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We are coming to Ambergris Caye for our honeymoon in March and as part of our package we have air transfers from Belize City to AC on Tropic Air. I hate to sound like a loser, but their planes seem really small. Is it safe? Has anyone had any problems or positive experiences with Tropic Air? I appreciate the help!

no. not safe.

also not safe to drive, more dangerous than flying in small planes. Walk or bike to work.

swim to AC. not safe to fly. or take water ferry.

mikskibum - ignore him, most of us do.
We've flown on the planes used by both Tropic Air and Maya Island Air. They appear to be well-maintained and as safe as airplanes anywhere. They are small & a little noisy - but the flight is only about 15 minutes and is beautiful. You will love AC - have a wonderful honeymoon!

as safe as planes can be. if you're scared(pansy_ then take the water taxi over, otherwise "no worries" those small planes are a blast,get to see nearby islands, reef, etc. dont chicken out take tropic air :p

I would fly before driving. I bike or walk everywhere. Cars are much more dangerous than planes. True Statistic.

I appreciate the help. I'm definitely not afraid of planes usually. Just not too familiar with smaller planes. Thanks again!

if you are not afraid of bigger planes, then you will be fine on these ones. You won't be scared then. It is not too small.

I feel much safer on the small planes. The visibility is fantastic, as is the scenery. No long lines getting on or off. Begin the adventure!

small planes are better than those commercial jets, the pilots at tropic air are very experienced, fyi: since were talking about this topic i'd thought i throw this out there, I did my first Solo flight this morning, flew da plane all by myself!

The small plane flight is a fine beginning to the fun of your time in Belize. I was lucky enough to sit in the co-pilot's seat so got to watch all the dials, as well as marvelous scenery.

Very safe, though one did go down about this time last year.

Yea! I rode "shotgun" once too! Very cool. I heard they paved the runway on AC. Bummer. I loved the looks on folks faces when that plane would begin to set down on that dirt trail........ I love that flight and totally love the small planes!

My motto on planes..... "The pilot don't wanna die either" I just trust um, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

Spotts,

You can still get that "dirt trail" thrill by flying back to Belize City Municipal. Dirt runway and ocean on both ends.

See photo # 2:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cayephotos/album?.dir=ad19&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

mikskibum,

The Tropic Air flight is amazing! The beauty of the Caribbean will have you spellbound. It's part of the adventure I look forward to. Enjoy and have your camera ready...

On our first trip, my buddy got to fly shotgun. The pilot told him he needed help during the flight and asked my buddy if he would help. The answer of course was a nervous "yes". The pilot then told him, " Okay, don't touch that, that, that, or that. Don't touch anything. Understood?"
It is a beautiful flight, the planes are workhorses and you have less to worry about than flying on a big jet.

Hey casa de amor,
congratulations on your solo.

Dan

If the little planes scare you maybe you could ask them to land your 747 on AC, now that would be entertaining.

cda,

aha! Now I know why you've asked for the satellite image with clear landmarks for AC...

from Jacksonville to San Pedro, eh!!

I want a ride

Personally, I liked the old Caye
Caulker airstrip

A larger airplane is no safer than a small one. The most important fact is maintance. From what I have seen both Maya and Tropic have very safe well maintained airplanes.

I would think the glide path of a Caravan would be superior to that of a 737. Just my opinion.

At only 2500 ft., there is not much room to glide. I was talking about accident rates for both types of airplanes not the different aerodynamic forces on them.

The best maintained airplane in the world is only as good as the pilot. i.e. John-John. For that reason I would rather be in one of these nice Cessna Caravans over water than over land.
http://home.houston.rr.com/thescubaguy/News/HoustonDiversSurviveCrash.html

Crashing into water or land going 100 mph does not make much difference. You will be dead either way!

I suppose that is as good a reason to stay home, hide under the bed, never go anywhere. Or, realize when your time is up, it is up. Whether you are on a hang glider or laying in bed doesn't matter. I have full faith in Tropic Air and also the Caravan.

I remember that crash. I believe a number of folks on there cut their vacation short, took a boat back to the mainland and went home. Wow. I would kick back with a Belikin, say "how about that crap" and wonder what the odds would be to ever be in 2 plane crashes (meaning my odds would be better jumping on any plane for the rest of my life).

I was there when that happened. The weather was horrid that day. We heard the plane go in, though we didn't realize it at the time.

Frankly, I've always thought, if I gotta go, what better time than on vacation (preferrably the end of it) rather than working.

In any event, it should be noted, that no one was seriously hurt. I believe had I been on that plane, though shaken and not stirred, I'd have enjoyed my vacation even more. Go home?? What's that about?

keep an eye on your luggage.. tropic lost my wife's bag last week.. we didn't get it back until 10 days later right before we were ready to leave.

Ah, and you tried to blame me! Glad she got the bag back, and everything intact...?

PT-How in the world could TA lose a bag from Belize International to SP? Just curious. Did it make it to Belize Int ok?

Island, trust me, it was lost. We three (me, phillytodd & his wife) checked in our luggage, with TA and once we arrived in SP, my bag was the only one that made it. Phillytodd's got there on the next flight and then I guess his wife's arrived several days later. I think this was an unusual thing to happen. Usually I believe they are very good about making sure the bags are on the correct flights.

