Author: Stanley

Photography: Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper and David Johnston in Ottawa , October 22nd 2015

Post author By Stanley
Post date 26 October 2015

On October 22nd 2015, in Ottawa, a ceremonial service commemorated the anniversary of the attacks that killed two Canadian soldiers in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa: Warrant officer Patrick Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo. Both families were present at the ceremony.

Policemen on motorcycles in Ottawa, on October 22nd 2015, ahead of the ceremony honoring Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant officer Patrick Vincent

As one could expected, major security measures were put in place. View of the ceremony was partly blocked by all kind of obstacles and the crowd was held at a good distance by fences and an army of policemen.

Part of the crowd standing near the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

I was nonetheless lucky enough to find one of the few spots that provided a direct view on the ceremony and the dignitaries.

Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau and Stephen Harper shake hands during the ceremony in honor of Nathan Cirillo and Patrick Vincent held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

Using a Canon 70-200mm f2.8L II USM equipped with an extender, and benefiting from an ideal random positioning of the multiple secret service agents, policemen, soldiers and officers of all kinds, few other photos were made possible.

A first handshake was visible between Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau and the incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, under the eyes of Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau.

First handshake between the new Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau and the incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the National War Memorial of Canada in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

Few dignitaries who were present at the ceremony: The Ottawa mayor, Jim Watson, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, Justin Trudeau, Laureen and Stephen Harper.

Jim Watson, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau and Justin Trudeau, Laureen and Stephen Harper at the National War Memorial in Ottawa in 2015

On several occasions, Justin Trudeau and Laureen Harper were able to exchange a few words.

The new Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau and Laureen Harper in Ottawa, October 22nd 2015

Four CF-18s flew over the crowd, at good speed. I was lucky enough to take a picture of one of them. For those photographers who could be interested, the camera speed was 1/8000 sec, the focal length 400mm and aperture 5.6.

One of four F-18s over the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper then raised and walk toward the National War Memorial in order to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Canada.

Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

On the left of the picture below, it is possible to see some of the Corporal Nathan Cirillo’s family members.

Nathan Cirillo family members are sitting behind Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper in Ottawa, October 22nd 2015

A second handshake, more assertive this time, was exchanged between Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper.

Second handshake between the new Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau and the incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 2015

Comforting words were pronounced by a few people, among them the Governor General of Canada and the military chaplain.

The military chaplain at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

The Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, and his wife are shown leaving at the end of the ceremony.

The Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, and his wife at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

A serious handshake was exchanged between the Ottawa Mayor, Jim Watson, and the Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau. Justin Trudeau’s both hands covering Jim Watson’s was certainly a sign that real cooperation could be expected.

Ottawa mayor Jim Watson and Justin Trudeau in Ottawa 2015

Soldiers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, of which Nathan Cirillo belonged, did a march- about under high protection. A commemorative plaque was unveiled at the National War Memorial in honor of Cpl Nathan Cirillo and the same will be done next year for Warrant officer Patrick Vincent.

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Parade in Ottawa, October 22nd 2015

Unveiling a commemorative plaque in honor of Cpl Nathan Cirillo in Ottawa on October 22nd 2015

For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada

Photos of Canada

Photography : The new Prime Minister-designate of Canada, Justin Trudeau, arrives in Ottawa

Post author By Stanley
Post date 24 October 2015

Luck was certainly needed to be able to catch the arrival in Ottawa of Justin Trudeau as the new Prime Minister-designate of Canada, after the historical Liberal Party win of October 2015.

Like it often happens after a long photography session, there is a last minute opportunity that allows some totally unexpected shots.

Just as I finished packing my Canon 5D MKII and camera equipment, I saw a policeman on a motorcycle who was blocking the traffic on Wellington street. He was giving way to the Liberal Party campaign bus.

The Liberal Party campaign bus with the new Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau on board arrives in Ottawa on October 20th 2015.

Estimating that the new Prime Minister-designate of Canada was on board, I took the chance to run back to the Ottawa Parliament. Climbing the stairs two by two, I arrived at the same time as the bus. A Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM was quickly installed to make sure that the photos would be in a wide enough format.

