A COPA member and private pilot recently called
and said that he had been violated because he had flown from the USA to Canada
without filing a flight plan.
He was amazed to hear that pilots need to file a flight plan to cross the border
– he had informed customs and thought that was all that was required.
He suggested that it might be time to remind COPA members when flight plans are
required.
The requirement to file a flight plan to cross the international border is not
new; in fact it has been around for the last 60 years. All pilots are supposed
to learn these rules as part of their ground school for all licences.
The rules requiring flight plans are pretty easy to understand and are found in
CAR 602.73 .
That CAR says that you absolutely must have a flight plan (and nothing else will
do) when:
You are flying between Canada and a foreign country.
You are flying IFR in controlled airspace.
You need a flight plan or flight itinerary (filed with a “responsible person”)
anytime you are flying outside 25 nm from your point of departure.
TC civil aviation penalties for flying between the USA and Canada without a
flight plan can be quite high, even for a first offence.
The other danger is that you may be perceived as being involved in illegal
activities, such as drug smuggling or terrorism if you don’t file a flight plan.
That suspicion may leave you open to fighter interception or criminal
investigation.
Make sure you file a flight plan when flying to and from other countries,
including the USA!