Traffic watch flights, kites grounded during summits

As expected, Huntsville’s and Toronto’s airspaces will be heavily restricted during the G8 and G20 summits later this month.

So there will be no kite-flying or rocket launches around the MTCC or Deerhurst Resort when the world’s dignitaries are in town.

Traffic watch and media flights are also banned, so while traffic snarls behind presidential motorcades, 680 News’s Darryl Dahmer won’t be your eyes in the skies.

Regularly scheduled passenger and cargo flights will be allowed to go ahead, as long as they register their flight plans with the RCMP beforehand and stick to their path.

“Flight plans must specify point-to-point operations,” the government order reads. “Random flights will not be authorized.

The report includes a complete list of banned activities:

• parachuting
• parasailing
• paragliding
• hang gliding
• gliding
• rocket launches
• kites
• radio controlled aircraft
• unmanned air vehicles (UAV)
• hot air balloons
• dirigible aircraft
• agricultural/crop-dusting flights
• sight-seeing
• aerial advertising/banner towing
• aerobatic flights
• flight training
• general aviation
• media flights
• traffic watch flights

Aside from pre-arranged commercial and cargo flights, only military, police and emergency aircraft will have access to the airspace. Well, them and “state aircraft on official business, and aircraft carrying VIPs (designated by the RCMP).”

Though it might be an interesting time to ride above the city in a hot air balloon or do a little crop-dusting, you probably don’t want to call the RCMP’s bluff.

“All traffic within the restricted airspace will be monitored by surveillance radar and any unauthorized aerial activity will be subject to intercept by armed military aircraft under the authority of the Government of Canada.”

Huntsville’s airspace will be affected from June 24 to 26, while Toronto’s will be affected from June 26 to 28. The two-day G8 opens at the Deerhurst Resort on June 25. The G20 runs in Toronto from June 26 to 28.

For a complete list of affected airports and heliports, and the specific areas affected see: http://www.navcanada.ca/ContentDefinitionFiles/G8_G20/G8_G20_Supp_EN.pdf

Comments

[Andy]

This sounds like something out of North Korea.

[My Humble Opinion]

Traffic watch flights are only banned in Huntsville. Daryl can still be our eyes in the sky as long as he has previous approval from the RCMP. I guess traffic watch flights are not normal in Huntsville so they banned them altogether so that someone couldn't use it as an excuse to be up there, but access will be available to APPROVED traffic watch flights within Toronto. Thankfully they are going to be able to tell us every 10 minutes on the 1s how screwed are are trying to drive anywhere.

[Kel in Victoria]

No kites??? When did the Taliban take over???

[Craig]

Sight seeing has been banned?

[Sullyvan490]

In other words forget about having fun in Toronto the first full weekend of summer!

[Gtrplry]

Have they also banned Astral Travelling?

[Al]

Don't you dare sight-see!

[Brian]

Absolutely ridicules. Now not only does this whole thing disrupt all the traffic, but now we won't even be able to get reports of how bad the traffic is.
Thanks for nothing Harper

[Tree]

Kites are banned?!? What's a more severe phrase than simply 'absurd'? Whatever it is, that's how I'd describe everything to do with this summit. Harper has tried to justify the outrageous costs by claiming this is a showcase of Canada to the world ... I'm becoming increasingly embarassed by what the message will be. So far, it seems to be "Canada spends billions to promote fiscal responsibility"!

[Laura]

Why again did we even bid on the G20/G8? It seems these meetings are only causing disruption to our daily lives and costing tax payers way too much money.
For a two day meeting the government is choosing to spend OUR money on unnecessary crap like a fake lake, removal of garbage/recycling cans around 2 different cities and redirecting traffic. Wow our government is almost as wasteful as the Americans!

[Eagle Peak]

So then.....a 60 kilometer kite string originating from Barrie will not be permitted? What you gonna do....send an F15 jet to shoot it down? FEAR....FEAR.....FEAR.....just for a couple days, and then it's OK!

[Eagle Peak]

I'm almost tempted to buy a radio-controlled airplane from Radio-Shack for $28.52 plus GST and PST and fly it over Huntsville just to see it explode in a ball of flame upon being targeted by a $12,000,000.00 fighter-jet's nuclear-armed air-to-air missile. TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL this Harper joke-fest! Unfortunately I need to save the thirty bucks for McSquinty's HST in July so I'll have to pass on making my point! See...the gov't has us by the short and curly's every time.

[Eagle Peak]

Remember that EMERGENCY LANDINGS will not be allowed......blood on Harper's hands should this become a reality and any plane need to land due to mechanical failure! Shoot em down is the dictum of the day?

[Charlie Tuna]

What about the water? Can people be boating/sailing around the Toronto Islands?

[Good Gravy]

What about jumping? Is jumping allowed? With or without the use a trampouline? What about a pogo stick? Pogo Ball? No?

[Empress of the Universe]

Everyone is joking about the no sightseeing and no kite-flying policies. I can't help but zero in on the "no rocket launches." And exactly how many rocket launches do we have in a normal week in Ontario anyway? Are people regularly launching rockets and perhaps I've missed it? I have to start paying closer attention.

[R Bateman]

I thought this was a free country!!!!!!!!!!! So now for that weekend citizens of Toronto will have to put up with restrictions on their movement, have to put up with damage by idiot protestors, some will be prisoners in their own homes and along with the rest of Canada will have to pay over $1.2 billion - not counting the property damage - for the privilege - net benefit to Torontonians and Canadians as a whole = ABSOLUTELY ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Phobos]

They forgot to add "thinking freely" and "freedom of speech" These are also banned during the summit.

[xtinaislove]

For all those who are complaining, the city only did it for YOUR safety. The most crazy attack can happen in the most unexpected way, so it's for YOUR safety and therefore stop complaining. Do you really want to risk being attacked? Come one, we're holding one of the largest summits this year. And they added sight seeing because IF something does happen in a popular area, then at least thousands of people will not be hurt by it... so stop complaining.

[anon]

They forgot about jet-man!

[livininTO]

....stettle down everyone....The headline makes it look a bit draconian, but this is a typical catch-all flight restriction, these are in place more often than you might think (like everywhere most heads of state are present) I'm sure you can still fly a kite or run your RC helicopter in your back yard, just dont do it close to the G8/G20 sites.

[Edward]

... how about stop complaining and leave town for the wekeend/week? There are many places in the world that are better than Toronto this time of year. Of course, I hope the good people of Toronto do this on their own dime, and do not demand that the government subsidize their trips as a matter of 'charter rights' :)

[BlameTheCat]

Could be a bad time for pigeons, too. But on the other hand, they don't say anything about regular party balloons. 99 red ones, anybody? : D

[Greg Clapp]

Why can't we ban the Canadian Geese?

[Angela]

No sight-seeing??? That makes no sense at all, since sight-seeing can be done on the ground! I guess they forget to add "in a plane, helicopter..." after the sight-seeing part.