This page does not replace your adviser or the authority. It is what a broker verifies and why, so you know what we will ask for before we ask.
Who governs
Costa Rica's Dirección General de Aviación Civil. Your certificate, its scope and its limitations are set by them, not by us. We work with certificated operators and aircraft available in Central America; outside the region we coordinate on request.
Where the information that matters is published
In the AIP, the aeronautical information publication. It is the document that states what each runway measures, what surface it has and which authority it sits under.
It is worth reading directly rather than trusting secondary databases. We learned that the hard way: for months this catalogue asserted a runway dimension that a secondary source had carried forward from before an expansion. The AIP contradicted it.
If your aircraft sheet rests on what an aviation website says rather than on the current AIP, check it.
The AIP is published in cycles, so "I checked it" is not enough: you need to know which amendment you checked. A publication three years old is just another secondary source, official stamp and all.
What we verify, and why each item
The certificate in force and its scope. Domestic and international are not the same, and a certificate that does not cover the specific leg does not serve for that leg.
The policy and its limits. And that it covers the destination country if the route goes abroad.
And the sheet for each aircraft. Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.
None of the three is an opinion about your operation: they are facts that are either current or not. That is why verification is quick when the documentation is in order, and only drags when it is not.
Drake Bay is 83.5 nautical miles from San José and Tortuguero 53.4. Knowing which aircraft fits each is what stops us sending you requests you would have to decline.
What we do not do
We do not audit. We do not review manuals, maintenance programmes or procedures. The DGAC exists for that.
Nor do we interpret the rules for you. If you have a regulatory question, your adviser and the authority are the two doors, in that order.
An intermediary who tells you "that is not needed" about an obligation of yours is saving you work today and leaving you alone tomorrow. That is not a service: it is risk transferred without notice.
The two mistakes we see
Assuming a scope that has lapsed is still current. An expired approval does not announce itself, and the day it surfaces there is usually a confirmed flight behind it.
And relying on out-of-date field data. Runways change: they get extended, resurfaced, moved between authorities. A sheet built three years ago may be ruling you out of fields you now fit — or worse, ruling you into fields you no longer do.
The first mistake costs you requests. The second costs you something worse, and it is discovered in the air.
Frequently asked questions
What if an intermediary says something "is not needed"?
Check it with your adviser. That advice saves you work today and leaves you alone tomorrow.
Does this page replace my adviser?
No. It is what a broker verifies and why, not regulatory advice.
Where do I check a runway's real dimensions?
In the DGAC's AIP. Secondary databases carry old values forward.
Are domestic and international the same?
No. A certificate that does not cover the specific leg does not serve for that leg.
Do you audit my operation?
No. The DGAC exists for that. We verify that the documentation exists and is current.
What if my approval lapses?
Requests stop reaching you. An expired approval does not announce itself.
Is having checked the AIP once enough?
No. It is published in cycles: you need to know which amendment. One three years old is just another secondary source.
Why review the aircraft sheet?
Because runways change. A three-year-old sheet may be ruling you out of fields you now fit.
Let us talk
Operators we bring on evidence current certification, insurance and fleet documentation before receiving a first assignment.