I received some feedback that including some flying details is helpful. To some. So I apologize if these detailed flying posts are a little dry.
Here are a few observations on US vs Canada flying – maybe enough to get you from the US into Canada and back into the US:
Every flight in Canada requires a flight plan.
In 2025 Foreflight will now create and file a Canadian flight plan (and insert a few extra fields at the bottom of the form) but will not close it.
Towered airports and airports with flight service (I still ask if they don’t tell me specifically) will close your flight plan for you. Otherwise call NAV Canada.
No need to open a flight plan, it’s automatically opened for you at the time on your filed flight plan. Super handy. I wonder why it took so long for someone in NAV Canada to tell me that as I repeatedly opened flight plans.
There is no night VFR, it’s IFR
Like the US, you can expect a very casual environment if there are no commercial flights into that airport, and much more security if there is.
There are very handy VFR routes on the charts, depicted by a track of diamonds usually following a river or canyon. I love these.
There are “Control Zones” (“The Zone” if you want to sound like you know what you are doing) at many medium size airports like Prince Charles or Willams Lake. The zone extends all the way up to Class A, which in Canada is 14K. So you can’t fly above the zone and to fly through you must talk to them. They are very friendly though.
They have flight service people at many airports, even small ones. Even tiny ones. These folks give you wind and traffic advisories but they don’t have authority to give commands. I slept in the Williams Lake terminal because of weather and got out very early the next morning. I made my departure announcement before taking the runway and I was startled by a voice that said: “Wind calm, no traffic observed”. I said, “Oh hey, I didn’t know anyone was in there” as I looked at the window where I knew he was seated. “I’m here all night” he said. I didn’t say anything further but what the heck, there were zero planes that landed the night before after it cleared up and I can’t imagine more than a handful of planes on any night. I’m guessing I woke him up when I started my engine.
The gravel runways in BC and the Yukon (and most in Alaska) are in great condition, with some not much different than pavement. Unless you have teeny-tiny tires it should be fine. Well, let me back up a little. I did have trouble when I had my T210 because it would suck up tiny rocks into the prop when at slow ground speed and high power. I would try to slowly increase power but with a 1,700 foot strip I didn’t feel like I had much choice. I guess it isn’t as bad as hearing your prop hit the runway, but still it’s a dreadful sound to hear the tick-tick-tick of rocks hitting your prop.
West Coast Flying Adventures 