Numerous policemen were taking care of security but I was able to get close enough since there was only twenty or thirty people present, the arrival of a Prime Minister being held secret for obvious security reasons. Few seconds only were needed before Justin Trudeau got out of the bus and turned around to salute the crowd.

The new Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau arrives at the Ottawa Parliament on October 20th 2015

He then climbed few stairs, turned around again and showed the thumb up sign.

The new Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau as he prepared to enter the Ottawa Parliament on October 20th 2015

It was only the second time in the history of Canada that a political party ranking third won an election while forming at the same time a majority government, and the first time that a father and his son had been elected Prime Minister of Canada.

For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada

Tags Canada, Canadian politics, Canon 5D MKII, Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM, Justin Trudeau, Liberal Party of Canada, majority government, Ontario, Ottawa, Ottawa Parliament, photo, photography, police, political party, Prime Minister of Canada, security

Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Photography in the Province of Quebec : Tewkesbury 2015

Post author By Stanley
Post date 18 October 2015

Profiting from the autumnal season to do some photography, I visited the Tewkesbury region, near Quebec City, were there are always interesting point of views. First, near the Tewkesbury church :

Then, following a trail heading to the Jacques-Cartier river, I was able to take few shots, sometimes under an overcast sky and, on few occasions, with the sun shining through clouds :

All the photos were taken with a Canon 5D MKII DSLR camera. I mostly used two lens : a Canon 14mm 2.8L fixed lens and a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM.

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer

Tags autumn, Canon 14mm 2.8L, Canon 5D MKII, Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM, photo, photography, Québec, Quebec City, Tewkesbury

Screen captures

Flight simulation under FSX: The A2A Simulations C182T Skylane

Post author By Stanley
Post date 16 October 2015

Flying over the Eastern Townships in Quebec under MVFR always represents a problem due to the terrain. Here is a screen capture of a flight from the Quebec international airport to the Sherbrooke airport, to show what a virtual flight looks like during autumn. The terrain has been modelized by Orbx.

A2A Simulations C182T Skylane in the Eastern Townships region in Québec

Here are the first few hills visible but, rapidly, the top of mountains will be obscured in clouds. The downloaded weather is managed by the FSGRW weather engine and the cloud textures are the result of a combination between REX Texture Direct and REX Soft Clouds. A photo software has been used to enhance the contrasts.

The aircraft is a C182T Skylane from A2A Simulations. The similarities between a real aircraft and this virtual aircraft is really unbelievable. The pilot must take care of all corrections, even the gyroscopic precession, otherwise the ADF will indicate the road to follow while the compass sends you in a totally different direction!

Tags A2A Simulations, aircraft, aviation, flight simulation, FSGRW, FSX, ORBX, REX, REX Soft Clouds, REX Texture Direct, screen captures, virtual flight, weather engine

Photos of Canada Photos of Quebec

Quebec City Photos: Autumn 2015

Post author By Stanley
Post date 11 October 2015

Hi,

Here are few photos taken two days ago in Québec with a Canon 5D MK II camera . The first picture is the exception, having been taken in St-Antoine-de-Tilly.

It was raining when the two following pictures were taken in Sillery. But this normally allows for good results since the colors are more interesting:

The Park Bois-de-Coulonge always means interesting surprises, year after year. There is always something original to shoot, providing the photographer takes his time. One can see the Sillery Marina from the top of the cliff. A row of aligned trees and the numerous masts of the sailboats taken out of the water before the cold season offered an interesting view:

The wind was blowing moderately, which allowed for the following picture:

Near a little creek, I tried different shutter speeds on two similar shots:

As I was ready to leave the park, I saw a newly wed and her entourage arriving for a photo shoot session with a professional photographer. I delayed my departure and used the pond to capture the following image, which was then inverted:

Wedding at the Bois-de-Coulonge Park 2015

Two men who were present for the wedding were standing close to the pond, staying at a distance for the photo session. I took the opportunity to discretely add the shadows to my photo:

For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:

Province of Quebec Photos

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Autumn

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Winter

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Spring

Quebec City and Île d’Orléans in Summer

Tags autumn, Bois-de-Coulonge, camera, Canon 5D MKII, photographer, photography, photos, Québec, Quebec City photos, shutter speed, Sillery, St-Antoine-de-Tilly

Flight Simulation

Flight simulation: FSX, FSGRW and REX combined for this virtual flight

Post author By Stanley
Post date 5 October 2015

C182T airborne from the Parry Sound airport in Ontario, Canada.

