Originally posted by cessna821
I have lived in Mulegé since 2000 and used to keep my Cessna on the Serenidad runway.
The Department of Homeland Security have made it almost impossible for private aircraft to fly outside of USA due to overly stringent border crossing
requirements.
They abuse their power in every way possible and on one occasion I was threatened not only with arrest, but confiscation of my aircraft because I
arrived 15 minutes earlier than my flight plan indicated. This was due to a higher than expected tailwind, but this was not accepted and I received a
written warning.
I then decided to make sure that I was a little late rather than early, so on the next flight I was sure to arrive a few minutes later. I was then
subjected to an hour long interrogation as to where I had illegally landed on the way and why!!
I am a British national and during these incidents I experienced more racism from American Hispanic and Asian immigration officers than I have ever
experienced anywhere in the world, Russia, China and Africa included.
I regretfully hung up my headset after these experiences and now do not fly any more. I am a typical pilot, however, and can not resist looking sadly
skywards as a small plane passes overhead. |