General aviation is relatively new to Cuba. To obtain a Cuban landing permit, it is necessary to produce a copy of the aircraft airworthiness certificate, among other documents. When Cuban Civil Aviation authorities in Havana viewed their first “special” airworthiness certificate with “experimental” and “amateur built” across the top of the certificate, alarms bells began clanging.
There are no “experimental” aircraft in Cuba, unless you want to count the 1946 Antonov AN-2 Bi-planes that are still operating on the island, say officials with Caribbean Flying Adventures.
After an education campaign by officials with Caribbean Flying Adventures, who have worked with the Cubans for 15 years to obtain Cuban overflight and landing permits for U.S. and third country aircraft, U.S. experimental aircraft now have the green light to apply to Cuba for landing permits.
Submit a copy of the your registration, airworthiness certificate, insurance binder showing liability coverage for worldwide, western hemisphere, Islands of the Caribbean or West Indies or Cuba, your latest annual inspection sign off — plus some other required details about your trip and persons on board — and you will be ready to launch in your personal “time machine” to Cuba, which is just 90 miles from the Florida Keys.
Officials with Caribbean Flying Adventures note they have arranged landing permits and tours for more than 370 aircraft in the past two years.
The U.S and Cuban regulations governing private flights to Cuba are clearly defined, but not easy to find. Caribbean Flying Adventures is up-to-date on the latest changes, including the recent announcements by the Trump Administration, they note.
Private pilots can continue to fly their planes to Cuba if they are traveling under the “People to People” educational category authorized by the U.S. Treasury department and touring under the auspices of a People to People organization.
Caribbean Flying Adventures is an authorized People to People organization and can arrange approved U.S. government Cuban tours for individual aircraft, charter aircraft, or group tours, officials note.
We flew into Havana last month in a 206 and were told told file IFR. I’m guessing they allow Experimentals VFR?
Experimental aircraft can fly IFR if so equipped.
VFR flight is not limited to experimental airplanes but have to be coordinated with LOTS of prior paperwork. Doable, but not easy. FWIW two gyrocopters flew there VFR back in May, 2017 and was documented in a GA News article dated June 1, 2017. You can read about it:
https://generalaviationnews.com/2017/06/01/first-vfr-flights-to-cuba/
This is not true. I have an experimental that I have been flying all over the country since 2000. It is certified for IFR flight every 24 months and requires no more paperwork than a type certified airplane.
This article is not completely true. Cuban aviation authorities have always allowed experimental airplanes, with proper documentation, to land in their country. Experimental aircraft have been flying legally to Cuba since the 1960’s. Multiple Canadian registered experimental airplanes flew into Cuba in the 1990’s and 2000’s well before US registered experimental airplanes arrived. I flew the 1st US registered experimental airplane (N819PR) legally into Havana Cuba on Dec 5, 2015. It was even featured in a GA News Article called “Welcome to Cuba” dated January 28, 2016 with a picture of my airplane on the Havana airport ramp.
https://generalaviationnews.com/2016/01/28/welcome-to-cuba/
A few weeks before I landed, an RV9A landed in Varadero Cuba becoming the 1st US registered EAB to legally land into anywhere in Cuba. Cuba has always allowed properly documented experimental airplanes to land in their country.