Narrative:

I would like to report a difficulty I encountered in international aviation and ask for your advice in how to avoid such a problem in the future. I am a private pilot since jun/91 with 245 hours. On fri/jun/94 I flew VFR from dupage airport (dpa), west chicago, illinois to gore bay, ontario (yze) in cessna 172, a rented airplane. In an effort to make the flight as safe and enjoyable as possible I spent 6 weeks preparing the flight plan, reviewing it with my flight instructor, studying the international flight materials of AOPA, having a preflight telephone briefing with AOPA, securing up-to-date WX briefings, filling international VFR flight plan with adcus and making an appointment with canadian customs at gore bay airport. My route was north into wisconsin with a stop at sturgeon bay. I then proceeded to 3d2, WI47, and toward isq following the wisconsin shoreline then on to drm and yze. Along the way I utilized flight following from approach control at milwaukee and green bay. I was unable to connect with toronto approach when green bay made the handoff. Upon approach to gore bay (yze) I called the published CTAF on 122.8 and announced that I was 10 NM west at 3000 ft descending for landing at gore bay. I requested gore bay advisory for the winds and active runway. I first received a reply from gore bay saying 'I am not supposed to give you that information. 'You are to contact canadian sault at 126.7 for that information.' I was surprised at the response and attempted to reach canadian sault repeatedly at 126.7 without success. I called again on the CTAF for gore bay advisory and this time received the reply, 'I have the information you are requesting, but my rules do not allow me to give it to you.' a bonanza 5 mi west of my position announced his approach to gore bay for landing on the CTAF during the same time period when I was in contact with gore bay. He called me and said, 'can you give me the winds and active?' I told him I could not as the field refused to give that information to me. I overflew the field and observed the wind sock made my best estimate of the wind, barometric pressure and runway and landedsafely. The customs officer was waiting and we cleared customs immediately. I then talked with the office staff at gore bay airport and asked about their procedures for providing barometric pressure, winds and active runway information to incoming flts. The gentleman told me that gore bay is a canadian federal field. While he has the instructions on his desk that indicate the information being requested by incoming flts he is not permitted by the canadian auths to give the information to aviation. Rather the information is transmitted remotely to canadian sault. I told him that I was unable to reach that station located at considerable distance from yze and he said that he is aware that traffic descending into gore bay is unable to reach that canadian sault on 126.7, nevertheless he is required by his rules to instruct aircraft to make the contact on that frequency. He is also required to refuse to provide the advisory information himself. Fortunately there were no problems with my landing. After the careful preparation I did for the trip I was stunned by the potential hazard to aviation the gore bay procedures present. Had the WX been marginal the hazard could have been greatly amplified. In view of the friendly border and the free trade agreement between the united states and canada I was puzzled by the refusal to provide such basic safety information for aviation. I am at a loss to know how to receive the information needed for safety when I fly into gore bay again next yr. Any suggestions you could provide to me would be greatly appreciated. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states he has received responses from the FSS chief at ontario who indicated they would conduct an investigation. Later ontario region called and indicated the rptrs to sault st marie were on tape but the FSS specialist was busy and unable to answer while reporter still on frequency. AOPA also sent a letter indicating the gore bay unicom was decommissioned on apr/94 when the automated system was installed. Reporter had referenced the canadian transport directory prior to depbut it was published before the change was made. Ontario region recommended that pilots should call sault st marie earlier than reporter did when still at altitude and able to make contact.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA IS REFUSED ARPT ADVISORIES BY UNICOM.

