The dream

Spring...the time of year when many of us hear the siren’s call of Alaska, BC, The Yukon and maybe even the whisper of the Arctic. The temptation to jump into our bush birds and point the nose north toward the 60th parallel is strong. What if this is the year? This is the year you’re going to do it...you’re going to take your southern acclimatized bush bird and take her North.

The trip starts at the 49th parallel

No matter how you try to get to the North from the Lower 48, you will have to come through Canada. The "northern" part of your trip will really start at the first "Point of Entry" airport in Canada. A flight plan is required to cross the border. Canada can share info with the FAA so be sure to file the cross border flight plan or you might return home to a rather nasty letter waiting for you...one of those letters that costs you more than the price of the return postage.Clearing customs in Canada is not difficult for private flyers...especially if they filed the flight plan and followed the related Customs notification process. The Customs folks will ask the usual questions about where you’re from, where you’re going, do you have any fruit and vegetables, and are you bringing any firearms into Canada. You say to yourself...“Huh? Of course I’m bringing firearms into Canada! I’m going to the Yukon and they got bears up there...big ones!!!” Don’t worry; you can bring guns into Canada...for the most part. You are prohibited from bringing handguns and some semiautomatic guns into Canada, but regular hunting firearms are not a problem. You simply do the paperwork at the border when you clear customs; the Customs folks confirm the information by inspecting your firearms; and you’re done. If you are not bringing firearms into the country, a phone call to Customs may be all that’s required to be on your way!

The brilliant blue waters of Seton Lake, B.C., flowing into the chocolate milk of the Fraser river.

Canada Customs has good information on their website about how to clear customs. I also find that phone calls to them with questions are handled politely (it is Canada after all) and usually the calls result in getting some really helpful tips, especially if you let them know that you have never done this before.

I would also suggest looking at the US Customs and Border Protection website for your return. I have heard pilots mention that it’s harder to get back into their home country of the US than it was to get into Canada in the first place! The US Customs folks have programs for aviators that will make returning home to the US a whole lot easier.

Jumping off at the 49th parallel

For the most part, flying in Canada is much like flying in the US. All the same rules apply but airspace congestion is only an issue around major airports...places most bush drivers aren’t interested in anyway...even then, it’s not nearly as congested as many places in the US!

Photo: Jim Crocker @Flickr

It’s important to understand that pilots in Canada don’t have anywhere near the ATC services available to them like those in the US. Flight Following services are not available in vast areas of the country (for the most part, low level radar service is not available above the 53rd Parallel!). Even Unicoms are rare. Many small airports use a “Mandatory Frequency” (MF). These may be used in conjunction with an FSS or, more often, they’re a stand-alone frequency for the use of air traffic alone. Either way...if an MF is published, pilots are required to follow the same communication and flight procedures as those for uncontrolled airports that don’t have an MF.

Most airspace below 12500 feet in Canada is uncontrolled with the exception of fairly large areas around major airports in the south and some military operating areas in Northern Alberta and Labrador. Even airspace near many larger airports is uncontrolled below about 3000 feet until much closer to the airport. Canadian Airspace design always considers the private pilot without a transponder and efforts are made to design airspace that will accommodate these pilots.

Be aware that VFR GPS’s often provide inaccurate airspace data in Canada...even if you have the latest updates. Good charts are a must.

One major difference between Canada and the US is the fact that Canada’s Air Navigation Services and Air Traffic Control is run by a private company called Nav Canada. You might receive a bill from Nav Canada for services when you return home. A visit to their website explains the fee structure. It’s actually good value for the dollar. You will also find links on their website that will let you purchase all the aeronautical publications and charts needed for flying in Canada.

Nav Canada provides free online weather services that include live cams at some of the narrow mountain passes on the preferred VFR routes (the cameras are a great addition to the service!). They also have kiosks that give you access to the Nav Canada Aviation Website at most smaller regional airports. Of course Nav Canada provides a toll-free number (1-866-WXBRIEF) for weather briefing and flight planning across the country. The FSS Specialists are very friendly and helpful. They are a fantastic resource!

The big hangar at Watson Lake is a wooden goliath that houses about 15 aircraft stored during the winter and spring months.

You’re not necessarily required to file VFR flight plans when flying in Canada unless you go way up north into the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) or cross over into Alaska. Despite this, flight plans are encouraged. One of Nav Canada’s services that will be very useful to visiting bush pilots is the “Flight Itinerary”. Basically it’s a loose flight plan. It can be a multi-day plan and doesn’t require specific routing information. Search and Rescue Alerting Services are available with a Flight Itinerary just like they are with a flight plan. This service is great for pilots who want to head out for several days of exploring, camping and flying in large, sparsely settled areas at their leisure.

