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File The Plan Stan

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Raleigh Habersberger
raleigh@thefinerpoints.net
http://thefinerpoints.net

Hi. I fly in the interior of British Columbia most of the time, using our flying club's C-172. If I plan to stray more than 25 miles from our home town, CAV3, 100 Mile House, I ALWAYS, EVERY time file a flight plan. For starters, it is the regulation in Canada, and for me at least, it just makes "plane" sense to do it. Engines quit. You want someone to come looking for you sooner rather than later. Plus, it forces you to plan ahead, think about where you are going, how much fuel will I need, where can I set down if I want to eat, or go for a hike etc. ( I like to bring a coffee maker with me, and brew up a cup at one of the dirt strips dotting the land around here) It is easy to just takeoff and then pick somewhere but what sort of chance does anyone have of finding me and my passengers if I don't come back or show up somewhere?

So, make the effort, make the call, get a weather briefing while you are at it and file a flight plan each and evey flight beyond the (Canada) 25 mile zone.

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David Balcaen

Hi! Great to hear some Canadians online. I am from Canada as well, earned my private in Victoria. Flying in Canada is quite different. I think that many pilots in the busier areas take for granted the services available. We have radar coverage in all the major areas. VOR's within miles (literally) of each other, and for the most part unless you are travelling cross-country, the terrain below is usually well populated. Being that Canada's environment is certainly less forgiving and navigational facilities are limited, it seems obvious that filing is the right thing to do. Just as Jason emphasizes in the podcast, it is in these areas where we are seemingly within reach of help, that it is equally as important to file. Thanks for the comments. I'll look forward to hearing more stories from BC.
anais