Narrative: I WOULD LIKE TO RPT A DIFFICULTY I ENCOUNTERED IN INTL AVIATION AND ASK FOR YOUR ADVICE IN HOW TO AVOID SUCH A PROB IN THE FUTURE. I AM A PVT PLT SINCE JUN/91 WITH 245 HRS. ON FRI/JUN/94 I FLEW VFR FROM DUPAGE ARPT (DPA), W CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TO GORE BAY, ONTARIO (YZE) IN CESSNA 172, A RENTED AIRPLANE. IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE FLT AS SAFE AND ENJOYABLE AS POSSIBLE I SPENT 6 WKS PREPARING THE FLT PLAN, REVIEWING IT WITH MY FLT INSTRUCTOR, STUDYING THE INTL FLT MATERIALS OF AOPA, HAVING A PREFLT TELEPHONE BRIEFING WITH AOPA, SECURING UP-TO-DATE WX BRIEFINGS, FILLING INTL VFR FLT PLAN WITH ADCUS AND MAKING AN APPOINTMENT WITH CANADIAN CUSTOMS AT GORE BAY ARPT. MY RTE WAS N INTO WISCONSIN WITH A STOP AT STURGEON BAY. I THEN PROCEEDED TO 3D2, WI47, AND TOWARD ISQ FOLLOWING THE WISCONSIN SHORELINE THEN ON TO DRM AND YZE. ALONG THE WAY I UTILIZED FLT FOLLOWING FROM APCH CTL AT MILWAUKEE AND GREEN BAY. I WAS UNABLE TO CONNECT WITH TORONTO APCH WHEN GREEN BAY MADE THE HDOF. UPON APCH TO GORE BAY (YZE) I CALLED THE PUBLISHED CTAF ON 122.8 AND ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS 10 NM W AT 3000 FT DSNDING FOR LNDG AT GORE BAY. I REQUESTED GORE BAY ADVISORY FOR THE WINDS AND ACTIVE RWY. I FIRST RECEIVED A REPLY FROM GORE BAY SAYING 'I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU THAT INFO. 'YOU ARE TO CONTACT CANADIAN SAULT AT 126.7 FOR THAT INFO.' I WAS SURPRISED AT THE RESPONSE AND ATTEMPTED TO REACH CANADIAN SAULT REPEATEDLY AT 126.7 WITHOUT SUCCESS. I CALLED AGAIN ON THE CTAF FOR GORE BAY ADVISORY AND THIS TIME RECEIVED THE REPLY, 'I HAVE THE INFO YOU ARE REQUESTING, BUT MY RULES DO NOT ALLOW ME TO GIVE IT TO YOU.' A BONANZA 5 MI W OF MY POS ANNOUNCED HIS APCH TO GORE BAY FOR LNDG ON THE CTAF DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD WHEN I WAS IN CONTACT WITH GORE BAY. HE CALLED ME AND SAID, 'CAN YOU GIVE ME THE WINDS AND ACTIVE?' I TOLD HIM I COULD NOT AS THE FIELD REFUSED TO GIVE THAT INFO TO ME. I OVERFLEW THE FIELD AND OBSERVED THE WIND SOCK MADE MY BEST ESTIMATE OF THE WIND, BAROMETRIC PRESSURE AND RWY AND LANDEDSAFELY. THE CUSTOMS OFFICER WAS WAITING AND WE CLRED CUSTOMS IMMEDIATELY. I THEN TALKED WITH THE OFFICE STAFF AT GORE BAY ARPT AND ASKED ABOUT THEIR PROCS FOR PROVIDING BAROMETRIC PRESSURE, WINDS AND ACTIVE RWY INFO TO INCOMING FLTS. THE GENTLEMAN TOLD ME THAT GORE BAY IS A CANADIAN FEDERAL FIELD. WHILE HE HAS THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HIS DESK THAT INDICATE THE INFO BEING REQUESTED BY INCOMING FLTS HE IS NOT PERMITTED BY THE CANADIAN AUTHS TO GIVE THE INFO TO AVIATION. RATHER THE INFO IS XMITTED REMOTELY TO CANADIAN SAULT. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS UNABLE TO REACH THAT STATION LOCATED AT CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE FROM YZE AND HE SAID THAT HE IS AWARE THAT TFC DSNDING INTO GORE BAY IS UNABLE TO REACH THAT CANADIAN SAULT ON 126.7, NEVERTHELESS HE IS REQUIRED BY HIS RULES TO INSTRUCT ACFT TO MAKE THE CONTACT ON THAT FREQ. HE IS ALSO REQUIRED TO REFUSE TO PROVIDE THE ADVISORY INFO HIMSELF. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO PROBS WITH MY LNDG. AFTER THE CAREFUL PREPARATION I DID FOR THE TRIP I WAS STUNNED BY THE POTENTIAL HAZARD TO AVIATION THE GORE BAY PROCS PRESENT. HAD THE WX BEEN MARGINAL THE HAZARD COULD HAVE BEEN GREATLY AMPLIFIED. IN VIEW OF THE FRIENDLY BORDER AND THE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BTWN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA I WAS PUZZLED BY THE REFUSAL TO PROVIDE SUCH BASIC SAFETY INFO FOR AVIATION. I AM AT A LOSS TO KNOW HOW TO RECEIVE THE INFO NEEDED FOR SAFETY WHEN I FLY INTO GORE BAY AGAIN NEXT YR. ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU COULD PROVIDE TO ME WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE HAS RECEIVED RESPONSES FROM THE FSS CHIEF AT ONTARIO WHO INDICATED THEY WOULD CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION. LATER ONTARIO REGION CALLED AND INDICATED THE RPTRS TO SAULT ST MARIE WERE ON TAPE BUT THE FSS SPECIALIST WAS BUSY AND UNABLE TO ANSWER WHILE RPTR STILL ON FREQ. AOPA ALSO SENT A LETTER INDICATING THE GORE BAY UNICOM WAS DECOMMISSIONED ON APR/94 WHEN THE AUTOMATED SYS WAS INSTALLED. RPTR HAD REFED THE CANADIAN TRANSPORT DIRECTORY PRIOR TO DEPBUT IT WAS PUBLISHED BEFORE THE CHANGE WAS MADE. ONTARIO REGION RECOMMENDED THAT PLTS SHOULD CALL SAULT ST MARIE EARLIER THAN RPTR DID WHEN STILL AT ALT AND ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.