It wasn't the "carry-on" she was haulin was it?

If there are two or mare people traveling together I suggest to them a way to make the trip over more interesting and have your luggage on the same plane with you. Take a taxi from the international airport into then municipal one. Be sure and have a reservation. The taxi ride is very entertaining and especially informative to first time visitors. My friends have always been able to catch the plane out of muni an hour after their scheduled arrival time. It costs BZ $45 for two people and their luggage. I think they charge another BZ $5 per extra person. At the muni you can watch your luggage get on the plane with you.
What happens is that so many people arrive at the international airport at the same time that luggage gets put on planes with no regard to what passengers are boarding. It is not unusual for half the luggage on the first plane to sit for an hour here in San Pedro waiting for the passengers. By the same token, a lot of the people on the first plane have to wait an hour for their luggage to arrive.
If you want a real laugh you may be lucky enough for the plane at muni to not be full. If that is the case you will fly up to the international and fill the plane with people who were on the same plane on which you came in to Belize City. The looks on their faces are priceless. AND - Bingo - your luggage will get off with you.
ONE CAVEAT! You may make a stop in Caye Caulker. DO NOT GET OFF THE PLANE! My friends who came down over Thanksgiving had no idea what to expect and did get off in Caye Caulker. Fortunately the Tropic Air people stopped them. It just added to the adventure. After all, that is what life is all about.

ha thats funny Scuba, got off on the wrong island,
i would rather ditch in the water than on land, it also wouldn't be at 100 MPH, they can slow those planes down very slow, like to 35 MPH, and slowly ease the plane into the water given the right pilot.

DOes the pilot who ditched the plane last year still fly for tropic?

If the airplane is on fire and the cockpit is full of smoke or if a wing breaks off or if the weather is bad and you lose all of your instraments, it is very difficult to slow the airplane down and slowly ease the plane into the water. I know several people that have died in small airplane crashes. After the accident they looked like hamburger.

How many people have you known that died in auto accidents. How did they look?

Nasty!!!

atomicindy: if the wings break off then i'd say you need a new pilot cuz they have no clue what there doing, but if the engine fails/runs out of gas then they can fly the plane and set it on the water although i have never tried and i would hope not to, i have only simulated emergency landings.

Yes, for the most it is very safe to fly in a small Tropic Airline plane. It is a great addition to your adventure. They fly fairly close to the sea (compared to a large jet), so you can see through the beautiful crystal clear caribbean blue water and see the reef, vegetation, boats and even rays sometimes! Small planes are not pressurized so you have air blowing and some windows even open, also it is a little noisy. It is a short flight and you can get some great photos through the windows (don't we all do that?) and an aerial view of San Pedro as you are landing sets most of our hearts soaring with happiness, joy, peace and excitement. After all, you are finally there and the real fun is just about to begin. Barefoot on the Beach of the beautiful blue Caribbean Sea. Flight out is another story -aerial photos but saddness, tears and a wish you didin't have to leave. Enjoy & Belize it!

Flight out is another story -aerial photos but saddness, tears and a wish you didin't have to leave. Enjoy & Belize it!


i have been there so many times i lost count, know what u mean

Margarita nailed it. The flights in and out of SP are not part of the journey, they are part of the experience. Jumping on a jet heading down to Belize is no different than jumping on a jet to
Cleveland or Omaha. Happiness becomes reality when you get on the little plane.

Bobber, good one!

"After the accident they looked like hamburger." Whoa! What a weird comment!

We flew into San Pedro the afternoon of October 20 last year, while the edge of Wilma was brushing Belize. Water taxis weren't running, so it was fly or not make it to the island that day. The flight over the water was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen! The wind was blowing strongly and pushing the water up over the reef, then blowing it out in big white lacy fans across that beautiful blue surface.

I was a bit white-knuckle at first (might have cracked a small bone or two in my husband's hand!)but got over it as the view took my mind off in other directions.

On our first trip, I had to literally drag my wife onto the plane. She used to be a very nervous flyer. In subsequent trips, she would try and finagle ways to get on earlier flights.

That was how it was for me on the first trip too. After that, save for one flight that made me exclaim bad words in my fear, I've loved every one. I particularly enjoy the take off and landing at the Muni, more than just about anywhere else I've been so far, in the world. (I hear Saba's pretty interesting in that regard.)

one more note on the lost luggage incident.

The people at tropic called every single hotel on the island looking for the bag, and searched every airport in belize and honduras that the bag could have possibly been sent to. After 3 days when it was obvious the bag was gone, dennis sunderman cut us a check to replace it and the contents ( they are only allowed to pay 9USD per pound by IATA convention).. so we got a check for about 450 bucks plus they refunded our flights ( another 210 bucks )... that still left us short about 1800 bucks ( who knew that a gstring cost 28 dollars? and capri pants 80? ).. he wrote a great letter to our insurance company and offered up any other help we needed.

when the bag showed up a week later, he called us and we picked up the bag.. I gave him back the check, but for good measure, he kept our flight comped..as he should have.

all in all, tropic handled a tough situation well, and I appreciated it.

plus, we have a 50% discount next time we fly!!!

Thanks everyone for the help and advice! This forum is a great resource. I can't wait to drink some Belikin and relax on the beach!