A copy of the Canada Flight Supplement (or Water Supplement for float drivers) is a must. These books will provide you with all the information you need about various Canadian Airports and the services available at them. They provide the procedures, services, radio frequencies (pay attention to the “MF”), and so on for each airport. It’s an invaluable resource. One of the most overlooked sections in the Supplements is the “list of abandoned aerodromes”. Many of these sites are still serviceable for bush planes and they can provide remote landing and camping locations. They are often on Government (Crown) Land and generally, there are no legal restrictions to landing on them. I recommend getting a copy of the Supplement and checking out abandoned strips on Google Earth prior to heading north. Do some local research before committing to going to one of these strips.

Photo: Patrick Romano @learntolandshort.com

Charts are a must. As mentioned, even an up-to-date VFR GPS may not display current Canadian data. Besides, most GPS units don’t provide you with local names of lakes, mountains, river tributaries etc...and that’s what your coming north to see! With the vast distances involved in the North it is handy to have WAC charts in addition to the usual VFR and terminal charts... I often carry land topographic maps and marine navigation charts (for coastal flights). I find the detail better, the topographical information handy, and the scale a bit easier to use when flying little bush planes. Some provincial aviation groups such as the BC Aviation Council produce maps that list many of the airports in their province. These maps act like a secondary Flight Supplement. The maps show many airstrips that may not be listed in the Canada Flight Supplement and they provide some good local information.

If you plan to fish or hunt in Canada you require a license issued by the province or territory. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because you’re fishing a remote lake, that the game warden won’t see you. This is a common mistake. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police assist with the enforcement of game regulations...and they have lots of airplanes and helicopters out and about. Canada takes its game regulations seriously. Most jurisdictions now sell fishing licenses online so you can purchase and print them before you even cross the border! This means that you can clear customs and make your next stop a remote lake to do some fishing! Canada has many high quality guide outfitters that cater specifically to clients with their own planes. Guide outfitters that belong to one of several professional associations almost assuredly provide a top quality fishing or hunting experience. Fishing and hunting in Canada is a huge part of the experience for visiting pilots...and there are few places on earth where the fishing and hunting is better and not heavily restricted. Plan to take advantage of it when you’re up north!

Atlin Mountain, B.C. Photo: Dan Richardson @Flickr.com

Special challenges of the North

Remoteness. This is the biggest challenge. The distance between airports is huge when compared to those in the Lower 48. There are all kinds of challenges associated with remoteness. You will quickly see that what looks like a little hop on the chart can in fact be an afternoon of flying!

Cell coverage. For the most part, forget it...especially in the mountains. This doesn’t mean you should not bring your cell phone. You might be surprised where it will work...just don’t expect it to work like it does in the lower 48. Don’t expect to get internet access on your “mobile device” so keep this in mind if you are in the habit of getting weather briefings from one of those devices.

Fuel. Fuel is especially expensive in the north and it’s not always available as advertised. Once you are north of the 52nd parallel (or there about), never pass a fuel stop...even if you have only been in the air for 30 minutes. Planes that can use mogas have a bit of an advantage but you must be aware that most mogas in Canada contains ethanol. Packing some extra fuel cans is not a bad idea. It’s helped me on several occasions. One time the fuel guy was “missing” (read “on a bender”) so I took my two gas can into town to get mogas from the local gas station. Be sure to bring all the things needed to fuel your plane yourself (funnel, step, chamois, etc.) Anticipate having to fuel from drums at some locations. A cheap siphon pump might be something you want to take. I have routinely had to siphon fuel from a drum into a 5 gallon can before climbing up on the plane to pour the fuel into the wing tanks...this is not an uncommon practice at many of the more remote sites.

Maintenance. Aircraft maintenance is very hard to come by in many places in Canada and especially so in the North. FBOs normally only provide fuel and a few pilot amenities like a phone and washroom. If you have a maintenance problem you may luck out and a local air carrier may be able to help...at their discretion and convenience. Bring a basic tool kit and some spare hardware, lock wire, sparkplugs, etc. It’s crucial to do a thorough check of your plane and clear any snags before heading north. This is time and money well spent. Getting parts to some places of the north can take a very long time and it can be a complicated mess! I live in a large Canadian city and I can wait up to three weeks for parts coming from the US! Imagine hunkering down in your tent for three weeks in the North waiting for parts! The cost of dealing with a snag in the north can be as much as 100x that of the cost of dealing with it “down south” so do everything you can to ensure that your bird is in top condition.

