Baja California - LaPaz
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
Baja California - LaPaz
Has anyone out there in 170 land ever been to Baja California, in specific LaPaz? I have been on the Baja Bush Pilots page but so far no one has responded or perhaps they all own "go fast" machines. Any information would be of great help. Thanks.
Visitors are more than welcome. Stop by and say hello.
Ol' Gar (flyguy) has a piece of property down there and I think he's flown down there some. He's out of town for the Holidays, but I'll bet he'll chime in soon! 
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
I'M SICK! I ET TOO MUCH
SERINIDAD! SERINIDAD! SERINIDAD!
If you don't have to go to LaPaz for any special reason just don't. It is way too far south for easy light plane flying. There are several places to cut your teeth on before trying the 1000 miles of that wonderful but forbiding country.
The Baja is like no other place on the continent. One way it is different is the total dearth of towns and people. It probably has the least number of people per square mile of any place in the world except the great deserts of Africa or India. Actually it could be considered one of those great deserts. It ain't a good place to have an mechanical emergency that would require an unscheduled landing!
As George said we have a place down there. We have traveled down there for lots of years but have flown there less times in the recent past than we have driven. Our casa in in a little town called Puerticitos in Baja Norte. There used to be an airstrip right in town but the crazy woman that inherited her fathers estate screwed up so many things including the airport that we bypass there and go to Serinidad and points not too far south. LaPaz has a major airport as does Cabo San Lucas.
http://bajaquest.com/serenidad/
Base yourself there and enjoy the ammenties. Schedule your trip so you can fly over the Scammon's Lagoon when the whales are in for calving. What a wonderful sight to see.
http://bajaquest.com/serenidad/bbp.htm
The little town of Mulege (Moo-le-hey) is nearby and has lots of old-world charm. The fishing on local charters is above average and the coastal areas both sorth and south are very nice.
Email this guy for up-dates on trips- jack@bajabushpilots.com
The web site is a load of info. When are you planning this trip? Wish I could go back sooner than later. Good luck.
If you don't have to go to LaPaz for any special reason just don't. It is way too far south for easy light plane flying. There are several places to cut your teeth on before trying the 1000 miles of that wonderful but forbiding country.
The Baja is like no other place on the continent. One way it is different is the total dearth of towns and people. It probably has the least number of people per square mile of any place in the world except the great deserts of Africa or India. Actually it could be considered one of those great deserts. It ain't a good place to have an mechanical emergency that would require an unscheduled landing!
As George said we have a place down there. We have traveled down there for lots of years but have flown there less times in the recent past than we have driven. Our casa in in a little town called Puerticitos in Baja Norte. There used to be an airstrip right in town but the crazy woman that inherited her fathers estate screwed up so many things including the airport that we bypass there and go to Serinidad and points not too far south. LaPaz has a major airport as does Cabo San Lucas.
http://bajaquest.com/serenidad/
Base yourself there and enjoy the ammenties. Schedule your trip so you can fly over the Scammon's Lagoon when the whales are in for calving. What a wonderful sight to see.
http://bajaquest.com/serenidad/bbp.htm
The little town of Mulege (Moo-le-hey) is nearby and has lots of old-world charm. The fishing on local charters is above average and the coastal areas both sorth and south are very nice.
Email this guy for up-dates on trips- jack@bajabushpilots.com
The web site is a load of info. When are you planning this trip? Wish I could go back sooner than later. Good luck.
OLE GAR SEZ - 4 Boats, 4 Planes, 4 houses. I've got to quit collecting!
Re: Baja
We recently (Spring 2003) made a trip to Mexico in the 170, including Baja and had a great time. We spent about 50 hrs flying down in Mexico including Baja and the mainland. We completed an article on the trip for the 170 quartley. It should be published first and second quarter in CY 2004. If interested we can Email you the article; if your in a hurry to take a look at it.
Re: I'M SICK! I ET TOO MUCH
Hey Flyguy,flyguy wrote:The Baja is like no other place on the continent. One way it is different is the total dearth of towns and people. It probably has the least number of people per square mile of any place in the world except the great deserts of Africa or India. Actually it could be considered one of those great deserts. It ain't a good place to have an mechanical emergency that would require an unscheduled landing!
Well, I hate to be a geography stickler but the Baja is not all that sparsely populated compared to some other places in North America. A quick web search shows the Mexican state of Baja California Sur has about 15 people per square mile. This is the southern half of the Baja Peninsula. The northern state of Baja California is even more populated per square mile. By comparison, good old Alaska has about 1 person per square mile. But this is nothing compared to the Canadian Province of Nunavut with an area of over 730,000 square miles and population of 30,000 for the unbelievable population density of 0.04 people per square mile. If you want or like remote flying, the Canadian arctic has all you can handle.
Bruce
WAL AH 'LLBE SWAK 'ED
GEORGRFY SMOGRAFY. THEM THAR POPYLATIONS ARE JES TOO DURN CLOSE TO CALIFORNIY TO COUNT.
All of the population of Baja Norte is in the twenty mile wide band along the California/ Arizona border. Yeh I might have been taking liberties with actual facts but If you fly in the Baja N or S you better have alll your ducks in a row.
Tia Juana, Tecate, and Ensenada, all suburbs of San Diego CA, (Ensenada is a little past the twenty mile band) and Mexicalli, futher east, are where 99% of Baja Norte's population resides. Baja Sur (south) has three major (populations around 10000) population centers on the coasts of Sea of Cortez, and the two on the Pacific Coast at Lands end of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. So the 15 persons per square mile statistic is a little misleading when talking about flying over a desert where an off field landing could put you a hundred miles or more from any human habitation. FWIW: Uvalde county Texas posts 1 person per square mile! It is a long walk to any town there too!
I have no doubt that the NW Territiries is just as sparsley populated, but with some trees and some water and wild life available it might help you live if you survive the crash landing. The Baja has none of these. I still love it's stark rugged beauty but have spent enough time there to make me respect what it can become. One of the things I like best about it - - NO CROWDS!
All of the population of Baja Norte is in the twenty mile wide band along the California/ Arizona border. Yeh I might have been taking liberties with actual facts but If you fly in the Baja N or S you better have alll your ducks in a row.
Tia Juana, Tecate, and Ensenada, all suburbs of San Diego CA, (Ensenada is a little past the twenty mile band) and Mexicalli, futher east, are where 99% of Baja Norte's population resides. Baja Sur (south) has three major (populations around 10000) population centers on the coasts of Sea of Cortez, and the two on the Pacific Coast at Lands end of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. So the 15 persons per square mile statistic is a little misleading when talking about flying over a desert where an off field landing could put you a hundred miles or more from any human habitation. FWIW: Uvalde county Texas posts 1 person per square mile! It is a long walk to any town there too!
I have no doubt that the NW Territiries is just as sparsley populated, but with some trees and some water and wild life available it might help you live if you survive the crash landing. The Baja has none of these. I still love it's stark rugged beauty but have spent enough time there to make me respect what it can become. One of the things I like best about it - - NO CROWDS!
OLE GAR SEZ - 4 Boats, 4 Planes, 4 houses. I've got to quit collecting!