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The mission for today is to evaluate two strips
(Jalapa and Chiquimula) in the southeast of Guatemala,
and if possible land. On the ground in Chiquimula
we will coordinate with a local doctor who is also a
pilot and owns a C-172.
Our flight path will take us from our mission base in
the western highlands of Guatemala to the southeast edge
of the country; this area is also known as the "dry
corridor".
As I set out to plan this flight I considered the
fuel on board. A day before a Christian missionary
pilot showed up on our ramp needing some extra fuel.
Fuel is not available at our mission base. I had 60
gallons in the wing tanks of our T206H and downloaded
fuel from my aircraft to his (the neighborly thing to
do).
There is only one place in the country that you can
reliably purchase avgas, Guatemala City (MGGT), 60 NM
east of our mission base at Quetzaltenango. On the
odd occasion, the military may sell some fuel but there
are is no guarantee of availablility
Whenever I am going into a region that I am not
familiar with, I make it a rule to have sufficient fuel
to cover the unforeseen. A stop in Guatemala City
would be needed to provide a generous margin of reserve
fuel.
Departing MGGT I request a right turn direct to
Chiquimula. As April approaches clouds are more
common, they may not produce rain in this vicinity but
do obscure the craggy mountain ridges.
The ceiling was broken allowing flight above the
peaks and good visibility into the valleys. The
route to Chiquimula would take us over Jalapa.
Circling down between clouds, that were now closing
ranks and forming a solid layer, we observed the
city of Jalapa. After a few passes we found a
strip short and in poor condition, not landing here
today.
Remaining Under the now fully formed layer of clouds
and following a river between volcanic peaks we arrived
in a nice valley over the city of Chiquimula. The
local doctor was at the strip and in radio
communication. He pointed out landmarks that would
be our guide to the strip at the northern edge of the
city. From the air the strip was vary well
maintained. Fifty ft wide and 2400 ft long, the
020 approach was clear from obstacles the departure end
however, had sharply rising mountain ridge; all things
considered, not difficult at all.
After securing the aircraft we piled into the
ambulance and the doctor took us to tour the hospital,
pointed out various ways to enter and exit the city by
air, and confirmed the strip in Jalapa was unusable.
Over a typical lunch of roasted chicken, some pork deep
fried things, and the ever-present black beans and
tortillas we talked about our respective missions.
He shared that he uses his N-reg C-172 to transport
critical patients to Guatemala City as needed, and that
he knows this area very well. He was more than
willing to share pointers and items of critical safety
for the region.
We shared part of the mission of Mercy Wings during
conversation. Explaining that we were gathering
experience in this region of Guatemala to safely
transport Living Water Teaching Bible Institute (LWYBI)
teachers to this area.
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