• If You Are Having Trouble Logging In with Your Old Username and Password, Please use this Forgot Your Password link to get re-established.
  • Hey! Be sure to login or register!

border crossings

slingdavid

Registered User
British Columbia
I had been planning to fly my Pacer from B.C. to Utah soon to visit an old army mate. I did at "test flight" to Bellingham a few months ago to get acquainted with the border-transit stuff. Ya, the USA has legitimate, serious security concerns. Security measures are one thing, security theatre is another. The customs/border people were perfectly polite, but clearly were obliged to regard people like me (a fiftyish nurse & teacher, fifty years of B.C. residence, 25-year old pilot's license, with a "proud parent of a soldier" sticker on my rear window) with the same scrutiny they might reasonably have applied to someone with--how to say?--a different security threat profile.

So I drove there today to check, and preclude inadvertent errors (and threatened, vast, fines) on my intended flight down in a week or so and found that the entry requirements will change yet again, to now demand computer filing and registration. OK, I wasn't going to spend millions, but I was going to buy US gas, stay at US hotels, buy US stuff and spend money in US stores to buy gifts for people. To hell with it. I'll stay in B.C. and spend the money here. Too bad for me, too bad for the US merchants I'd have--in some small measure--enriched, and most of all, too bad for yet another increment on the restrictions on personal liberty.
 
It's a cluster... for all involved. Many good mates south of the border have summer residences up here.. or enjoy going thru on their way to Alaska. I'm just glad we have some good lakes and fish on our side... cause this border "security" BS is just that. Millions can drive back and forth without notice... why are we treated like second rate criminals to fly it?
 
Got a cabin on Rainy lake in Ontario that we used to enjoy flying to on weekends and vacation, but with the process involved to get back into the US it simply is no longer worth it to fly there. Thankfully we have road access and can drive there, but its certainly not the same. Truely a sad deal. Very frustrating. The terrorists are winning, taking away freedoms from us more n more. The law biding sportsmen and sightseers are getting a raw deal. :cry:
 
RedEye said:
Got a cabin on Rainy lake in Ontario that we used to enjoy flying to on weekends and vacation, but with the process involved to get back into the US it simply is no longer worth it to fly there. Thankfully we have road access and can drive there, but its certainly not the same. Truely a sad deal. Very frustrating. The terrorists are winning, taking away freedoms from us more n more. The law biding sportsmen and sightseers are getting a raw deal. :cry:



So....

How many letters and phone calls have you made to our leaders?
 
Oberstar (state rep) has an office in town here. No help so far !!! I'll keep trying though !!
 
Obestar should be pretty "aviation centric." He's a pilot and even ex-airline from way back. He's usually pretty good about shooting down user fees. Now, he doesn't rep a big airline from his home state anymore. And, he's a D, so he might be towing the line in Washington.

Too bad. On the plus side. He's been in Congress a longggg time. So, he should have pretty influential seniority. I wish he were leading the democrats instead of Pelosi.
 
Iflylower said:
Too bad. On the plus side. He's been in Congress a longggg time. So, he should have pretty influential seniority. I wish he were leading the democrats instead of Pelosi.


Wonder if he will be indited and sent to kangaroo court?
 
It would be too easy to say the terrorists are winning. But the terrorists do not make the laws of this country. Our politicians are responsible for that. So if we have knee jerk politicians, and a knee jerk government agency known as TSA, they are the ones to blame. They are the ones responding to every crisis,whether real or imagined, with more ridiculous infringements on our freedoms. Seems there are a lot of people unhappy with both, yet we allow them to make rules. We send the same people back to Washington, in both parties, and we get the same results. So ultimately you and I are to blame. I'd venture to say less than 10% of the people here have ever contacted their rep and senators on legislation. At the meeting with customs I was at the other night at Ely Lake, it was a classic display. Probably 75% of the questions were "why do we have to do this this is crazy" kind of questions. A lot of belly aching by pilots. And a lot pilots asking "when was this rule put in place?" Well- the coment period on this assinine eAPIS ended Dec 15, 2007 - a year and a half ago, and these guys are acting like they never heard about it. If people don't actively monitor their politicians, by watching for issues that concern them on websites such as NRA, AOPA, EAA, and places like this, and then get on their politicians BEFORE these rules go into place, they have no right to complain AFTER they are in place. So much easier to stop or modify a rule BEFORE it becomes permanent than try to remove it AFTER it is permanent. Boot enough career guys out of office like Oberstar for not speaking out on these things, and the other people making a living sponging up our tax dollars will take notice, and maybe respond to their constituants. That is the only way we are going to stop this trainwreck of rules. GA is at a critical point in its long term survival, you and I will decide if it will survive. Not the terrorists.
 
