5th Int. Lake Memphremagog Ski Fly Meet - MISE À JOUR

[PaulD]

Les nouvelles à jour de Mr Weller ainsi qu'un échange avec un officiel:

Weather:
The weather forecast for the VT side is high pressure continuing to move in, winds NW15 to 20mph gusts to 30mph, cloudy, high temp +13F.

The weather forecast for the Canadian side is winds NW 20kph gusts 40kph occasional flurries 1-2cm snow accumulation, high -10C.

Lake conditions:
I flew over this morning and landed. Snow on the ice is fairly uniform1 to 4 inches deep. I did not notice any snow drifts, but the ice is completely covered with snow. The small open water area west of Providence Island is there. Stay away. Ice reports are over 11/2 feet thick. There are quite a few pickups and ice fishing shacks scattered around. Make sure your landing area is clear.

Officials report:
Hello Mr. Weller,

Thank you for the update as we are fast approaching this popular event. I noted that you mention that the caretaker of Province Island will be assisting this year by possibly marking out those vulnerable areas where approaching/departing aircraft may break through the ice. It is very important that yourself or your planning committee are prepared to scout out the location in advance and make the necessary arrangements to prevent any similar mishaps that did occur last year. Will there be a contingency plan in place if a plane is immobile in the ice/water requiring extrication? I only say this because as much as I found it interesting in assisting with the extrication of both of those aircraft, I cannot guarantee that this will be repeated.

It has to be clear to everyone involved that our role in this event has always been to monitor this friendly interaction on the international border without incident and provide information regarding our agency's responsibilities concerning the border. As much as I would have enjoyed chatting it up with your guests from either side of the line, I, along with my colleagues, found ourselves primarily focused on those stuck planes for the better part of that afternoon. Although the pilots themselves accepted the risks to their planes when we assisted, I do not believe this scenario was really the best to have played out had things gone wrong (eg.damage to either plane, our own equipment, personal injury, etc...).

I look forward to answering any questions you may have and would appreciate notification of any changes you foresee regarding the event. It is always a pleasure to assist with this event and I laud your initiative in cross border community building.

All the best,



Cap./Cpl. Russell Sangster
É.I.P.F./I.B.E.T.
Équipe Intégrée Police de Frontière
Integrated Border Enforcement Team
Tel:(819) 876-2372
russell.sangster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Fax:(819) 876-2588
Pag:(819) 829-3553
As you can see, there is great concern about planes getting into trouble. EVERYONE FLYS AT THEIR OWN RISK. IF YOU DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO ICE CONDITIONS, PEOPLE, SHACKS, PICKUPS, SNOWMOBILES, ETC ON THE ICE, YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES YOURSELF. THERE IS NO INSURANCE OR UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION. I started this activity to promote Canadian and US aviation get togethers without having to have passports or go through Customs. It is unique and I hope it can continue. Canadian/US border crossings are down 10-15% per year since 9/11 across this most friendly international border, perhaps because people feel it takes too long and is too cumbersome.

Location, Activities, Rules:
Fifth International Lake Memphremagog SKI FLY MEET
Sunday February 17, 2013
Canadian and US pilots to meet each other at our common border line on the ice of international Lake Memphremagog, part in Quebec and part in Vermont.

Planes should plan to arrive between 11 am and 1 pm. We will finish by 3. Bring some lunch and a lawn chair or something to sit on to be comfortable while we talk across the border with each other. There will be a BBQ set up on the border to cook on if you bring it. The ice is unearly 2 feet thick with many pickups and ice fishing buildings. Most snow blows west to east off the ice toward the island.. THERE IS A SMALL THIN ICE OR, OPEN WATER AREA NEXT TO THE ISLAND ABOUT A THOUSAND FEET NORTH OF THE BORDER WEST OF THE ISLAND.

The meet location is due north of the Newport, VT airport EFK on the 45th parallel on Lake Memphremagog just west of Providence Island in the middle of the lake whose southern tip is in the US. The border is easily seen as there is a line about 20 feet wide cut across the island and continuing from coast to coast, about 3,000 miles.

Please pass this message along to all interested aviators. It is not intended to be open to the general public. If too many come, the Border officials may not permit this event to happen again. It is not an official border crossing point, but for this special aviation event, you do not need your passports as long as you play by the rules. It is also the only event where you may bring a plane that is not normally able to cross the border, visit with aviation enthusiasts from the other country, and let them see your plane.

Last year there were 41 planes on the ice and three flybys. As the ice was nearly bare, there were quite a few only on wheels. Two did not pay attention to the thin ice warning and sank-one about one foot and the other about two feet as luckily the water was shallow, but it took a lot to get them out. About three years ago a plane taxied too fast downwind, hit a snow drift and flipped over in slow motion. YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU CAN LAND WITH WHEELS IN THE SNOW.

Event activities are at your own risk. For our mutual benefit and to avoid trouble, the rules are:

-CANADIANS LAND ON THE CANADIAN SIDE- BE SURE

-AMERICANS LAND ON THE U.S. SIDE- BE SURE

-DO NOT LET ANY PART OF YOUR PLANE ENTER THE OTHER COUNTRY AT ANY TIME IN THE AIR OR ON THE GROUND.

-NO EXCHANGE OR PASSING OF ANY ITEMS OF ANY KIND ACROSS THE BORDER.

-EVERYONE FLYS AND OPERATES AT THEIR OWN RISK

-THE AUTHORITIES WILL ALLOW US TO MINGLE WITH EACH OTHER AND HAVE LUNCH TOGETHER ACROSS THAT LINE AND TO SEE EACH OTHERS AIRPLANES DURING THIS EVENT ONLY WITHOUT PASSPORTS. This is a unique opportunity for Canadian and American aircraft

It will be fun!
--
George K. Weller