Weather deviations through Mexico Airspace

[NCherches]

On a trip about a year ago I was at 41,000ft near El Paso and really wanted to go 20 degree's right (south) for weather. This would have taken me into Mexico so Center deny'd me and cleared to deviate north to stay in US airspace. I ended up deviating about 75-100 miles further simply to stay in US Airspace.

Anyone been lucky in deviating through Mexico Airspace lately or is this still a 3rd-world challenge?

 

[GravityHater]

No. I was told once that to do so would require considerable coordination.....ie possible - but if there are alternatives available (I suspect even if you have to divert so far north you have to make a fuel stop) you aren't likely to see it happen.

 

[Cat3C]

as DH described - just too many things to coordinate. Not as simple as us/canadian airspace as I am told

 

[NCherches]

...yeah, US/Canada is a non-event. Heck I talk to Minni Center while overflying Canada at times...

 

[svcta]

This used to be a problem for me in my cargo/charter days out of ELP. It's safe to say that you will not be allowed to deviate south of the border. I don't know about high altitude but I know that there is no RADAR coverage at the lower altitudes around the bulk of the border so it's not as simple as a center hand-off.

It's painted me in to a corner before, for sure. Northerly deviations one time meant that I had to go 120 degrees to the left to get around a line. Going backwards to go forward because a right turn was not an option.

 

[satpak77]

1. There is absolutely zero radar coverage until above 20000 AGL (not MSL) along the border, with the exception of possibly Tijuana.

2. Mexico is not really up to speed on "transiting thru the airspace" type activity

3. Just to track them down and coordinate from Houston Center to Monterrey Center, etc is gonna take 10 minutes.

 

[ultrarunner]

I ended up deviating about 75-100 miles further simply to stay in US Airspace....

It's days like that I'm glad I'm traveling at 500 mph! Takes what, an extra 15 minutes! No worries!

Ultra

 

[NCherches]

...15 minutes is a long time when flying from AZ to Florida and you have to take a pee!

 

[svcta]

1. There is absolutely zero radar coverage until above 20000 AGL (not MSL) along the border, with the exception of possibly Tijuana.

2. Mexico is not really up to speed on "transiting thru the airspace" type activity

3. Just to track them down and coordinate from Houston Center to Monterrey Center, etc is gonna take 10 minutes.

No doubt. It's taken me 10 or 15 minutes to get Mexican controllers on the radio in their airspace.

 

[Ty Webb]

Do what you need to do. Planning ahead goes without saying, but every now and then, you get dealt a crappy hand.

We had a 737 CA holding over a south FL airport, waiting for the destination to open, or the alternate, or any south Florida airport, for that matter. When nothing did, he diverted to Freeport (Bahamas). Nothing came of it.