373 How to Fly a Small Plane to Mexico and other Countries + GA News

Aviation News Talk podcast

Glass Cockpit Publishing

General, G1000, Leisure, Gps, Ifr, Glasscockpit, Safety, Sr20, Trescott, Flying, Tips, Cirrus, Aviation, News, Max, Sr22, Garmin, Waas, Perspective

4.8 • 730 Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Max talks with Ranferi Denova about what pilots need to know about flying small planes to Mexico, though the advice applies broadly to international flights from the U.S., including to Canada and the Caribbean. Ranferi assures pilots that flying to Mexico is safe and rewarding, provided they plan ahead and follow proper procedures.

He details aircraft and pilot documentation requirements, such as an airworthiness certificate, insurance, and an FCC radio license. He also explains essential paperwork, like the Mexican flight permit (A IU) and the newly required LOPA (Layout of Passenger Accommodations).

Flight planning considerations include IFR versus VFR flights, the necessity of submitting an eAPIS manifest before departure, and understanding Mexican air traffic control procedures. Ranferi provides guidance on clearing customs both upon arrival and when returning to the U.S., emphasizing the importance of preparation and patience.

Additionally, he discusses common pitfalls, offers practical tips for a smooth experience, and introduces tools like FlashPass to simplify the process. Whether heading to Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean, pilots will gain valuable knowledge to navigate international flying confidently.

If you're getting value from this show, please support the show via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or Patreon.

Support the Show by buying a Lightspeed ANR Headsets
Max has been using only Lightspeed headsets for nearly 25 years! I love their tradeup program that let's you trade in an older Lightspeed headset for a newer model. Start with one of the links below, and Lightspeed will pay a referral fee to support Aviation News Talk.
Lightspeed Delta Zulu Headset $1199
Lightspeed Zulu 3 Headset $899
Lightspeed Sierra Headset $699
My Review on the Lightspeed Delta Zulu

Send us your feedback or comments via email

If you have a question you’d like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone.

News Stories

Mentioned on the Show
Buy Max Trescott's G1000 Book Call 800-247-6553
Buy Max Trescott's G3000 Book Call 800-247-6553
Max's January FLYING column: Choosing ILS vs RNAV approaches
FlashPass App for making border crossings easy and fast
Ranferi Denova's Flying to Mexico website

Free Index to the first 282 episodes of Aviation New Talk

So You Want To Learn to Fly or Buy a Cirrus seminars
Online Version of the Seminar Coming Soon – Register for Notification

Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we’ll make a couple of dollars if you do.

Get the Free Aviation News Talk app for iOS or Android.

Check out Max’s Online Courses: G1000 VFR, G1000 IFR, and Flying WAAS & GPS Approaches. Find them all at: https://www.pilotlearning.com/

Social Media
Like Aviation News Talk podcast on Facebook
Follow Max on Instagram
Follow Max on Twitter
Listen to all Aviation News Talk podcasts on YouTube or YouTube Premium

"Go Around" song used by permission of Ken Dravis; you can buy his music at kendravis.com

If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Today we're talking with Ron Ferri-Deneva, and I'm excited to have him on the show because
0:05.9	he demystifies the process of flying internationally from the United States. And while he'll be
0:11.2	talking about flying to Mexico, virtually everything he says applies to flying from the U.S.
0:16.0	to other countries. And of course, he'll tell stories about his many trips to Mexico.
0:21.9	Hello again and welcome to Aviation News Talk, where we talk in general aviation. My name is Max Truscott. I've been flying for
0:26.8	50 years on the author of several books and the 2008 National Flight Instructor of the Year. And my
0:31.7	mission is to help you become the safest possible pilot. Last week at episode 372, we talked about the crash of November 2 Uniform Zulu,
0:41.0	Bonanza in Virginia, which suffered an engine failure but didn't make it to the runway.
0:45.8	We also gave an update on the Learjet Crash in Scottsdale and the crash of a Cirrus SRSR 22 in Santa Barbara.
0:51.7	So if you didn't hear that episode, you may want to check it out at AviationNusTalk.com slash 372. And if you're new to this show, you just found us welcome.
0:59.8	Glad to have you here. Now, please, in whatever app you're using to listen to us, touch either
1:04.2	the subscribe key, or if you're in the Apple podcast app or Spotify, the Follow Key, so that next week's episode is downloaded for free.
1:12.2	And my thanks to these people who've signed up in the past week to support Aviation News Talk,
1:16.4	they include new monthly donations from Jeff Butler and Jim Mackie,
1:20.7	and a repeat one-time donation from Barry Harper.
1:23.1	So thanks to all three of you.
1:24.3	And if you'd like to hear your name next week, sign up now to support the show
1:28.2	by going out to AviationNewsTalk.com
1:30.9	slash support.
1:32.7	Coming up in the news for the week of March 3rd, 2025,
1:36.2	high winds in Texas lead to two jets going off runways.
1:39.5	If you're buying an airplane for business,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Glass Cockpit Publishing, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Glass Cockpit Publishing and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.