Date:         Wed, 22 Jul 2015 11:48:12 -0400
Reply-To:     James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         James <jk_eaton@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Crossing the Canadian border...
Comments: To: John Rodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CA+az7_6PMHsPCLELXEv5utj_obSB7Eb_5ScZtheNnZ2V222GmQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Sorry to pour cold water on a nice 'anti-government' story, but that tale about Dick Rutan is untrue - it was nothing to do with Customs, but with Air Traffic Control.  Basically, if you overfly another country, making use of their air traffic control system, you have to pay the fee that country charges, and Dick didn't pay the fees for his flight. It's rather like driving down a toll highway and not paying the tolls. 

James (who used to work in a government department that dealt with this)
Ottawa, ON


> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015 09:33:43 -0500
> From: jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Re: Crossing the Canadian border...
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> 

> 
> Dick Rutan, brother to BURT RUTAN, designer of the first plane to fly
> around the world, flew one of their planes from down in the states (can't
> remember where he started - mid-west somewhere) across Canada into ALASKA
> nonstop all the way to ANCHORAGE.. Customs was really upset on both sides
> of the border for a while, but since he didn't land in Canada there was no
> rule that he had to clear with customs. Eventually the argument went
> silent. There are probably rules about that now. Dick and Burt changed the
> fuel tank out in that plane, and then Dick flew it non-stop from ANCHORAGE
> to BERMUDA. The final goal was the VIRGIN ISLANDS if he could make it but I
> don't remember if he got there or not. He DID make it as far as BERMUDA,
> however.
> 
> John