“So, how would you feel about bringing my airplane down here to Panama? You can come down a few days early and ride on the boat through the canal. Oh, and you are welcome to bring someone.”
That was the exciting call I received in June of 2012. It took me all of a minute to agree and find out that my 18-year-old daughter, Megan, was the only one free at home and she was thrilled to be invited. The owner of this particular King Air flies it himself on occasion and needed to be picked up in Panama – that’s the country, not the city in Florida.
Based in the Houston area, research and experience dictated a single fuel stop in Belize City on the way down. While I had been to Belize before, I’ve never travelled as far south as Panama.
Once all permits and planning were obtained and completed, raft installed and charts updated, departure time was upon us.
It’s always a special time when we can bring family members on a trip and today was no exception. Megan is a meteorology major at Texas A&M university and was eager to review weather with me and to explore all that the Garmin G1000 XM radio had to offer. Off we went into the early morning sunrise and in less than 30 minutes we were leveling at FL310. The recent addition of BLR winglets to this aircraft was readily apparent above FL280 in the climb, rendering 500 fpm up to FL310, even on a warm ISA+15-degree day.
The sky was clear with the deep blue of the Gulf of Mexico under us as we flew south. In the tracks over the water, airliners flew over us in the opposite direction, a mere 1000 feet above, bright streaming contrails clearly seen curling up in wake turbulence as the jets passed over us at a combined speed of over 700 knots.
The owner of this aircraft had upgraded all avionics to the Garmin G1000 a few years prior, and besides gaining 380 lbs of useful load, the capabilities, redundancy and ease of use of these avionics have made this King Air B200 even more fun to fly. The only downside to all of the informative XM weather is that the coverage is lost about 3/4 of the way across the gulf as you approach Merida.
3 hours and 10 minutes after leaving Houston, we arrived in Belize. Our stop was uneventful and we were squared away by the friendly handlers in only 30 minutes. They even accommodated my request to put a stamp in Megan’s passport!
The next 4 hour leg promised to be the most exciting, covering more water, more thunderstorm activity and not so friendly places to land if needed. In the climb we encountered light rime ice and Megan was enthralled at how it adhered to the wings and windscreen and how it came back off- via the B/E IceShield deice boots and sublimation.
Our route took us directly to the east coast of Honduras and Nicaragua, and then further east into the southern Caribbean Sea before a right turn toward Panama. That’s a lonely place to be, especially when the only available thunderstorm avoidance tools are a 3 hour-old satellite picture, on board weather radar (most effective within 100nm) and as always, the Mark I eyeball. Another advantage of having an RVSM-approved King Air is the rarity of ice at such cold temperatures. Air traffic control was loud and clear for the entire route and we never lost radar contact – something I had been planning on.
In the descent to Tocuman Airport, you fly right over Colon, which is where the Panama Canal starts, and where the airplane owner’s boat was moored. The flight path follows the canal all the way across the country and vectors to Tabago VOR for the VOR DME 21 approach offered a spectacular view of the coast and of downtown. Touchdown was smooth on the runway, freshly wet from a passing shower and we taxied to the rather remote parking area for general aviation aircraft.
Airplanes take on an almost human quality for me, probably a good thing for a machine that you trust your life too, and as I secured our ship for the week, installing engine covers locking her up, I couldn’t help but be grateful for the reliability of this great airplane. Having over 3000 hours in King Air 200’s, I have a hearty, proven respect for this amazing machine.
It was a three hour drive back to Colon, and the week that followed was nothing short of amazing, being able to transit the Panama Canal in a private yacht was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. There have been plenty of exciting King Air trips, both before and after, but this is one that Megan and I will always cherish!
-Martin M.
About the Author
Martin is a King Air Captain, avid CFI and Director of Safety for a large charter company with over 3000 hours in 8 various serial numbers.