Sloko Island. Photo: Manu KeggenhoffWeather and Terrain. I listed these together because in many parts of the North, especially in the mountainous areas, they’re like an old married couple. They bicker at each other all the time and can’t agree on anything. They could live apart quite well; and many people wish they would; but they stay together out of spite! Obviously good weather briefings help but there are other resources available to you as well. If you are going up the coast you can call out to some of the few remaining manned light houses and they’ll give you some idea of what they see. Highway cameras operated by various provincial and territorial government highway departments are an excellent on-line resource for getting an idea of what the weather is doing...especially in mountain passes...I sometimes get a better weather briefing from a Highways Department Camera than I do from Nav Canada! Speaking with local pilots about weather patterns is good but don’t try to follow them into bad weather...local knowledge is everything! I can fly home in weather that I would not even consider departing in if I was in a different area! Even the local RCMP Detachment Officers are often willing to peek out the window and let you know what they see...especially if they have worked at a fly-in only community at some point their career. Terrain affects the weather throughout the North...particularly in western BC and in the Rocky Mountain Trench. Mountain flying skills are required. Canadian VFR charts show “preferred VFR routes” through mountain ranges. It’s recommended that you use these routes unless you have extensive mountain flying experience. As mentioned, Nav Canada has weather cams on some of these routes. It would take an encyclopedia set to explain all the details of mountain flying in the north, so I’ll leave it out. I’m just happy you’ve read this article this far!

Accommodations. Camping! There are all kinds of great places to camp in the North! Some airports have designated camping spots. Many airports that don’t have designated camping spots, allow airplane camping under the wing. Be aware of any fire bans that may be in place if you are camping in remote locations. Most of the land in the North is Crown land and the public is allowed to camp on it with few, if any restrictions. Many of the “abandoned aerodromes” mentioned above are on crown land, so landing and camping is unrestricted. Float planes are only restricted from lakes in national and provincial parks. Some provincial parks issue permits for float planes to use lakes in the park. There are many, many more lakes on Crown land that don’t have restrictions, than there are lakes in the parks. Many flying clubs in Canada have worked hard to clean up remote camp sites in an effort to prevent restrictions on their activities. They conduct fly in clean ups or take out as much garbage left behind by others as they can pack in their planes. Please continue this great tradition. If you fly it in, please, please fly it out. Please leave no trace.

Hotel or motel accommodations are available in most communities. They are generally not fancy but are adequate. Book well in advance because the resource industry is booming in the North and getting a room can be tough. Rates are high and getting meals can be a bit tough in some places. I travel in the Arctic as part of my job and I keep a couple of freeze dried meals in my pack because restaurants are either closed up permanently or have odd hours. I have rolled in too late (like 7pm!) or left to early in the morning (like 8am!) for meal service. Some restaurants only open for meal sittings three times a day, and if you miss the sitting time, you’re out of luck. I have developed a list of favorite freeze dried meals because of this practice!

Fly-in lodges are a great option for a place to stay. Many let you spend as much or as little time there as you like. If they have avgas, don’t expect them to sell it to you...it’s just too hard to get it into the lodge and they need every drop. Some provide laundry services with your stay and of course fishing is always a popular activity. It’s nice to stop in at a lodge for a day or two to clean up, do laundry, and check e-mails after a week of flying around in the bush. Many lodges or outfitters also rent remote cabins to clients. These generally don’t offer the amenities of a full service lodge but they often provide nice accommodations with boats and motors for a reasonable rate.

Kluane National Park, Canada. Photo: Dan Richardson @Flickr.com

What to bring

This could be an article by itself. It depends on what type of plane you have, how many people are coming with you, when you’re going, where you’re going, what you plan on doing while there and even if want to bring the dog! A basic outline of the gear you need includes appropriate clothing and footwear, camping gear, tools and spares, charts and documents, passport, some cash (debit and credit machines can be unreliable in the north), fishing gear, and of course a camera. There is the opportunity to pick up any forgotten items in the South once across the border but it’s a different story up North. The selection of equipment is poor in the North and while mail order is possible for items you really need, the mail can take a long time to get to you.

The North can be tough on gear. Buy the best you can afford. Repair kits for camp gear and clothing is a must. Be sure to bring extras of any prescriptions you have. If it’s eye glasses or pills, be sure to have extras! Toilet paper...not that there isn’t any in the North...it’s just that it’s the one thing most of us always forget!

No excuses!

Start planning your Northern trip now! There’s no reason not to go. Planning is half the fun and the internet is your best tool! Aviation web sites and forums provide all kinds of great information. Tourist sites set up by governments provide even more information. There is no limit to the exploration of the North...and that’s a big part of its attraction! Aviation is a small and welcoming community in the North. So come North for a trip you won’t forget. Just be warned...you’ll want to do it again next year, and the year after that, and the one after that and...