The Return From Toronto

As usual, you file a flight plan to depart Toronto Island Airport, it gets accepted, and then it gets changed when you ask for your clearance.

I had asked for a simple plan that had been approved before - Depart direct DERLO and from DERLO to Port Huron. 

Nope.  Instead I got the PERL4.08 Departure, to ANCOL, to DERLO, To MARGN and then Port Huron.  The controller first mistakenly said White plains airport and I asked that be clarified and she changed it to Port Huron so that was good at least.

MARGN is past Port Huron, but that was the required plan. 

Why Port Huron? Because Customs and Border Patrol is not open at Oakland County airport on the weekends, but Port Huron is Open 24/7 assuming you file the requisite paperwork and make the proper arrival intention call, which I had.

So I did the run up and got in line for departure and was soon off and on my way.

Again, very nice weather but windy with a good gusting crosswind on takeoff and very much during the initial climbout. 

Got put over the Lake Again, climbing to 3,000.  Got turned out farther into the lake and climbed up to 4,000 then 6,000 and finally 8,000 as I was then told to turn direct to ANCOL.

I then flew the route and got handed through the Toronto Control frequencies and then handed over  to Selfridge ANGB before the Border.

Selfridge then changed my plan to have me go direct to Port Huron which was great, and the controller was very much on the ball, and descended me perfectly, in plenty of time to be on track to get to pattern altitude at Port Huron. 

I had already picked up the automated weather, which was reporting a shifting and gusting crosswind that would wander near the heading for Runway, 4 so Runway 4 it was.

Selfridge had me descend to 2,500 and once I had the airport in sight, and then had me switch to the CTAF.  I listened for traffic, made my calls, crossed over the airport and then dropped down into the downwind for Runway 4 and made a darn nice pattern and  excellent landing. My first landing at Port Huron.

I then taxi'd over to the CBP building, cancelled my IFR flight plan with Selfridge,  got out and cleared customs. The officers were very friendly and made it a very easy experience with no issues.

I then went back to the plane, taxi'd back to the runway, did the runup and departed heading for Pontiac. I contacted Selfridge and requested VFR flight following as the weather was nice and clear and they obliged, alerting me to a ton of traffic around Romeo.  I stayed above it at 4,500 feet.

I then got passed to Detroit Approach and requested the RNAV 27L approach as the setting sun was right in my eyes, making the approach almost IFR-light and making it hard to see the airport, much less the runway.

Using the RNAV approach guidance it5 was easy to be on a proper glidepath and I was able to make yet another very nice landing.

Then taxi'd back to the hangar and that was then end of a very nice weekend trip. Using Poet Huron makes a weekend trip to Toronto and back a lot more doable and convenient, which is great.

That's a 1.7 and a .6 flight, and 2 great landings.