IFR trip from Boston,MA to Montreal, Canada

Hi,

I'm planning a trip from BED or LWM to Montreal during august. Any specific
things I need to know?
Is it better to land at St Hubert, Dorval or Mirabel ? Which ones is the
most convenient for a GA aircraft ?
Moreover, on my way back do I need to make a stop at an airport of entry
near the border ?

Thanks for any info.
Marc PP ASEL IA

"Marc" writes:

Is it better to land at St Hubert, Dorval or Mirabel ? Which ones is
the most convenient for a GA aircraft ?

Mirabel is a little far from Montreal and does not sell 100LL, last I
heard. There's very little traffic there aside from IFR training
flights and, I think, some cargo -- it's a big, sad, lonely airport,
and ATC there reminds me a bit of the Maytag repairman in the
commercials. I've been by only once, on an IFR training flight
myself.

I've flown to Dorval two or three times, and ATC had no problem
fitting me into the airliner flow. There was no landing fee at the
time (a few months ago), but I didn't have to park overnight or
refuel, so I don't know how expensive the FBO's are. It was
surprisingly small-plane-friendly, considering that it's the main
airport in Canada's second-largest city (by comparison, imagine trying
to fly a small plane into Toronto/Pearson).

I've never flown into St. Hubert, so I cannot comment on landing fees,
etc. I don't think it's much further (if at all) from downtown than
Dorval, but you do have to cross a bridge, so there might be traffic
delays at certain times of day. It's also a little closer to Boston
and outside of Dorval's main traffic flow, for what it's worth. As
far as I understand, St. Hubert is to Montreal as Teterboro is to New
York, but again, this is not first-hand.

There are several smaller airports around Montreal as well. Last
year, I read a review of one where the municipality was going out of
its way to attract GA pilots to the airport, including free loaner
bicycles for touring the woods and drives into downtown. I don't
remember which one it was (Mascouche?), but perhaps someone from
Montreal can fill you in. GA seems to be very big around Montreal,
given the number of airports and pilots.

Moreover, on my way back do I need to make a stop at an airport of
entry near the border ?

Your first stop back in the U.S. has to be an AoE, but it does not
have to be just across the border -- it can be an AoE back home in
Boston, as long as you're fairly confident that you can make it within
a small window around your ETA (otherwise, U.S. Customs is allowed to
fine you up to USD 5000, though I think that's rare). One trick
people use is to add, say, 30 minutes to the ETA, then slow down as
needed enroute to arrive at the right time if there are not any
unexpected winds -- that would be faster than an intermediate stop.
Otherwise, an intermediate stop just across the border in New York or
Vermont will not hurt.

Note that you now need a preassigned transponder code to enter
Montreal Terminal airspace VFR -- you can call the Quebec FIC at (866)
541-4105 to find out the details (it could be that your cross-border
flightplan will be enough).


All the best,


David

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

Last time I visited the island I landed at St. Hubert. I found it convenient.
Customs into Canada was a breeze; dealing with US Customs was a more rigorous
affair.

Marc wrote:

Hi,

I'm planning a trip from BED or LWM to Montreal during august. Any specific
things I need to know?
Is it better to land at St Hubert, Dorval or Mirabel ? Which ones is the
most convenient for a GA aircraft ?
Moreover, on my way back do I need to make a stop at an airport of entry
near the border ?

Thanks for any info.
Marc PP ASEL IA

Last year I flew IFR from KBED to CYUL Dorval and it was a breeze.

See:

http://www.langleyairport.bc.ca/html/p_04_a.htm

for some details on the CANPASS system. If you are not a CANPASS
permit holder, you will find directions on that page as well.

Coming back into the U.S. I chose to land at Burlington, VT (KBTV)
because coordinating U.S. Customs at Hanscom was too difficult and
this was my first flight to Canada, so I wanted to play everything
conservatively.

-Dave

Marc,

I went to Montreal IFR last summer. Highly recommended for anyone. Easy
flight from the US. Shot my first international approach!

After much research. St. Hubert is the best for general aviation.
Customs on the field, good service and easy access to Montreal across
the river, about 10 minutes.

I tied down at Petro Air Services (ESSO), a couple of doors down from
Customs. Nice folks, friendly, helpful. We had reserved a rental car at
Dorval and then changed it. The original rental company failed to follow
through. When we arrived, no ground transportation. The gentlemen
working the desk/line called around to see who had one available. They
found one at National. National came and picked us up and we were on our
way. The line guys received a big tip for their service.

When I go back again, I would not change a thing.

Michelle

Marc wrote:

Hi,

I'm planning a trip from BED or LWM to Montreal during august. Any specific
things I need to know?
Is it better to land at St Hubert, Dorval or Mirabel ? Which ones is the
most convenient for a GA aircraft ?
Moreover, on my way back do I need to make a stop at an airport of entry
near the border ?

Thanks for any info.
Marc PP ASEL IA





--

Michelle P CP-ASMEL-IA, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, AirLifeLine

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity