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Flights Over Cuba — IFR Only
Cuba allows civil traffic through its airspace via three corridors, the western Giron Corridor, the central Maya Corridor and the eastern Nuevas Corridor. The Cuban government requires pilots to have overflight permits on file in order to use these corridors.
The Cuba overflight permits are good for an entire Zulu day. You can download and use the AOPA form for overflight approval.
Route (G448) takes you from Key West, direct to TADPO, the handoff point to Havana Center. From TADPO, you'll fly south on G448 to Varder VOR, through the Giron Corridor, thence to Cayo Largo Del Sur (a VOR) then to ATUVI, the handoff point to Grand Cayman approach.
This route passes just east of Havana, over Cuba's Matanzas Province. Points of interest include Varadero, a major airport and resort, the Bay of Pigs, just east of the route and Cayo Largo Del Sur, a popular resort for western tourists. Giron, by the way, is the Cuban name for the Bay of Pigs beach, over which the corridor used to pass.
Cuban IFR procedures are straightforward; the controllers are friendly and speak excellent English. The Cubans have a very sophisticated radar and data processing system. In some ways, it's more sophisticated than the U.S. system.
Radio communications are not quite as crisp as in the U.S., which is to say there may be times when you'll hear Havana but they won't hear you and vice versa. The Cubans are used to it and you shouldn't worry much about it.
There are a couple of twists here: Altitudes in Cuban airspace are all flight levels so 12,000 feet is flight level 120 and so on. (Set altimeter to 29.92) Second, we recommend using the phonetic alphabet to describe navigation fixes. This will minimize confusion due to the language barrier and scratchy radios.
There is a dead radar zone about 50 north of cayman so you'll need a relay if you are under 12000ft.
love being a pilot, it's way fun 
