Grand Bahama Auxiliary Air Force is a U.S. military field, closed to general aviation.  It is a useful landmark 19 NM east-northeast of Freeport and could be useful in an emergency.  Seven miles east of this field is a restricted area (R-9001), which is home to a tethered balloon.

Walkers Cay is a very short private, hard surfaced strip on Walkers Cay.  It is open to the public.  The field elevation is 10 feet and the longest runway 9/27 is only 2,500 feet.  The east end of this runway sits on top of a hill, so use your best short field technique if landing to the west, and be prepared to brake!  That portion of runway 6/24 which lies north of 9/27 (approximately 200') was cluttered with piles of gravel and equipment.  Assume you only have 1600 feet of usable runway, which is rarely used and overgrown with grass.

Fuel is available as are customs and immigration.  This makes an excellent crew change port.  You won’t need a taxi or a ferry, in fact you can park your airplane within sight of your boat! Unicom is 122.8

Be careful of the 250' tower, shown on our sketch chart, which does not appear on CH-25!

Deep Water Cay is a small private airstrip on the east end of Grand Bahama Island.  It serves a small fishing resort, which offers great bonefishing.  The runway is 2,000 feet of sand and grass, so practice your soft field technique!  Don’t land without contacting the resort first.  They have an office at the airport in West Palm Beach.  Their phone number is (407) 684-3958.

Marsh Harbour is the airport of entry you are most likely to use if you are chartering a boat.  As I will discuss more fully, in the cruising section of this guide, Marsh Harbour is the commercial hub of Abaco.  This airport also serves Hope Town, Man-O-War, and Great Guana Cay via Albury’s Ferry Service.

The single runway 9/27 is 5000', hard surfaced, and in good condition.  The field elevation is 10 feet  The NDB 361, shown on CH 25, is either out of service or very unreliable. I have not found it useful in recent years.  Unicom is 122.8. You must file and cancel your flight plans at altitude with Nassau Radio 124.2 or 118.6.

Treasure Cay International lies 21 NM northeast of Marsh Harbour and is the other major airport in Abaco.  Each airport makes a good alternate for each other, in case of strong crosswinds or a local thunderstorm.  Runway 14/32 has 6,800' of good asphalt, elevation seven feet.  Runway 10/28 is permanently closed.  It is so overgrown that you will really have to look to find it at all.  Unicom is 122.8, fuel is rarely available. If you are arriving after normal business hours, circle once east of the field prior to landing.  The customs agent lives about a mile from the field and will meet you there.  Be prepared to pay overtime charges after 1700 and remember no landing after sunset!

This airport serves not only the Treasure Cay Resort and Marina, but the island of Green Turtle Cay as well.

Spanish Cay is a private airstrip 15 NM from Treasure Cay on the 330° radial.  They have 4,500' of good hard surfaced runway.  For years, this island was very private.  It was then purchased for development.  A number memberships and properties were sold.  As of this writing, the development is in receivership and the future of this island is very uncertain. One thing is certain, landings by uninvited guests are not welcomed.  Those looking for a private island retreat may wish to monitor the status of this island.

Scotland Cay, likewise is a private airport.  It was never as glamorous as the planned development on Spanish Cay, but it is slowly growing.  Again landings by uninvited visitors are not welcomed.  This private island holds nothing of interest for  the casual visitor, but might be just what you’re looking for  if you’re looking to purchase a private island retreat. The runway is 3,200 feet  according to the most recent edition of CH-25.  It is commonly called  3,000 feet by locals,  and one source states that there is 3,600'.  I cannot resolve these discrepancies, but from experience, I’d guess that the 3,200 is right.  I know they bring a King Air in there on a regular basis.

Aside from that, the elevation is 7 feet, the runway 13/31 is hard packed coral in good condition.  It is barricaded at sunset. There are no services.

Sandy Point serves the isolated southern end of Great Abaco Island. Runway 10/28 is 3,000 feet  of packed coral, elevation eight feet.  It is an airport of entry, but as such offers little to the visiting yachtsman.  I would not recommend this as a crew change point because of the limited protection offered for the boat.  It does make an interesting day trip.  In fact, if you’re traveling by airplane and don’t have a boat, this is your best chance to see a native Bahamian village untouched by tourism.  If you’re looking for a place to “really get away from it all” you might try Pete & Gay Guest House (242) 366-4119 or Oeisha Resort (242) 366-4139.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not recommending this for everyone, but if you’re looking for that undiscovered, laid back retreat, (there aren’t many left) this could be just what you’re looking for!

Mores Island is off the beaten path, but is very much a part of Abaco.  I have not recommended trying to visit this side of Abaco by yacht, because it is shallow, services are few and far between, and the other side of Abaco has so much more to offer.  These limitations do not apply to those cruising Abaco by private airplanes.  If you read Evans Cottman’s Out Island Doctor, some of his most interesting stories came from the village of Hard Bargain on Mores Island.  This island is worth a day stop.  The runway is 9/27, 2,600 feet of packed coral, elevation 11'.  The surface is in good condition.

