1. Call CANPASS (CBSA: Canada Border Service Agency) 1-888-226-7277 two hours prior your arrival. After you have arrived, call them again to get arrival report number (example 20092690133) or await customs inspection. Be sure not to step out of the airplane, wait for the clearance (very important). 2. Make sure you register your fire arm when calling CANPASS at 1-888-7277 (same as above), write down the fire arm register number. The registration fee is $25 per entry. They will ask you what kind of fire arm, serial number and barrel length. Better have all those information on hand. 3. Canada Airport of entry 4. Canada Border information service Calls within Canada 1-800-461-9999 Calls outside of Canada 204-983-3500 and 506-636-5064 5. Most of the "radio controlled" airport has a console designated for pilot to file the flight plan (NAV Canada), the console has a CRT Display, a key board and a telephone hanging on the left (identical from airport to airport, but not all airport has console). 
Pick up the phone will dial the flight Service automaticly. The computer is a modem dial up, require password, so, don't bother to use it. Just pick up the phone, file your flight plan verbally. Console location: Abbotsford: at the first floor of control tower (they usually leave the gate open). Williams Lake: far end of the hall way, next to airport control room. Whitehorse: FSS at the base of control tower, they welcome pilot to walk-in to get briefing (talk in person). Watson Lake: No console, but a telephone and Computer (with internet connection) in a room next to airport control room. Dawson CreeK: A separate small room at the east end of the terminal building, you need to walk outside and go around the terminal building to get there. You can call flight Service from any phone booth: Toll free number 1-866-WX-Brief (no coin required). You can call CBSA (CANPASS) from any phone booth: Toll free number 1-888-226-7277 Your Canadian flight plan will be activated automatically according your departure time, but in the U.S., your flight Plan won't be activated unless you call again before your departure or just takeoff from an airport and call them on the radio. 6. For each gated and secured airport, before you go outside, write down the gate code before exit, the code is usually labeled next to the lock, at some airport (like Whitehorse), it's covered by a metal plate, be sure to read the sign posted by the gate. At Williams Lake airport, it's on the side door of the termainal, not the door where passenger come out to aboard the commercial flight. if you don't see the number, ask some one before you exit. 7. Contact Canadian flight service on 126.7MHz (cover most of the area), their Radar service is limited, It's a good idea to stay in contact with flight service when flying in Canada. To me it's a much better back up than 121.5Mhz emergency frequency, because FSS offers much better coverage than any other frequency. Flight Service on the ground 1-866-Wx-Brief (1-866-992-7433). Another direct line: 1-866-541-4101 Flight Service: Camloops (Camloops center) Flight Service: Edmonton (Edmonton center) Call FSS near Abbotsford area: 126.7Mhz, 122.5Mhz Call FSS near Cache creek and Lytton area (Fraser river): 123.375Mhz Call FSS near Hope area: 126.7Mhz Call FSS near Williams Lake area: 123.275Mhz Call FSS near MacKenzie area: 123.55Mhz Call FSS near Ft. St. John and Ft. Nelson area: 123.55Mhz Call FSS near Whitehorse area: 123.275, 126.7Mhz Look into Canada Flight Supplement (published by NAV CANADA), under "COMM", you will find FSS frequency under "RCO" and "PAL". Be sure you have "Canadian flight supplement" with you, it's like Airport facility directory in the U.S. very useful when travel in Canada (must have it). 8. I talked to a flight school at Chilliwack, they seem to be very serious about the arrival time which filed in the flight plan. But I found out it's not true when talking to FSS over the phone. Bob Breeden has his unique way to file his flight plan, you can pretty much tell them what time you want the flight plan to be closed, you can make one stop or several stops along the route (even overnight stay), FSS will "remark" in your flight plan, and they won't send search and rescue team out until 30 minutes pass your arrival time (decide by you). All the airpot I have been, will close the flight plan for you, they will tell you the "Zulu time" soon after you touch down. Some will open the flight plan for you after your departure, they will tell you the zulu time of your takeoff. Or, you can call FSS on the radio yourself. Even if you forgot to call them, the flight plan will be activated automaticly according to your planned departure time (not in the U.S.). When I was at Scoop Lake, I filed the flight plan with the destiney of Watson lake with remark "if the Wx is bad, I'll return to Scoop Lake, and the flight plan won't be closed until next day noon", when I landed on Highway 97 that night, I was ok with FSS, no rescure team was sent out to look for me. But next time, I'll be sure to give FSS a call to let them know my status, because I didn't go back to Scoop Lake (no cellphone coverage on the hwy either, but at least I should find a way to contact them). When I diverted from Ft. St. John to Hudson's Hope 2/3 of the way, I called FSS to amend my flight plan, they have a doubt that there may not have any facility at the airport, so they suggest me to extend my arrival time one hour later, give me one more hour to look for a telephone to call them. That night, I stood by the Hwy with the flash light in my hand waving at the passing by vehicle, one young man took me to the town 7 miles away to use the phone to call FSS. Closing out the flight plan is extremely important. 9. You will be getting a bill from Canada after you return home, some one told me it's around $150, but I got a bill for $17.89, five weeks after I have returned, I paid by the credit card. This is the charge for using Canadian Airspace and services. Is this what Obama (我爸媽) trying to bill us the poor pilots in the U.S.? |