Canadian border closed, ok to overfly?

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rookie1255

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rookie1255
Normally to fly into Canadian airspace I file a flight plan, talk to atc and am given a squawk code. With COVID the border's been closed to non essential traffic. Do you think this closure would apply to flying into Canada from the U.S., doing some sightseeing, and landing back in the states?
 
only land border is closed
 
rene86mx said:
only land border is closed
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The border is closed only to "non-essential" transit, and the border agents are the first, last and final arbiter of what that means. I see the governments announced this morning the "non-essential" border transit closure would be extended another 30 day to at least July 21.

The rules apply whether you are entering by land or air. Although I am hearing reports it's easier at the commercial airports compared to some of the land border crossings.

If, as the OP implies, there is no planned landing, doubtful Canadian ATC will have an issue. But Homeland Security is probably still going to require an eAPIS and a transponder code assignment I suspect.
 
I don't see how a land border is different than air space border. They don't want people coming in. Even if you're not landing, how are they going to know that when you cross the border? Seems kind of dicey just for sight seeing. Just fly as high as you can on the US side and peek over the border........
 
if you must contact Canada, you'll have a problem. Bellingham to Kech no problem, When you must land other wise the Canadians will have a fit.
 
What are they gonna shoot your as down ? Canadians ??
 
WDD said:
I don't see how a land border is different than air space border. They don't want people coming in. Even if you're not landing, how are they going to know that when you cross the border?
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They are completely different.
Arriving by road, or landing at an airport within Canada, is "entering the country" or "arriving in Canada" in the "customs and border patrol" sense of those words; you'll have to show a passport and clear customs and do it again in reverse with US CPB when you return to the states. By contrast, you can overfly the airspace without doing either one, as many on this board have done; you'll have to talk to a Canadian air traffic controller etc. (you can do a little searching to find threads about people asking about how to do it and what the flight requirements are), but an overflight is a very different animal. An Alaska Airlines flight nonstop from the Lower48 to Anchorage (not landing in Canada) is a domestic flight.

What Canada doesn't want is people coming in and spreading COVID-19, and there's no risk of that from 3000 feet. All the Canada COVID-related policy that I've read uses language like "entering" or "arriving", which to my ears means driving across the border or landing at an airport. Or regular port. The customs agent is the one who decides if your travel is "essential" or not. If you really want to verify for sure, you can call Canada Border Services for clarification; it is all very confusing.

Edit: I'm obviously not the ultimate authority on this... if I'm wrong about the COVID rules for overflights, please tell me.
 
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Quoting Agent Strait McCool:

This kind of behaviour is not Canadian.
We are a polite people, who keep our true feelings bottled-up.

if we must express ourselves
we do it with silent resentment
flowering looks, and suppressed rage,
all the while maintaining a delicate balance of denial and shame.

That's the Canadian Way!
 
Rgbeard said:
Quoting Agent Strait McCool:

This kind of behaviour is not Canadian.
We are a polite people, who keep our true feelings bottled-up.

if we must express ourselves
we do it with silent resentment
flowering looks, and suppressed rage,
all the while maintaining a delicate balance of denial and shame.

That's the Canadian Way!
Click to expand...

And if all that fails, a Canada Goose or two can be placed in your way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
"But Homeland Security is probably still going to require an eAPIS and a transponder code assignment I suspect."

Not for overflight. Unless I've been doing it illegally.
 
eb87f said:
"But Homeland Security is probably still going to require an eAPIS and a transponder code assignment I suspect."

Not for overflight. Unless I've been doing it illegally.
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Not sure. I live near the border in an area of the west where there's no ATC coverage at the typical altitudes GA flies (you have to be damn high to get Salt Lake Center), so it might be more of an issue for us to get the transponder code in advance, rather than "real time" from ATC as you might be able to. So I never cross either direction without an eAPIS and a flight plan.
 
rookie1255 said:
Normally to fly into Canadian airspace I file a flight plan, talk to atc and am given a squawk code. With COVID the border's been closed to non essential traffic. Do you think this closure would apply to flying into Canada from the U.S., doing some sightseeing, and landing back in the states?
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Your title says overfly, which is different than landing. US domestic flights routinely overfly Canadian airspace. This should not be an issue.
 
sarangan said:
Your title says overfly, which is different than landing. US domestic flights routinely overfly Canadian airspace. This should not be an issue.
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And vice-versa. But usually one is on a route from one domestic destination to another that necessitates the overflight. Not wandering around in foreign airspace sightseeing, as the OP implies he wants to do.

But if ATC hands him off from one side of the border to the other, why not.
 
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