In order to celebrate autumnal colors, here is a screen capture of an A2A Simulations C182T Skylane airborne from the Parry Sound (CNK4) airport in Ontario, Canada.

The airport was created by Vlad Maly, for ORBX. FSGRW was the weather engine used to follow the actual weather around Georgian Bay. REX Texture Direct was used for the cloud textures.

The screen capture of this virtual flight was slightly retouched by means of a photo software in order to add a bit more intensity to the autumnal scene.

For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation

Tags A2A Simulations, CNK4, flight simulation, FSGRW, FSX, ORBX, Parry Sound virtual airport, REX, REX Texture Direct, screen captures, virtual flight, Vlad Maly, weather engine

Photography

Night photography: the Blood Moon Eclipse seen from Quebec

Post author By Stanley
Post date 29 September 2015

A quick look on internet provided the exact location and time where the moon would rise in the Quebec City region. On September 27th 2015, one had to look towards 089 degrees and be ready for 18:25 PM.

September 27th 2015. Blood Moon photo taken from Promenade Champlain, Quebec City, with a Canon 5D MKII.

Imagine being able to connect your camera to a modern personal telescope. That would make for fantastic shots. But since I deal with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM coupled with an extender, I cannot expect the same results. Nonetheless, it is not a reason to stay at home…

September 27th 2015 Blood Moon Eclipse. As for the blue object to the right of the screen, your explanations are welcomed.

The most interesting effect happened during late evening. I caught the above shot around 22:15. Cranking the ISO, I saw a blue planet or something that looks like it in the frame. The shot was not taken through a window so there was no glass reflection. I was kind of surprised to see this addition to the Blood Moon Eclipse. I wrote to a local astronomy club, asking them what it could be. They answered that unless I took the shot through a window, causing a reflection, they did not know what it was.

I know nothing yet about astronomy. If it is the reflection of the moon, I don’t know how it got there since I was taking the photo outside, without a polarizer. According to a recent comment sent by Mario Cloutier (see the comments) who points the reader to another blog looking at this question, it is possible that the picture of this ghost moon is the result of an overexposed shot combined with the atmosphere’s specific characteristics of temperature and moisture which would increase the reflexion and refraction. That is a logical explanation. The last shot was taken around 22:35:

September 27th 2015 Blood Moon Eclipse. Camera adjusted on BULB priority, with ISO 100 and 2.8 aperture.

Tags 2015, aperture, astronomy club, Blood Moon Eclipse, Bulb priority, Canon 5D MKII, Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM, ISO, night photography, photo, photography, Promenade Champlain, Québec, Quebec City

Real life stories as a flight service specialist (FSS): Iqaluit FSS

Iqaluit FSS and the Persian Gulf War

Post author By Stanley
Post date 23 September 2015

Markair L-382 on a stopover in Iqaluit in 1990

In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. This invasion was unanimously condemned, even by countries that are traditionally aligned with Iraq. The United Nations reacted by giving Iraq up to January 15th 1991 to withdraw. But Saddam Hussein’s attitude clearly showed that there would be no withdrawal and that he intended to proceed with Kuwait annexation to the Iraqi territory.

Understanding that military force would obviously be necessary, United States (representing a coalition of 34 countries) started preparing for the conflict. Aircraft movements increased and short range military aircrafts that would have to cross the Atlantic used Iqaluit, on Baffin Island, as a stopover before continuing through Greenland, Iceland, Europe and finally the Middle East.

OV-10 Broncos transiting through Iqaluit in 1990 and heading for the Persian Gulf

Starting summer 1990, the Iqaluit airport then became one of the mandatory stopovers towards Middle East for some military aircrafts. Soon we could see L-382s carrying large size items and some OV-10 Broncos painted with desert colors landing in Iqaluit. Later on during autumn, other specially equipped aircrafts like the U.S.Army RU-21 Guardrail Common Sensor also made stopovers in Iqaluit.

