I, like most of the hard-working Canadians, drive daily morning to work and evening back home. My route to work takes me eastbound on 9th or 12th AV and on route back home I usually go off Northwestern end of Crowchild trail to northbound Stony Trail. Over the last few years, while driving to work I always enjoyed watching the morning airplanes on final approach landing YYC. It fascinates me looking to those big, marvelous machines passing high in the horizon over Calgary Tower and disappearing behind the downtown skyscrapers on their way landing 35L. On the way back home, I enjoyed watching the airliners over the northwest tip of the city approaching the airport. I always imagine what the pilot is doing at that moment, how busy he is, what he is broadcasting and what other pilots in the sky doing in listening to this fellow landing his airplane.

Beginning of last year, I start to see two airplanes on final approaches to YYC! Yes, two airplanes. This was obviously due to commencing the operations of the runway 35R. The pictorial image of two airplanes passing over Calgary tower becomes more fascinating, and Calgary airport is becoming busier.

Last month with the help of Stu Simpson, I flew the Merlin that I recently bought in the State to Canada. So, I have now Two Airplanes. The experience was very rich, it was my first time to be acting as a test pilot to fly and airplane after it was sitting idle for about two years, it was the first real mountain flying in an ultralight, it was the first border crossing, and I am planning to not make it the last. I have to admit that crossing the border with your own airplane is much simpler than what anyone expect. It requires the pilot a prior registration into eAPIS system (eAPIS stands for Electronic Advanced Passenger Information System) that is administered by the Department of Homeland Security of US. Registering in eAPIS takes maximum 10 minutes and requires entering normal data of name, address, passport number and pilot license / permit number. Once the registration is completed then the pilot can file for departure notice in case of leaving the state or arrival notice in the case of flying into the state. So, I did filed a departure notice, which is a process of filling information of the departing airport, destination airport, departure time, passenger names (if any) and passport numbers. Within one minute of filing a departure notice the pilot receives e-mail with clearance to depart.

Pilot arriving to Canada flying a general aviation airplane should file an arrival notice with Canada Boarder Security Agency. The arrival notice is filed via phone, and it called CANPASS notice. The CBSA person will ask few questions about the call sign, departing airport, destination airport, questions related to money, tobacco, alcohol onboard etc., and will ask you to stay in the airplane upon arrival to the destination airport and call CANPASS again. Final the pilot should file a flight plan with FAA and off he goes.

Upon arrival to the destination airport (there are few designated port of entries that the pilot should use), and before leaving the airplane, the pilot should call CANPASS and they either clear him to proceed (and provide him with his authorization number) or send someone to physically check the document and the airplane.

It is worth to note that filing a flight plan in the state doesn’t mean automatically activating the flight plan. The pilot should call or radio in and activate the flight plan, when you see me, ask me how I know that.

Finally, I would like to remind you about the upcoming club president election in the month of December. Being the president of the club is fun and rewarding and would like you folks to consider volunteering your time and talent for the best serving our beloved club.

Bashar reports that his trip to bring home his new plane was easy as could be. He left Sandpoint at 8 am and arrived in Cranbrook 1 hour and 45 minutes later. The flight from Cranbrook to Indus took 2 hours and 45 minutes and was uneventful. Stu Simpson was along as ground crew and support.