Penticton, Grand Forks, and Lake Christina- August 18-20, 2006
It was time to drift on into that friendly Canadian airspace, again. My son, Mark, and I decided to go on a weekend visit to Canada to see our friends Richard and Donna Lowell who were vacationing on Lake Christina.
Since I last wrote about flying in Canada, I sold my Cessna 172 and bought a Helio Courier on amphibious floats. Lots of new places await.
I started with the usual plan: call Canadian customs first to “reserve” my arrival time. I intended to clear Canadian custom at Grand Forks (just North of the Eastern Washington Okanogan country). To my surprise, customs told me that unless I had one of those Canpass approvals, I would have to fly to a bigger airport. Penticton, Canada, was the next nearest, so I called them for my arrival time ok (only open only till 4:30pm). Then I called US flight services and set up my VFR flight plan.
I was used to opening my flight plans by Radio. To my surprise, Flight Services was happy to open my plan by phone right before I left, based on the understanding that the plan would open automatically at a predetermined time and that I would have to close the plan timely. They also gave me my transponder code to be used within 10 minutes of crossing the US Canadian border. I guess the special code distinguishes us regular pilots from the drug smugglers and terrorists. Why wouldn’t the druggies just ask for a special code too? Who knows.
Before I left, I reviewed the AOPA Cross-border Operations Checklist and the AOPA “COPA” guide to cross border operations(www.aopa.org, members section, search “COPA”). The AOPA checklist is rather extensive and included a number of requirements that didn’t seem to interest my particular Canadian customs people, although I’m not saying that others might not require them (such as: proof of current medical, and proof of Liability Insurance).
I arrived about an hour early in Canada. As I approached the border, I monitored the “Pacific Radio, 126.7” who seemed to be the equivalent of our ATC. The “Penticton Radio118.5” people closed my US flight plan for me when I landed (I got no such courtesy upon arriving back in the States). My early arrival didn’t seem to bother the Canadian Customs, and the officer did the usual cursory checking that we weren’t bringing any weapons or fruits and veggies with us.
It was interesting that the Penticton Radio was a manned tower, but unlike our class Delta airspace, this particular facility had no radar and issued only advisory information (such as “watch for the Helio on base”). I guess Penticton is in the equivalent of class E airspace, enhanced with a tower and helpful people.
I had read in the AOPA guide that there would be terminal fees or charges if any passengers entered the terminal. When I asked about this, the Canadians assured me that no fees would be charged.
I had also read that I would need to file a VFR flight plan while flying in Canada. The term filing apparently is satisfied by leaving the flight plan with a friend who can call ATC if you don’t show on time. While this may be required, the Penticton Radio people had no interest in whether I was filing such a plan and so I left on my merry way to drop into Lake Christina.
After the splashdown, the fun began! Lots of sun, bike riding, swimming, and even a round of 9 holes.
On the way back, I called Oroville/Scott US customs (509 476-2955) for my time reservation (at least 2 hours in advance). Then, I called the Canadian flight services folks to file my flight plan (866 992-7433). The only glitch was that Canadian flight services had me call their ATC people (888 987-2633) who issue the transponder code (after an hour’s delay and a call back).
When I landed at Oroville, I waited for 10 minutes at this small town airport. Customs showed up specially for us, asked a few questions and left. He suggested that we might want to obtain the US equivalent to the Canpass. I had to close my flight plan by calling US flight services.
The rest of the trip was quite nice and uneventful. Canada can be quite a fun place to fly and explore.
Ken Berger