When the ESCAT plan is implemented: approval, compliance, and 30-minute reports

Know what section 602.146 asks of a pilot-in-command once the ESCAT Plan is implemented, where the section applies, and how often position reports are due outside controlled airspace.

• You know what the ADIZ is and where Canadian domestic airspace begins, because those two areas are where the section applies. CAR 602.146
• You know what an air traffic services unit is, because every duty here runs through one. CAR 602.146
• You know the controlled airspace boundary at your site, because the reporting interval turns on it. CAR 602.146

Section 602.146 applies in respect of aircraft before entering into and while operating within Canadian domestic airspace or the ADIZ. CAR 602.146

Read the two halves of that: it is not confined to the ADIZ — a question that offers "only while operating within the ADIZ" is describing half the section — and it reaches an aircraft before it enters, not only once it is inside. CAR 602.146

The duties fall on the pilot-in-command of an aircraft referred to in subsection (1) who is notified by an air traffic control unit of the implementation of the ESCAT Plan. CAR 602.146

The notification is what starts the clock — the plan being implemented is not, by itself, the trigger for the three duties that follow. CAR 602.146

And the subpart is the one that excludes you. Section 602.146 sits in Part VI, Subpart 2 — Operating and Flight Rules, and section 602.01 says that subpart does not apply in respect of remotely piloted aircraft. The addressee here is the pilot-in-command of an aircraft notified by an air traffic control unit; the duties a remotely piloted aircraft operation carries are the ones Part IX imposes on it, and this subpart is not where they live. CAR 602.01

So read this lesson as the crewed-aircraft rule the examination asks about — the trigger, the three duties and the two clocks are all examinable — and read the subpart before treating any of it as your own obligation. CAR 602.01

A notified pilot-in-command shall: CAR 602.146

Duty	What it requires
(a) Approval before take-off	Obtain approval for the flight from the appropriate air traffic services unit CAR 602.146
(b) Comply with instructions	Comply with any instruction to land or to change course or altitude received from the appropriate air traffic services unit CAR 602.146
(c) Position reports	Provide the appropriate air traffic services unit with position reports under one of two clocks CAR 602.146

The first is a permission, not a courtesy: the flight is approved by the unit before take-off. CAR 602.146

Where the aircraft is within controlled airspace, position reports are the ones required under section 602.125. Where it is outside controlled airspace, the reports are due at least every 30 minutes. CAR 602.146

That interval is the number to carry: 30 minutes, and it is a floor rather than a target — "at least" every 30 minutes. CAR 602.146

Question	The answer
Where does 602.146 apply?	Before entering into and while operating within Canadian domestic airspace or the ADIZ CAR 602.146
Who is bound?	The pilot-in-command notified by an ATC unit of the plan's implementation CAR 602.146
What must be done before take-off?	Obtain approval for the flight from the appropriate ATS unit CAR 602.146
What must be done with instructions received?	Comply with any instruction to land or to change course or altitude CAR 602.146
How often outside controlled airspace?	At least every 30 minutes CAR 602.146
And inside controlled airspace?	As required under section 602.125 CAR 602.146

• The section is not ADIZ-only CAR 602.146
• The trigger is the notification from an ATC unit CAR 602.146
• Approval is obtained before take-off, not in flight CAR 602.146
• Outside controlled airspace the reports are due at least every 30 minutes CAR 602.146

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
The section is said to apply only inside the ADIZ	It names both areas	Include Canadian domestic airspace CAR 602.146
The duties are assumed to apply without any notification	The subsection conditions them	Look for the ATC unit's notification CAR 602.146
Approval is sought after take-off	Paragraph (a) puts it before	Obtain it before take-off CAR 602.146
The 30-minute interval is given for controlled airspace	That case uses 602.125	Give 602.125 inside, 30 minutes outside CAR 602.146
An instruction to land is treated as advisory	Paragraph (b) says comply	Comply CAR 602.146

Practise: Car escat plan

• CAR 602.146 — ESCAT Plan