Private Aircraft

Aviation fuels are available at the Resort airstrip and float-base.

You may clear Canada Customs at International Falls, Kenora, Red Lake or Winnipeg International Airport.

Flight maps may be purchased from Canada Map Sales 1 877 627-7226. www.canadamapsales.com

The following two maps were copied from the 2003 Canada Flight Supplement books and are NOT for flight directional use. These are provided as samples and intended for general information only.

Flying to Knee Lake

There are a few practical considerations when flying to Knee Lake Resort from the USA. When you look at a VFR chart of Manitoba and NW Ontario you will see that the airspace is practically empty compared to US airspace. There are few airways and very little controlled lower level airspace with airports few and far between. You will be flying over some remote areas of Canada and will want to be prepared to deal with all the possibilities.

One of the first things you should do in your preparations is buy the current edition of the Canadian Flight Supplement (and the Water Aerodrome Supplement if you're on floats) and all the necessary charts.

Within the CFS (and WAS) there is a wealth of information on things such as Customs procedures (section A, page 46) airport/aerodrome information including airport diagrams (section B), suppliers for charts (section C) and even emergency procedures for search and rescue (section F). You can buy the necessary charts at the same time saving on shipping and handling fees.

The next thing to do is buy or make up survival and first aid kits. If you decide to make your own survival kit think what you would need to survive for 24 hours in the woods. You will need shelter, fire, and a means of signaling and clean water. Food is really not required. Assuming that your ELT is functioning, Search and Rescue will have you back in civilization within 24 hours. If you really want to include food in your survival kit, think compact, high calorie value and easy preparation.

You should wear sufficient clothing to be comfortable overnight - long sleeves and pant legs, socks and shoes. Shorts and sandals may be great for the beach, but are not a good idea in the bush. When making up your survival kit include the following items: bug repellent, waterproof matches and/or a lighter (NOT strike anywhere matches), metal mirror, strobe or flares for signaling, a whistle, candles (good for light and starting fires), tea, coffee, instant soup, sugar, mugs, spoons, chocolate/granola bars, wire saw, knife/multi tool, compass, space blankets, water purification tablets, some duct tape (wrap about 10'around a candle stub), 20' of twine or 1/8" rope, 10'of snare or safety wire, space blankets, and maybe a couple of tube tents in your kit. Lastly, buy a small survival book and read it before you tuck it in with the rest of the stuff. It will all fit into a couple of metal (so you can put them on the fire) coffee cans that you can tuck into some corner. Date and seal your new kit and inspect it every spring.

Firearms are not needed. Handguns especially are a definite no-no in Canada and there is no conceivable reason that you would need one here. You can also avoid dealing with the reporting requirements of the Canadian Firearm Regulations and leave the rifle at home too. Unless you are in an area where there are polar bears, such as along the Hudson Bay coastline, there is no real need for a rifle in your survival gear.

Flying into Canada requires clearing Customs at an Airport of Entry. Times that Customs are available may be limited. ADCUS notifications on flight plans are no longer accepted. Customs procedures are detailed in section A of the CFS. Phone the number for CANPASS listed in the CFS for your proposed AOE at least 2 hours before your ETA and not more than 48 hours before your ETA. Customs allows 15 minutes leeway for your ETA. When you land, phone CANPASS again. Only the pilot is allowed to get out of the plane to make that phone call. Customs will give you a clearance number or tell you to wait for an officer. You, as the pilot, will need your pilot's license in addition to proof of citizenship with at least one piece of picture ID such as a driver's license. If any members of your party have a criminal record they should check with Canadian Immigration ahead of time to make sure that they will be allowed into Canada. Even an old DUI could stop entry into Canada. We suggest planning well ahead to ensure entry by calling a reliable service. We have worked with Pardon Services Ent. Manitoba in the past. Lucy Perillo is the owner and may be reached at 1 800 438-7020 in the U.S. Remember that calling Customs does NOT relieve you from the necessity of filing a flight plan when crossing the border.

A US visitor is allowed to bring 1.5 liters (2 normal sized bottles) of wine OR 24 bottles/cans of beer OR 1.14 liters (40 oz) of liquor AND 200 cigarettes AND 50 cigars AND tobacco into Canada duty free as long as they are for personal consumption and not as gifts.

Once you're on your final leg to Knee Lake you will find that fuel availability away from the "bigger" airfields is very limited, can be very expensive, and may be non-existent. Phone airfield fuel suppliers well in advance to confirm availability of fuel, as the information given in the CFS may not be 100% accurate. Knee Lake has 100LL avgas, Jet B (drums) and Jet A available to registered guests by arrangement prior to arrival.

Knee Lake (CJT3), at N54 54 54 W94 47 52 is found on the AIR5016 Flin Flon and AIR5017 Big Trout Lake VNCs and the E-17 WAC chart. You will also need the AIR5007 Winnipeg VNC and possibly the AIR5001 Sault Ste Marie and/or AIR5006 Thunder Bay VNCs to get from the border to Knee Lake. For the IFR crowd Knee Lake is almost under air route RR10 between Island Lake (CYIV) and Gillam (CYGX) on the LO3 chart. Knee Lake has an NDB (4J, 314kHz) but has no instrument approach available. The closest published instrument approach is a GPS approach at Gods River (CZGI) 30SM East of us. The closest published non-GPS approach is at Island Lake about 70 SM South of us.

Knee Lake's runway 03/21 is 3,950 feet long and 110 feet wide with a crushed rock surface.

Operations on a crushed rock surface are a little different than on concrete or asphalt. The secret to avoiding for prop or skin damage is to keep moving. Land using a "semi" soft field technique. Hold the nose off, then, when the nose wheel touches, reduce speed quickly to avoid kicking up rocks. Once you have slowed to taxi speed try not to come to a stop until you have arrived at your parking spot. On start up, keep RPMs at a minimum to avoid sucking rocks into the prop and/or engine intake. Do your runup either on one of the runup pads or as you're taxiing for takeoff. As long as you are moving, the rocks will be blown back rather than sucked toward you. Use full up elevator at all times. Once you start moving, keep moving. Every time you stop, the power you need to start moving again will greatly increase your chances of sucking a rock into your propeller. The take off is best done using a semi soft field technique to get the nose wheel off the ground ASAP then allowing the aircraft to accelerate to your takeoff speed with a slight nose up attitude.

We hope that these pages have answered all your questions about flying to Knee Lake. If you have any further questions about Knee Lake in general or flying there, contact our office 1-800-563-7151 or by e-mail klr@kneelake.mb.ca and we will answer them for you.

The following have Canadian VFR charts, IFR charts and Canadian Flight Supplements available for purchase. Sporty's, 1-800-543-8633, www.sportys.com ; Canada Map Office 613-952-7000, http://ats.nrcan.gc.ca ; VIP Pilot Center 1-800-361-1696, www.vippilot.com ; Lake and Air Pilot Shop, 1-888-525-3247, www.lakeandair.com

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