It will be interesting to see if that eAPIS program stays in effect in it's current state. Seems like it is more tailored for IFR turbojet type flying than Cessna's and Piper's going up to Canada or Alaska to go fishing from what little I've seen it. The good news is that the Border Patrol folks in AK have been good to deal with regarding weather delays, etc., and I am sure that they will continue to be.

I for one am not going to give them the satisfaction of shutting me out. I am going to use their idiotic systems to the fullest extent necessary and ask as many dumb questions as possible. If nothing else, maybe I can give one of them an ulcer. I'll continue to write plenty of letters in the mean time.

You are correct. Americans have gotten the government we have asked for. Scary.

gb
 
Anybody else read the news about Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security head honcho? Now she's pissing off Canadians "mistakenly" accusing Canada of letting the 9-11 terrorists into the USA and insisting that crossing the border, whether its the southern one or the northern one will be equally difficult, aggravating and inconvenient for every one.
It's time for Obama to start doing some house cleaning on his cabinet and staff appointments and Napolitano would be a good person to start with.

Guess I'd best go take the bumper sticker off my car lest I be declared a dangerous radical.
 
canada crossing

Anybody have a link to TSA or customs where you need to contact them via on-line for crossing into or from Canada?
 
I just received this notice from the FAA Safety Team. I'm glad they reminded us that this does not apply to domestic flights, yet.... fines are a little more steep than traffic tickets tho....

--------------
The Deadline is Approaching for Compliance With the New Department of Homeland Security Rule Affecting Private Aircraft on International Flights

On December 18, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a new rule that affects private aircraft operating on international flights. The rule, Title 19 CFR Part 122, is titled 'Advanced Information on Private Aircraft Arriving and Departing the United States'. Compliance with this new regulation has been voluntary since December 18, 2008, however, compliance becomes mandatory effective May 18, 2009. The DHS Final Rule can be viewed at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-26621.pdf

Beginning May 18, 2009, all general aviation flights arriving into or departing out of the U.S. require the pilot to electronically submit crew and passenger manifests and other flight information to the CBP at least 60 minutes prior to departure. This information must be submitted to the CBP using their Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS) website or through an authorized third party vendor. This new rule does not apply to domestic flights.

Pilots failing to meet these reporting requirements can be fined $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 for each subsequent violation.

Pilots are encouraged to become familiar with the CBP crew and passenger manifest reporting requirements prior to planning any flights across the U.S. borders. More information can be found at the U.S Customs and Border Protection website: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/pleasure_boats/private_flyers/

Pilots are also advised to register their information with the CBP eAPIS website and begin using the system now for international flights even prior to the May 18, 2009 deadline. Information on how to register with eAPIS can be found at: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/inspections_carriers_facilities/apis/e_apis_information.xml
 
Planning a trip from Idaho, through Canada, Northway to Anchorage in June. I've made the trip before with no problems. I'm more concerned now with these new regs. than the probable crummy weather I've experience before. I would be flying a airplane I have sold to a fellow in Alaska. If I file the mentioned aepis reports, contact CANPASS, file flight plans, and have my passport, will I have problems????

Don

This bull is scaring the hell out of me and I ain't scared of nothin.
 
Don,

I am going to make an appointment with our customs guys and meet them at the office to do it all the first time to be sure.

I am afraid also.

George
 
Stopped at Customs in International Falls yesterday and talked to them about the new requirements. The guy there was helpful and seemed to be understanding.
One thing that I remember that differs from the above post is that I asked if there is a reg to file outbound of the US or is it just for inbound flights. He said it is just for inbound flights
If you are going up to a remote Canadian lake estimate when you are going back and notify princeton by radio

I cross all tees when crossing the border and wanted to make sure to comply with this new reg. There seems to be a disconnect with Washington and border areas these people know how to deal with border flights and this new program is just another thing they have to cover themselves for the bean counters there
Cover your butt the best you can
Gary
 
Gary, the Customs guy you spoke with gave you bad info. It most definitely is for both outbound and inbound flights. Any flight crossing the border in either direction must first be cleared through the eAPIS system. Also, I question the Princeton radio thing. That may work, if Princeton is willing to the relay the information via telephone to the Customs station that is expecting you. Pinceton is FAA, and Customs is customs, and they don't necessarily communicate. I think you didn't speak with the guy in charge of enforcement of this program along northern MN border, and instead got an agent not terribly famaliar with aircraft. When the head guy spoke at the seminar a couple weeks ago and was asked specifically how to notify Customs you will be late or early, he said call by phone if you can, or by a radio call directly to the customs station if no phone service. The word Princeton radio never crossed his lips. There most definitely is a disconnect between Washington DC and almost everything in this country.
 
Back
Top