Hey Ross,
What the H are the "6 P's" that I can't remember??

Nimpo...old age!! Canada customs is easy... 1-888-can pass always the same number! Dont let anyone scare you, people think its the end of the world up here...not so much (especially from April to OCtober), its busy, plenty of places to land,get fuel, eat, etc... Unfortunately, most tourist fly IFR (I Follow Roads) which makes the Alaska Highway crowded and you dont get to see the most beautiful spots on a nice day...that being said, Andy Williams always sais "there's no better insurance than a road below to land on".

Yes both the Alaska Flight sup and the Canadian Flight Supp are a must. BCT

Backcountry Tundra wrote:Nimpo...old age!!

Yep, I'm sufferin' from that. My Doc said I have CRS.
So what about these 6 P's? You fergit too?

Somebody mentioned that you have to file a flight plan to fly cross country in Canada. Not always the case. In fact you can cover most of the country below 12500 without a flight plan. Flight plans are only required for x-border flights, IFR Flights in Controlled airpspace, some flights into Class "D" airspace and flights into and out of the Air Defence Identification Zone (way up north). Most of the Airpspace below 12,500 is uncountrolled...especially further north, so there's lots of "freedom from flight plans". I would suggest filing a Flight Itinerary though. It's like a flight plan but it does not require specific routing and fuel information. It lets you explore the country at your leisure but it still has a SAR time. They can cover one flight or several days...very handy.

I'm a legit source on this...I'm a TC Inspector.

northernguy wrote:Somebody mentioned that you have to file a flight plan to fly cross country in Canada. Not always the case. In fact you can cover most of the country below 12500 without a flight plan. Flight plans are only required for x-border flights, IFR Flights in Controlled airpspace, some flights into Class "D" airspace and flights into and out of the Air Defence Identification Zone (way up north). Most of the Airpspace below 12,500 is uncountrolled...especially further north, so there's lots of "freedom from flight plans". I would suggest filing a Flight Itinerary though. It's like a flight plan but it does not require specific routing and fuel information. It lets you explore the country at your leisure but it still has a SAR time. They can cover one flight or several days...very handy.

I'm a legit source on this...I'm a TC Inspector.

This is good information. Nevertheless, I have always filed flight plans when flying in Canada. I found flight controllers in Canada to be helpful and friendly (and often humorous). It is a pleasure to fly in Canada -- except for the user fees.

Nizina wrote:It is a pleasure to fly in Canada -- except for the user fees.

Depends on the aircraft. With my 170 I got charged user fees, but they weren't that bad unless you object on general principle. With my Taylorcraft, it had a gross weight below the threshold for user fees. I pointed that out and they waived all my fees. Probably true of anything in the LSA category.

And I have to agree with Nizina and others- it's always been a pleasure flying in Canada.

-DP

northernguy wrote:Somebody mentioned that you have to file a flight plan to fly cross country in Canada. Not always the case. In fact you can cover most of the country below 12500 without a flight plan. Flight plans are only required for x-border flights, IFR Flights in Controlled airpspace, some flights into Class "D" airspace and flights into and out of the Air Defence Identification Zone (way up north). Most of the Airpspace below 12,500 is uncountrolled...especially further north, so there's lots of "freedom from flight plans". I would suggest filing a Flight Itinerary though. It's like a flight plan but it does not require specific routing and fuel information. It lets you explore the country at your leisure but it still has a SAR time. They can cover one flight or several days...very handy.

I'm a legit source on this...I'm a TC Inspector.

Exactly... When I fly into the Dean River strip I'll file a flight note for a guestimate on how long I'll be there, and then add a day or two to allow for bad weather. The wording on the regs used to say flight plan, flight note, OR, notify a "responsible person" of your flight route and expected times. It wasn't restrictive at all.

Gump

NimpoCub wrote:Hey Ross,
What the H are the "6 P's" that I can't remember??

Hey Nimpo -sorry for the delayed response...

The 6 P's are:

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Has there ever been any determination for those US pilots operating on a LS Certificate as opposed to a private pilot certificate?

The last I heard was that Canada did not recognize this certificate.

http://www.copanational.org/CAWMay10-1En.cfm

The plane doesn't appear to be a problem; the light sport pilot seems to be a problem because a medical certificate is required.

A good Salve for the calloused skin on your ass and a fat wallet for fuel expense... The rest is easy. Except for patience.
Plan extra days and time to smell the roses. Get in a hurry, and you'll regret it.

Enjoy the flight.

Kommi

I have a little different opinion on this but I wouldn't bet much on me being totally correct. After read the COPA Newspaper for 7 years, I noted that MANY pilots were in trouble for failing to close flight plans even though they had landed at their destination airports and such. While failure to close a flight plan is problem it seemed to me that TC was a bit heavy handed in their punishment.

Since virtually all of my flying was to remote lakes, I never filed a flight plan but relied on a "flight itenarary", as Gump pointed out. I would tell a neighbor and fellow pilot where, when , and how I was traveling. I always had a sat phone with me and would call him when I arrived. I would also call him when I was to fly again with the same info. So you could say I filed a flight plan and closed it, but with a friend that I trusted my life with.

I don't think there is any argument that it is best to let somebody know what you are up to and hope they act to save your ass if needed. I just preferred to do it without the Big Brother aspect of a formal flight plan. I also carried a PRB as a further hedge against the unexpected. Do what you are comfortable with. FF

FloatFlyer wrote:I have a little different opinion on this but I wouldn't bet much on me being totally correct.

HA!! Glad I wasn't the one to point that out!

FloatFlyer I like how you think!