The September 11 terror attacks brought with it a number of setbacks for the Bahamas, including stringent regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), requiring all pilots to adhere to a stricter schedule of communications than ever before.
This included the closing of their flight plans and contact with US Customs. But, there was still a lack of telephone access at Bahamian ports of entry that is required to make this possible.
It is against this backdrop that the Bahamas recently sprang into action and commissioned its first Port of Entry (POE) pilot phone in Bimini Thursday. That island is one of the closest destinations in the Family Islands for private planes.
Centrally located at the island’s airport, the phone, which is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Tourism and the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) – offers private pilots the opportunity to fulfil a number of FAA requirements, including filing international flight plans. Before heading home, pilots can also obtain a weather briefing by calling 800-WX-BRIEF or the local flight service.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us,” Minister Wilchcombe said. “We have brought our system into the first world and this is particularly important to our Family Islands which would survive because of their uniqueness and the fact that many would opt to fly here, as opposed to congested airports in New Providence and Grand Bahama. In addition to this, once we inform these pilots that flying across waters does not take much time – our closest point to Florida is some 46 miles – they are educated, enlightened and they make the hop.”
Pilot Richard Asper uses the newly-commissioned direct line to the United States as Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe and Batelco’s Bimini manager Arlene Clarke look on.
The Minister further revealed that the new phones have also been installed in nine other locations throughout the country, including one in Exuma, another San Salvador, Cat Island, one in Inagua, two in Andros and three in Eleuthera.
Plans are also underway to install eight additional phones – another in Andros, one in Great Harbour Cay, another in Chub Cay, one in Long Island, one in Walkers Cay and three in Abaco.
Also present for the historic event were a number of US private pilots including Chairman of the Aviation Professionals Group and a member of the Bahamas Aviation Council, Richard Asper.
Having made his first private landing in The Bahamas 27 years ago, Mr. Asper said there is no other country that is more receptive and provides a greater ease to pilots visiting the country than The Bahamas.
According to Mr. Asper, while many Caribbean countries were slow to react to the FAA’s additional requirements, the Bahamas quickly took a proactive stance to solve the problem.
“Normally, Caribbean countries are reactive,” he said. “They wait for the problem to shut them down and then they figure out some way to react. The Bahamas, on the other hand, has decided to meet the issue head on so that these vital ports of entry within the country may be opened to the maximum and have unfettered traffic between the US and the Bahamas.”
He added that the country’s decision to install POE pilot phones is a bold step that is expected to be the first of many in making the Bahamas “The place to come.”
By Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
