Reflections on first trip to Canada from US

Thanks for the report -- I'm glad the trip went well.

"Mike & Janet Larke" writes:

(hmmm .... the long on-hold wait times .... )

Some FIC's are slower to answer than others. If you just call (866)
WXBRIEF, your call will be routed through to whatever FIC controls
your region. Personally, I call the London FIC direct at (866)
541-4104 to avoid the default routing to the (very slow) Quebec FIC
from Ottawa, and I almost always get a briefer within a minute or so
-- I think that all the direct numbers are listed in the AIP or CFS
somewhere.

Even just into Canada radar coverage becomes something exotic versus
more or less taken for granted down in the 48 east of the Rockies.

You were out in a pretty remote area, but even in densely-populated
central Canada, you sometimes lose radar contact down at the lower
altitudes unless you're in one of the big terminal control areas
(Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal).

So we proceed on to CYIB which had a MF. MF? Mandatory
frequency. 122.3 in this case. This means you must contact Winnipeg
Radio on that better than 5 nm out and they will coordinate your
arrival with any other traffic if necessary. Again, no real precise
US equivalent because they are actually "getting involved" &
directing things, versus only offerring advisories.

You also have a guarantee that every aircraft legally in the zone is
talking on the same frequency -- no NORDO, unless preapproved (in
which case the FSS would be broadcasting advisories to other traffic).

At the airport fired up the plane and (miracle) got Winnipeg on the radio.
There was a guy spraying weeds with a truck on the runway and I mentioned
this and the FSS Winnipeg guy said "do your back track (not back taxi) now
to show him you'll be departing~call us back from the end of the
runway".

Thanks -- that's another new term for me. I've never heard "back
taxi" before, myself.


All the best,


David

--
David Megginson, , http://www.megginson.com/