Reader's Comments

Officials are courteous and honest...

Are you kidding me? In Mexico & Baja, courtesy and honesty are based on how much you can pay. But, then again, that's pretty much true all over the world, isn't it.

But all kidding aside, Baja, and the rest of Mexico, is quite friendly, safe, laid-back, and a pleasure to visit.

Nice piece, Philip. It's good to see some travel/photography pieces from you again.

-- Jim Tardio, December 8, 2002

Dear Philip

I liked your article "Flying in Baja California" a lot. I included a link to your page on my German Baja California webpage www.baja-california.ch

You'll find your link on http://www.baja-california.ch/index.php?MenuID=5&UserID=1&ContentID=18

Keep on flying and have a Merry Christmas!

Herve in La Paz, B.C.S. (MEXICO)

(at the moment in Switzerland)

-- Hervé Danis, December 21, 2003

Nice article. Please be advised that the book Air Baja! includes a 2004 Update Supplement including the current airstrip information, reservation contacts, and border crossing information. I personally inspected all the airports listed in the book in 2004 and was pleasantly surprised to find many of the airstrips still open, some had been re-opened, and also found some new airstrips.

The government's CH-22 WAC chart is totally outdated and useless. It doesn't even show the Transpeninsular Highway completed in the 1970s. I was compelled to produce my own aeronautical chart of Baja, called the GH-22. Even the Mexican Military is using my chart.

If you've got the airplane and the experience for backcountry flying, Baja is the ultimate flying experience. Don't be afraid to get off the pavement … use good common sense and take care of yourself. I spent four years living in fish camps and remote desert strips while writing this book. It was one of the best periods of my life and I enjoy sharing it with others. Galen L. Hanselman (author Air Baja!)

-- Galen Hanselman, March 19, 2005

As a CFI, I used to take pilots and their planes down to Baja every year, mainly to show them the ropes. We'd go in groups of 4-6 planes. We had major problems during the last three trips, including stolen radios, street mugging, and numerous 'fines' exacted on the streets by cops for non-existent violations. These took place at San Felipe, Muleje, Mexicali, and Loreto. We quit going into Baja over a decade ago, and advise anybody planning a trip to think twice. A friend of a friend was involved in a minor airplane accident involving a wire fence that cost her her airplane and four months in jail. Her family was forced to send thousands of dollars for her food and indoor sleeping 'accommodations.' Mexico is bad news, run by thugs top to bottom, and should be avoided, IMHO.

-- William Woodbury, October 5, 2014