"JJS" jschneider@remove socks cebridge.net wrote in message
...
Back in May, I posted to the group, asking for advice on flying cross
country from NW Oklahoma to Red Lake, Ontario.
The purpose was for a vacation / fishing trip. ...snip... as Canadian
customs closed at 4 pm and we couldn't make it in time.

The CFS says 14-22Z which should have been 9 or 10 AM to 5 or 6 pm local
time... depending on whether they were on Central Daylight or on Eastern
Daylight. Central is my guess. It specifically says "14-22Z during DST".
Surely they didn't stay on Central *Standard* time in summer???

Something was not right.



The Holiday Inn picked us up in a van and took us to a decent, though not
spectacular room.

The next morning they took us back to the airport. I called FSS and got a
WX brief. They gave me a frequency to contact Minneapolis center for a
squawk code to use crossing the border. I filed a vfr flight plan. Then I
called Canadian customs and was told I couldn't arrive at Red Lake until
at least 1/2 hour after I'd expected. I knew I had to give them two hours
notice and the flight was to take about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Actually, that's two hours minimum, but you could have called them the
previous day (or up to 48 hours before arrival, according
to the published procedures, anyway). That might have given them enough
time to co-ordinate their manpower for your arrival time.

We waited for the extra time to pass and then launched. I never asked why
the requested delay.

I wonder if they needed the time to assure an officer was back from another
duty and
would be available in the vicinity, had they decided to check you.

In hindsight, it may have been more convenient to clear customs at Kenora.
Bigger place, longer hours both AM and PM,
not that far off your route, I don't think.


I opened the flight plan when airborne then called center for my xponder
code. The scenery on this leg was fantastic but semi-scary. We flew at
8500' agl during this leg. I wanted some gliding distance available.
There was
no place to land except in the water or take a chance on one of a few
scattered logging roads that looked like a sure invitation to an insurance
claim.

Did you start hearing those strange engine noises, that you never heard
before? ;-)


I tuned 123.6 to get Winnipeg radio at Red Lake

Interesting. Those bush guys always do their own thing, anyway, but the
published procedures would have you use 123.55 only for enroute enquiries...
for the actual airport advisory and traffic, etc., as published, you would
switch to 122.30.


....snip....

Taxiing in to the dock I noticed a large submerged log floating just
below the surface. When I pointed it out "Curly's" eyes sure opened up
wide. He said he'd never hit one yet, though.

Apparently it gets even more interesting when the log changes direction and
moves quickly into the path of the airplane,
and turns out to be a swimming moose.



The fishing was great, but 7 days of it was about 2 or 3 two many.

Hee-hee... I know. The big ones pretty much jump into the boat. Too easy,
right?


... Our Indian hosts were interesting and spoke little English.

That would be: your "native" hosts. :-)


... Although the motors were new, they began quitting us. they always
restarted but it became more frequent. Back at the dock I siphoned some
fuel from one of the 55 gallon drums into a clear bottle and discovered
water in the bottom.

Water in drum-gas seems to be almost "normal". Gotta lift that pump off the
bottom :-)

....


The Norseman float plane returned for us a week later at two in the
afternoon, and unloaded two 55 gallon drums of fuel for the boats. We
boarded and were back in Red Lake at about 3 pm. Instead of immediately
heading to the land airport and departing, I decided to spend the night in
Red Lake, a decision I would come to regret.

I don't think you ever state specifically *why*? Or did you mean, because
of the extra time to add ingredients for the hangover? ;-)

....


We departed Red Lake at 6:15 am the next morning after visiting with FSS
and customs by phone. Getting ahold of customs was a problem as the 1-800
number didn't work in Canada.

Well, I don't know if it was there before, but I just found this wonderful
document on-line that has
a complete listing of all the airports that provide POE and their local
phone numbers and hours, for the entire Country!!!

It has a whole bunch of other customs-requirements for flyers. Every
private pilot who flys into the USA gotta have *this*:
http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/...20flyers_1.doc

.... big snip...

Thanks to all who gave advice for planning the trip. Especially Icebound
who provided links that were very helpful.
I need to fly to Kansas City in a week or so then 8437R goes in for her
annual inspection.


Disappointing that nobody surfaced here who was actually in or from that
area, to help you out a little more. I've *been* to that part of Ontario
and flown over a small piece of it locally, but never seriously
cross-country.

Gonna do it again?