1) Get familiar with a few airspace differences. Primarily VFR in US up to 17,500 but in Canada Class B is 12,500 and up and requires a clearance for VFR flight. I returned this past week from California in the Legacy through Cranbrook into Calgary and received a VFR clearance to climb to "14,000 maintain VFR" on a specific route so expect to deal with that difference if you are into 12,500 in Canada. You will require the IFR LOs to deal with any of those clearances and airways and intersections. I'm not familiar with the mountain pass routes so I can't help on those. It was severe VFR on my trip over the rocks otherwise I would not want to be stuck on a clearance near the rocks.
2) Since 1974 I have never been asked for a radio license or certificate. I believe your license now acts as a operator certificate anyways. You can file for it on the FCC site and keep the receipt for 90 days if you want to comply but it is a waste of time.
3) All the approach plates for Canada are now free on
fltplan.com and the Ipad app includes those. The Canadian enroute charts are not free yet anywhere as far as I know but you can buy them cheap at any Cdn airport (very expensive via Sporty's). If you have Flitestar I use that for VFR and IFR enroute charts in Canada or I buy the local charts at the store for the area I need ($10 ea I think). If you want a routing, tell me and I'll send you the PDF of the route pack from Flitestar.
4) Download the experimental form
here and stuff it somewhere in your airplane or store the PDF in iBooks on your iPad. Never asked for either but easy to comply with.
5) If you have multiple Canadian entries you might want to register for CANPASS for a few bucks but this is optional. Otherwise, you just call them according to the procedure on the website and go through the questions on the phone prior to crossing the border. The Canadian interview is mostly interested in plants, animal products, guns, money, alcohol and anything like that. You can call them a few days in advance to set it all up in the computer then update them on the arrival time as you depart the US.
6) eApis is now pretty easy. I can file on my Mac or iPad and it returns a receipt within a minute. But you have to register as mentioned.
7) Depending on where you go, you may require a survival kit of varying content. Further north requires more stuff. It is all on the web but bear spray and guns are not uncommon equipment further north.
8) I find the AOPA a bit behind on information about Canada so just ask if you need specifics on any of this stuff.
9) Your weather in the west in Oct/Nov will be wet and cold with freezing levels to the ground. I am taking the Legacy back to Florida in November so just be prepared to sit out crummy weather possibly for a few days.
10) You will get a small invoice for NavCan services for the "calendar quarter" at your registered address when you get home. Probably $40 or so. Each airport may assess a landing fee.
Let me know if you need anything else.
Paul Miller
Calgary
On 2011-10-22, at 2:14 PM, Danny Miller wrote:
My wife and I are considering a flight from Manassas, VA to Eagle River, AK
to Portland, OR and back to VA sometime in the next 6-8 weeks in our