Fifth International Lake Memphremagog SKI FLY MEET

Dec 2012 Fifth International Lake Memphremagog SKI FLY MEET

Fifth International Lake Memphremagog SKI FLY MEET

Mark your calendar for 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. The ice is usually 2 feet thick then with many pickups and ice fishing buildings. Most snow blows west to east off the ice toward the island. Many times the ice is blown snow free and very slippery.
THERE IS USUALLY 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.

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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.

This is a unique opportunity for Canadian and American aircraft owners to get to see each other without having to get passports or special aircraft permissions.

Canadian RCMP and US Border Patrol officials are usually on site. With the constantly increasing restrictions at the Can/US border, it is a unique opportunity for us to show authorities that small aircraft are not a big threat, but can even be helpful in discovering a threat.

Organizer: George K. Weller owner CTQ2 (large event room, hanger space, acreage available)

For current information go to: CTQ2.ORG
To be put on emailing list for this event, send an email to: gweller@ctq2.org
Info. on EAA events calendar within 50 miles of Newport, VT (identifier EFK) call me at 819-876-2528