Dancing with EAPIS: Crossing the USA border - CYQL to KCTB

Today was the first day of our new adventure, and we were eager to get going. After loading up JYMmie, we did our preflight checks and run-up, and departed Lethbridge (CYQL) at 13h31 Zulu (07h30 local).

It was -1 C on the ground, and we were happy to have fleece sweaters to keep us warm until the big Continental 0-470 started producing heat after take-off. There was a broken cloud base at 10 000 feet, and the winds on the ground were around 13 knots, almost straight down the runway.

Approaching the border, we managed to obtain our squawk code without difficulty.

The thin yellow horizontal/diagonal line on this image taken from our portable GPS shows the Canada / USA border.

Our track from CYQL to KCTB. (Download KML here)

We landed at Cutbank Airport uneventfully after a 38 minute flight. The customs officer, who needs to drive out from Sweetgrass, was already there. After clearing customs, we filed our next leg, and departed. The temperature in Cut Bank was +4 C, and we were anxious to find warmer climes. RegularNut was under the weather with a bug that made her dizzy, and plugged her sinuses, so it was up to BigNut to fly the first several days.

What do you need to do if you want to cross the Canada / USA border in your private plane?

It’s simple, really. All you need to do is:

• Obtain an EAPIS access account with the Department of Homeland Security
• Obtain a customs decal from USA Customs and Border Protection services
• Submit a crew / passenger manifest, and flight details to EAPIS via the web
• Obtain permission to enter (or leave) the USA via an email from EAPIS
• Make arrangements with the customs office where you intend to clear
• File a flight plan
• Depart from an Airport of Entry
• Open the flight plan on departure
• Obtain a transponder squawk before crossing the border
• Arrive at the pre-arranged Airport of Entry within 15” of planned time of arrival
• Clear customs

Phew! If it sounds complicated, it is, although not as much as one would think at first glance. We follow a checklist to (hopefully) ensure that nothing is missed. Fines for even unintentional non-compliance START at $5 000 USD, and include incarceration, so it adds significant stress to flights to and from the USA. Things that make it difficult to comply is the fact that one needs to file electronically, have access to an email account, and that making changes have lead times of 2 hours. Small plane flights are very dependent on weather, and plans can change rapidly. The rules seem to have been made for the folks who fly airliners who usually can fly above the weather. Another problem is the fact that we tend to fly a lot lower than our bigger brethren, so contacting ATC for a squawk code timeously can be problematic.

Despite the above, things usually run remarkably smoothly. We like clearing at Cutbank, MT (KCTB). It is only 64 nautical miles away from Lethbridge, Alberta (CYQL), our home base, making timing easier. Lethbridge is also an Airport of Entry. The traffic at KCTB is not heavy. The building housing the Customs offices also houses a remarkable FBO run by the Cut Bank Municipal Airport Authority. Besides flight planning facilities and fuel, you can have a shower, or even a bed, if you need. It is a feel-good place for folks who like a feel of how it was to fly in the good old days. Our kind of folks.

On to Leg 2 of our trip