Xing Intl Border & Flight Plans

[bstratt]

Okay, I know you need a flight plan, either VFR or IFR to cross a border but a question occured to me - is there any requirement to file that with the country of your departure? Say I am departing an airport in Canada within 10 miles of the border to return to the US, can I file with the US and open with US Center right after take off? I never do it but was just wondering if it was: a) legal and b) would it work?

 

[bbchien]

Okay, I know you need a flight plan, either VFR or IFR to cross a border but a question occured to me - is there any requirement to file that with the country of your departure? Say I am departing an airport in Canada within 10 miles of the border to return to the US, can I file with the US and open with US Center right after take off? I never do it but was just wondering if it was: a) legal and b) would it work?

It works really nicely. Bruce

 

[bstratt]

Thanks Bruce. I've been trying to figure out my flight to the French islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon this summer. I have authorization to electronically file flight plans with Nav Canada but was trying to figure out if I needed to file a flight plan with the French equivalent so, as these islands are only 10 miles off the south coast of Newfoundland, I thought about filing with NavCanada and opening after take off. I'll double check with Nav Canada when I get there but wanted to confirm it was possible first.

 

[4CornerFlyer]

Now wait a minute. Explain to me why you would do an international crossing and not file the flight plan in the country of departure? *

A Canadian flight plan can be filed by phone by calling 1-866-WX-BRIEF anywhere in the country. You can file IFR flight plans by phone or by US DUATS, which are automatically routed to the Center of the departure airspace. You can't do a Canadian VFR flight plan via US DUATS. A US Center can't open a flight plan until you are IN their airspace, which means you have already crossed the border.

For all the people breathing down my neck when I suggested that not a single pilot has been asked for a radio license in more than eight years (and no evidence to the contrary), I would expect the same argument that you should be damned careful with an int'l flight plan, lest a Customs inspector choose to make things difficult for you.

Jon

* Exceptions might be air-filing with the IFSS when in radio range coming from the Bahamas or Mexico, although you still need an hour's notice for Customs.

 

[ejensen]

Are we getting customs notifications and flight plans mixed up. You can file a flight plan in US but still have to notify Canadian customs of when and where.

 

[bstratt]

I clarified my first post in the second one. If I can do it, I will be taking off from France, within 5 miles of the Canadian border. Rather than learn the intracacies of French filing I thought I could file with Canada, takeoff and open in the air with Canada.

Still don't know if I can make this happen or not.

 

[Ed Guthrie]

A US Center can't open a flight plan until you are IN their airspace, which means you have already crossed the border.

International boundaries and airspace boundaries rarely coincide. For example, Cleveland Center owns a huge chunk of Canadian airspace along Lake Erie. Yes, you must be in center's airspace, but AFAIK, you can open a flight plan anywhere in Cleveland Center's Canadian airspace.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

WHAT the french still own those islands!?!?
Time to move the military down there.
Oh. What military.

 

[bstratt]

WHAT the french still own those islands!?!?
Time to move the military down there.
Oh. What military.

Who needs a military. They're French! We'll just send some Newfies over with plastic guns!