O/Cdt. Darcel “I picked the wrong day to stop teaching Air Law”

MTPs Clearances and Instructions Definitions and Flight Rules VFR IFR Special VFR Weather Minima Flight Plans & Itineraries Cruising Altitudes

Clearances & Instructions A controller may issue a clearance or instruction to a/c within the airspace that he controls. Clearances may be read back when received, and may be issued to authorize specific operations within the controlled airspace. IFR flights require a readback (CARS ) It may be requested for VFR traffic Instructions must be complied with and acknowledged upon receipt.

Flight Rules VFR “Visual Flight Rules” Essentially, under this set of rules the pilot assumes responsibility for traffic and obstacle avoidance at all times, regardless of the conditions IFR “Instrument Flight Rules” Here, the pilot can partially share responsibility for traffic and obstacle avoidance when in controlled airspace. Eg, radar vectoring

Flight Rules SVFR “Special VFR” Clearance issued by the relevant ATC unit for the a/c to continue to operate within the relevant airspace in conditions that do not meet the published weather minima for VFR flight.

Weather Minima In order to fly legally, there are a specific set of minimum conditions that must be met. Composed of visibility and cloud separation criteria Visibility used is that recorded on the ground. The following minima apply to VFR flights only.

Weather Minima Below 1000’ AGL Helicopter: 1 SM Visibility Clear of Cloud Fixed-Wing: 2 SM Visibility Clear of Cloud NB: At night, minimum visibility is always 3 miles

Weather Minima Above 1000’ AGL: 1 SM Visibility 2000’ horizontal distance from cloud, 500’ vertical Controlled Airspace: 3 SM Visibility 1 mile horizontal separation, 500’ vertical Within Control Zones, must also remain 500’ AGL

Weather Minima SVFR Only requires clear of cloud/ 1SM vis (fixed wing) May only be authorized in Control Zones (And at night, only for landing)

Flight Plans and Itineraries Serve a dual purpose: a) ATC information (eg, Class C intent for VFR over Winnipeg) b) SAR (when overdue) Required for flights occurring more than 25 nm from a/d of departure Two Forms: Flight Plan: The more rigorous of the two, contains detailed information pertaining to the flight, a/c, and intended route. Overdue after 1 hour Flight Itinerary: Filed with a responsible person. Overdue after 24 hours

Flight Plans and Itineraries Flight Plan Filed with ATCU, Flight Service Station (FSS), or Community Aerodrome Radio Station Arrival report filed as soon as practicable, but no later than the SAR action time specified in the plan NB: Is the only type of report valid for international flight Flight Itinerary May be filed with the same agencies as specified above, or a responsible person Arrival report filing is same as above, although action time generally longer (~ 24 hours)

Cruising Altitudes For VFR flight up to and below 18000’, fly odd/even thousands plus 500’ From 18000’ thru 29000’, conform to IFR traffic and fly whole thousands; directional criteria still apply From 29000’ and up, the rules change somewhat; the altitudes now increase at 4000’-intervals only So, Easterly Headings (0-179) fly FL 290, 330, 370, etc. Westerly Headings ( ) fly FL 310, 350, 390, etc.

Cruising Altitudes NB. Mandatory above 3000’ AGL