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For some time now, there has been an initiative to
significantly expand Parks and create new Parks throughout BC.
COPA, its BC Floatplane Flight (the BC Floatplane Association (BCFA)) and the BC
Aviation Council have made representations to various regional Parks managers to
ensure that floatplanes are not discriminated against as access regulations to
existing and new parks are developed.
Most of the issues are ones that we consider to be within Parks’ jurisdiction,
such as how to seek permission or notify Parks when private floatplanes visit a
particular lake or Park, and we have been making progress with these issues.
For example, in one region the BCFA has negotiated a method for notifying Parks
when floatplanes will land during the season and then provide a report at the
end of the season of those who did so. We expect to hear more details as the
management plan is formalized and we will report this in a future newspaper and
on our web site. However, an issue that has arisen in some draft management
plans now is wording to severely restrict over-flights, such as no flights
within 2 km of any slope and several thousand metres of clearance from mountain
peaks when transitioning from one valley to another. Fundamental flight safety
problems result from such proposals.
There are flight corridors that will be cut or pilots will be forced to fly in
dangerous turbulence or face IMC conditions when they attempt to avoid the areas
if these proposals were permitted to proceed.
COPA maintains that airspace restrictions are the exclusive jurisdiction of
Transport Canada and COPA’s president made this point at a meeting with BC Parks
Minister Joyce Murray on February 21, in Vancouver.
If these restrictions are introduced, it has the potential to expand to other
areas, making flying in Canada very difficult and in many cases unsafe.
Transport Canada’s concurrence with this position is also being sought. We
expect to have more to report on this issue after the Minister has had time to
consider the consequences and instructed her staff to remove over-flight
restrictions from the drafts.
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