Private pilots heading into Canada need to be aware of the country's visual flight rules (VFR). Flying into Canada is a journey many pilots enjoy because of the wild expanses and wilderness. However when flying into Canada, make sure to bring your current passport, pilot log, license and endorsements and a current FCC radio license, which are required to fly in Canadian airspace.
VFR has been called "very few rules." Even though VFR flying has fewer regulations than IFR (instrument flight rules) flying, visual flight rules are no less important. Canadian VFR allows pilots certified VFR to fly 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL) if there are no clouds. Also, VFR pilots may only fly when visibility is not less than 3 miles (reported), and they are flying no more than one mile from horizontal clouds, 500 feet away vertically and 500 feet AGL when clouds are present. VFR pilots may not fly through clouds at anytime.
American VFR pilots are allowed to night fly under certain meteorological conditions. For Canadian night flights, VFR pilots may not fly unless they have special endorsements in their logbooks. American pilots flying into Canada without the special endorsements may not fly during nighttime conditions. Nighttime for flying in Canada is defined as the minute after the official sunset.
Canada's rule CAR 602.117 allows VFR pilots to fly patterns less than prescribed minimums if they have permission from air traffic control (ATC) to fly special VFR (SVFR) in a control zone when flight visibility, and ground visibility when reported, are not less than one statute mile for fixed-wing aircraft. The pilot must request these conditions from ATC. Before proceeding into SVFR, ATC must give the private pilot a clearance.
