Can I leave the plane while waiting on CANPASS?

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Just wondering if I am allowed to leave the plane to sit and wait in the customs shack while waiting for CANPASS?
Thanks

[digits_]

Technically no.

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Technically no.

lol and what happens if I do and get caught?

[TeePeeCreeper]

Technically no.

lol and what happens if I do and get caught?

Fines, possible detention, aircraft seizure and having yourself and those on board being flagged and tagged for life.

Tread lightly.

TPC

[Inverted2]

Depends….. Do you work for PIVOT?

[yepivedonethat]

Depends….. Do you work for PIVOT?

Goes without saying those guys are all tagged and bagged for life.

Remember when any negative commentary about those guys AKA Georgian 2.0 used to get deleted because they were AvCanada's largest source of advertising revenue? It's so much fun now that we can take random pot shots.

[AirFrame]

Just wondering if I am allowed to leave the plane to sit and wait in the customs shack while waiting for CANPASS?

If there's nobody there, do you have to wait at all? Call CANPASS when you land and they'll give you your clearance number and you're good to go.

[digits_]

Technically no.

lol and what happens if I do and get caught?

I was a bit unfamiliar with the whole procedure when flying to Canada in a US airplane. I walked across the whole airport looking for a phone and officers. Took iver half an hour.

Nobody cared. But that was in a quiet airport as a PPL tourist. I wouldn't do that in CYYZ with 6 pax in a shiny jet out of Colombia.

[lownslow]

Some idiot I know totally gapped on having departed the US so after landing he headed into the FBO, ordered fuel, used the can, and called company all before remembering customs was a thing. The hard part then was hustling back to the airplane as fast as possible without looking suspiciously fast… I’m told.

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Its confusing because in the office there will be a phone with a direct line to CANPASS. So why would they have that phone there, except for the purpose of calling CANPASS?

[AirFrame]

Its confusing because in the office there will be a phone with a direct line to CANPASS. So why would they have that phone there, except for the purpose of calling CANPASS?

For people who don't have cell phones. With my phone paired to my headset, I don't even shut down. I call once I have my ground taxi clearance, and have had my customs clearance number before I reached the Customs box on the airfield. At that point, thank them, hang up, call ground, and tell them your next destination.

[digits_]

Its confusing because in the office there will be a phone with a direct line to CANPASS. So why would they have that phone there, except for the purpose of calling CANPASS?

For people who don't have cell phones. With my phone paired to my headset, I don't even shut down. I call once I have my ground taxi clearance, and have had my customs clearance number before I reached the Customs box on the airfield. At that point, thank them, hang up, call ground, and tell them your next destination.

Now *this* I've seen people get yelled at by the customs people. They do not like this...

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Its confusing because in the office there will be a phone with a direct line to CANPASS. So why would they have that phone there, except for the purpose of calling CANPASS?

For people who don't have cell phones. With my phone paired to my headset, I don't even shut down. I call once I have my ground taxi clearance, and have had my customs clearance number before I reached the Customs box on the airfield. At that point, thank them, hang up, call ground, and tell them your next destination.

Yes this is great, I do this all the time, and it works well when CANPASS picks up. But when you end up waiting on hold for 1hr its nice being able to use the restroom in the office. They would not have a phone in the office, that you need the leave the plane to get to, unless you were allowed to leave the plane.

[Blueontop]

Its confusing because in the office there will be a phone with a direct line to CANPASS. So why would they have that phone there, except for the purpose of calling CANPASS?

For people who don't have cell phones. With my phone paired to my headset, I don't even shut down. I call once I have my ground taxi clearance, and have had my customs clearance number before I reached the Customs box on the airfield. At that point, thank them, hang up, call ground, and tell them your next destination.

Yes this is great, I do this all the time, and it works well when CANPASS picks up. But when you end up waiting on hold for 1hr its nice being able to use the restroom in the office. They would not have a phone in the office, that you need the leave the plane to get to, unless you were allowed to leave the plane.

This is really a throwback to yesteryear when no one had cellphones and this was the standard procedure. Now that everyone and their baby has a cellphone I’m sure they essentially expect you to wait in the plane but you can make this argument to opening the door. They would probably ask if you do in fact have a cellphone though

[JasonE]

I had a nap on the wing once waiting for US customs....Was too hot to sit inside.

[C-GKNT]

I had a nap on the wing once waiting for US customs....Was too hot to sit inside.

While in the airplane with the door open, I was once told by US customs that I wasn't supposed to open the door until they arrived.
...on a hot summer day, parked on black asphalt, in a pressurized airplane without any windows that opened.

I think we would have been dead from heat stroke within 10-15 minutes.

[TG]

I remember a small airport in the States where they had a "US Customs" circle painted on the ground where you would park your aircraft while waiting for them.
You were allowed to exit your plane but not go outside of this circle until cleared one way or another by Customs.

[Taxivasion]

I tell my pax I can't stop them from leaving if they need to use the washroom, too hot, too cold, etc. You wouldn't leave your dog in the car in the middle of winter/summer so why leave humans? It's a human right/ physiological needs issue. I'll take that all the way to the top if any officer created a stink after waiting over an hour on the phone for Canpass. Getting ridiculous.

[AirFrame]

I remember a small airport in the States where they had a "US Customs" circle painted on the ground where you would park your aircraft while waiting for them.
You were allowed to exit your plane but not go outside of this circle until cleared one way or another by Customs.

Bellingham has a box painted for this purpose. I arrived one day with two other aircraft (two RV's and a Glasair). The first two pulled into the box side-by side and the third pulled up to the rear... I think the front wheels were in the box but the tail was out of it. The customs official insisted that we manoeuver all three planes *into* the box before he would process us.

I wonder what we would have had to do if there were four planes.

[WANP]

I have never been treated with anything but kindness, and respect, or had to wait long. I've gone inside to use the washroom, get a drink, and had a nice chat with people, till the agent arrived.