Gorda Cay, 13 NM south of Mores Island is strictly a private island and of no interest to the visiting pilot.  The runway is 2,400', elevation 5', restricted.

Cistern Cay on (surprisingly) Cistern Cay in the northern Berry Islands, is permanently closed and should be used only in case of emergency.

Great Harbour Cay Airport on Great Harbour Cay in the northern Berry Islands, has much to recommend it.  Not only is the marina first rate, (see my discussion in Chapter 2) but the airport offers 4,500' of hard surfaced runway 13/31, elevation 18'. It is an airport of entry.  Unicom is 122.8. The airport is private, but is certainly available to marina guests.  Be cautious of the tower in the vicinity of Bullocks Harbour which is not shown on CH-25.

Customs and Immigrations

Private aircraft departing the United States do not have to clear U.S. customs when leaving the country.  You must enter the Bahamas at an airport of entry.  You should have proof of citizenship.  A passport is perfect although a birth certificate and a photo identification will also suffice.  A drivers license or a voter’s registration card are no longer adequate.  It is important that your private flight be for personal pleasure. There are substantial fines for unauthorized or unlicensed charters into the Bahamas.  In general, upon entry, you will need to fill out either a general declaration or a cruising permit and general declaration.  I almost always get a cruising permit.  The advantage of this document is that you can travel from airport to airport on this document.  I particularly like the freedom to wake up in the morning and say, “Let’s go to Bimini (or Eleuthera, or wherever).  You’ll still need to show your cruising permit to the officers wherever you go.  The number of copies required as well as any special landing reports are quite unpredictable!  Citrus, firearms, and

Immigration is remarkably consistent, the same form is used throughout the country and only one form is ever required.

Returning to the United States, again you’ll need your proof of citizenship as well as your pilot and aircraft documents!  The U.S. Customs people will actually want to see your aircraft registration, airworthiness certificate, pilot’s certificate, and recent medical.  A “pink slip” or temporary registration will not suffice to re-enter the United States.

Special Considerations

Rarely in Abaco will you find tie downs at your chosen airport, so bring lines to tie your aircraft down!  Some sort of survival gear is required for overwater flight.  Life jackets will suffice, although many prefer to fly with a life raft. If you don’t own this equipment it can be rented at many FBO’s in south Florida.  Pick the one where you plan to re-enter. I recommend utilizing one of the following airports:  Ft. Lauderdale International, Palm Beach International, Ft. Pierce, Opa Locka, or Tamiami.  Survival gear is available for rent at most of the FBO’s at any of these airports, some will even do your Bahamian paperwork for you.

Again note that night flying is not permitted in Abaco, and the legal definition of night begins at sunset.  Aviation weather is available in Freeport (242) 352-9114.  Don’t plan to fly on summer afternoons until you have a lot of experience in these islands.  The summer afternoon thunderstorms in both the Bahamas and Florida can become very dangerous.

I usually file and fly on an instrument flight plan, even when the weather permits VFR flying.  I then stay at altitude (6,000 feet or greater) until I’m within gliding distance of Great Abaco Island.  At these altitudes, I am in airspace belonging to Miami Center, and hence in a radar environment for the whole trip.  Not only does this give me the clearance through instrument conditions if they should be encountered, but assists in separation from VFR traffic.  Best of all, this assures me that someone knows my exact location at all times in case of a problem. 

Single Engine Aircraft

Now that we are speaking of the unspeakable, everyone always expresses some concern about flying single engine aircraft over water. I too once got the “bug” to trade airplanes and move up to a twin, after all, I reasoned, I was doing a lot of flying over water.  After a little research in Aviation Safety Reports, I re-learned an old lesson.  Engine failure is not a major cause of aviation accidents!  Most accidents are due to pilot error or weather.  In accidents involving six place single engine aircraft, only 19% were related to engine failure, and only a fraction of those involved fatalities.  Said another way, this amounts to one engine failure related fatality per 69,520 flying hours.  In a 150 M.P.H. airplane this amounts to 320 trips around the world!  I decided that I could take my chances with a few trips back and forth to Abaco!  Your statistics will vary depending upon which aircraft you include in your data, and when you collect it. When you compare six place singles and six place twins, you will find that the total accident rate is slightly higher among the singles, but that the fatal accident rate is slightly higher among the twins. I’m not intending to belabor this issue for it has been thoroughly debated in pilot circles.  However, my point is, that this debate involves splitting hair.  You should not be afraid to fly to Abaco in a single engine airplane, provided it is properly maintained and the pilot is proficient.  It is generally safer to fly in this class of airplane than to ride in an automobile.

In summary, flying to Abaco in a private airplane is a very practical and enjoyable way to augment your cruising in these islands.