commer-
cial airliners operated of the other. here
was no conlict with them, but there was an
unanticipated lack of security because of the
large crowds that showed up to the party.
he lack of snow fencing and crowd control
was understandable because the Honduran
Air Force doesn’t host an airshow every year,
and luckily my intrepid crew, Tim Fowler and
Denise Decker, rose to the occasion. Dripping
in sweat because of the heat and humidity,
they provided crowd control whenever we
started turning props. During my inverted ribbon cut, the
crowd surged onto the taxiway, which was in direct line of
sight for the ribbons, but we got the job done. All in all, it
was a fun weekend. But on Sunday I had to make a decision
on which direction to go when the show was over. Would
it be east or west?
To the west, Tapachula (MMTP), on the southern coast
of Mexico, is a notoriously bad fuel stop. he last time I’d
stopped there on the way from El Salvador, I had to appear
before an unexpected military tribunal. he soldiers were
armed with weapons, dogs and video cameras, and asked
me a slew of questions for over an hour while I sat at a
long table in front of them. he most surreal part of the
experience was the “customer satisfaction” survey I was
given at the end of the interrogation asking me to rate theAdventures In
Honduras
A 2,000-mile side trip seemed
like a good idea at the time.By Patty WagstaLET IT ROLL
PORTRAIT: LARA TOMLIN❯ ❯ “My leader decided to
go direct and headed out
to sea, saying he had to
conserve fuel. This was
non-negotiable for me, so
I said, 'Adios' and took a
hard left turn.”