Expat living and flying in Mexico

[snoop9erdog]

I just got back from Brazil a month ago and while I absolutely love the brasileiros, (eu te amo) and their culture, and I plan to go back often.....someday with the RV island hopping down to South America.......

I also lived in Fortaleza, Brasil for two years.

That being said......no matter how bad or good the State of the Union or politics

Nothing compares to the freedom and benefits we have in the USA. I'll always be grateful to have been simply born within these borders.

But I get it. The dollar goes a lot farther in Central and South America.

Curious also to listen to those who may have done this though.

[ALagonia]

I wasn?t going to chime in because I cannot speak specifically to Mexico but I can speak with a great deal of first hand experience with owning an airplane and flying in Honduras.
In 2008 I shut down my construction company in Memphis and moved to one of the The Bay Islands of Honduras. I flew a Britten Norman Islander from the US to Honduras, entering the country on the island of Honduras where I met my first obstacle. You can only keep your airplane in Honduras for seven days I was told. So I hired an attorney and we were able to hurdle over this first obstacle.
I decided to get an Airline Certificate and form a Charter Airline, or Aero Taxi as it is called there.
This took 11 months with the help of a Honduran attorney. We operated successfully for 10 years. The only issue I had to continuously deal with was their aviation regulatory administration constantly trying their best to get me to register my airplane HR, Honduran. I was able to deal with this successfully and never had to change my N registration. Many hurdles with this issue.
I did have to bring an IA down to Honduras every time I did a major inspection. Routine maintenance was done by competent Hondurans that had to show that they were certified to work on a BN-2, Islander, but all work had to be signed off by an FAA licensed A&P. Many A&P mechanics exist in Honduras. Those that signed off the actual work were not knowledgeable with an Islander but their certificate was enough to satisfy the authorities.
Insurance-I wouldn?t consider getting any insurance from any company other than a US company which I did. Those interested need only ask me about Mexican insurance companies. I have first hand experience of how they deal with incidents and claims. And forget about a Honduran insurance company. They are even worse.
I could go on but my point is that it is possible so long as you are willing to jump through their hoops and hire a local ?knowledgeable? aviation attorney to help you navigate their laws which often make no sense at all.
After ten years we sold our certificate, aircraft and passenger/guest contracts with dive resorts and moved back to the US. I now am totally enjoying my RV9.

[txnbuilder]

Originally Posted by Mark_H

...Friend used to go to an expat town in central Mexico some years back. Said you could have a villa, a cook and a maid on a social security income. Every year they had a running of the bulls much like Pamplona. Wouldn't be surprised if that's your destination.

There is no free lunch You may get a villa, cook and maid on a social security income, but you pay in other (non-monetary) ways that we take for granted here. For some, that cost is worth it.

My only advice is that if you want to do this, go find a house down there for 4-6 months and try it out. Leave yourself options so you can come back with minimum hassle if you don't like it. If after six months you're sold on your new life, then go for it!

Good Luck!

Luis

[Mark_H]

I would never buy as an expat but only rent. Then I can go back to the States on a moments notice. Costa Rica attracts me more than Mexico but I'm a long way from making such a move.