RU-21 Guardrail Common Sensor on a stopover in Iqaluit in 1990 and heading for the Persian Gulf

A Southern Air Transport L-382 also landed in Iqaluit. That company was sometimes used by the CIA for its operations.

Southern Air Transport L-382 N908SJ transiting through Iqaluit in 1990

As soon as a flight service specialist (FSS) was not busy with radio communications, he would head toward the briefing counter to receive the military pilots who had come to obtain the mandatory weather and flight planning information that would be used to safely cross the Atlantic.

HF frequencies used for international communications at the local Transport Canada flight service station were really busy. On top of the regular air traffic services normally associated with commercial aircrafts crossing the Atlantic, we were now dealing with the radio communications associated with numerous military cargo aircrafts like the C-5s Galaxy and others.

In the two weeks preceding the United Nations ultimatum, between January 1st and 15th 1991, the Iqaluit flight service station recorded a 266 % increase against the same period in 1990 in oceanic traffic transiting through its airport. Flights were mostly related with private or chartered business jets linked to international banks, petroleum companies and military organizations preparing for the events to come. We received, among others, aircraft types like the G1, G2, G3, G4, HS25, DA50, DA90, CL60, C550, LR25 and B-727.

Occidental Petroleum B-727 N10XY on a stopover in Iqaluit in 1990

One night of January 1991, while we were at work, one member of the staff took-off his headphones and calmly told me: “Son, the war has started”.

I will remember that special period since we did not receive a military training but, nonetheless, we witnessed and dealt with the preparation and aircraft movements associated with a major military conflict.

Moreover, for a short period, the Iqaluit airport reverted to the use it had initially been planned and built for in 1942, during the Second World War, which was a base created for short-range military aircrafts heading to Europe.

For more real life stories as a FSS in Iqaluit, click on the following link: Flight service specialist (FSS) in Iqaluit

Flight Simulation

Flight Simulation: FSGRW and REX together under FSX

Post author By Stanley
Post date 18 September 2015

Icefield in sight! A screen capture realized with the following products: FSX, FSGRW, REX, and a combination of Orbx creations. Final editing with a photo editing software (slight corrections only)

The screen capture above, titled “Icefield in sight”, represents a virtual flight using the FSX platform. A combination of FSGRW and REX has been used to improve the cloud effects.

As the basic FSX program does not offer a very realistic representation of clouds, it is necessary to get better cloud sets from a third party provider. In the present screen capture, the clouds are a creation of REX, through their Texture Direct and Soft Clouds used in combination.

It is one thing to have access to realistic clouds but you also need a good weather engine. This engine will download real-weather data and, if you wish, will update it every few minutes when you fly.

Many weather engines are available. In the above picture, I used FSGRW (PILOT’S version 1.7, build 29).

To represent the mountains and the icefield, ORBX creations like SAK, Vector and Open LC Canada-Alaska were used. The DC-3 livery is available as a free download from major sites like FlightSim.com or AVSIM .

Last point: when you take a screen capture, it is possible to use a photo editing software (there are many good ones on the market) to slightly improve a particular aspect of the picture. It takes very little effort to learn how to use few basic functions that will enhance your captures.

For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation

Tags ASN, aviation, flight simulation, FSGRW, FSX, OpusFSI, ORBX, REX, REX Soft Clouds, REX Texture Direct, screen captures, virtual flight, weather engine

Aviation art

Aviation art: Keith Ferris

Post author By Stanley
Post date 15 September 2015

As a boy, Keith Ferris lived at Kelly Field, Texas, where his father was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He started drawing airplanes from life at age four or five. He used to carve wooden models, initially in balsa then in pine. This proved useful to visualize aircrafts three dimensionally in drawing.

Very young, he knew that he would have a military flying career and soon realized that all his flight training manuals were illustrated byJo Kotula, an artist who was self-employed and could make his living out of his art.

Keith tried to learn aeronautical engineering but eventually abandoned it to concentrate on what he liked the most, drawing and painting. He went on to study at the George Washington University and attended the Corcoran School of Art in New York. He became a member of the Society of Illustrators of New York in 1960.

“The Aviation Art of Keith Ferris” is a superb book filled with sketches, amazing drawings and paintings, aviation facts, real aviation stories, advices on how best to represent a scene, quotes from pilots who were actually involved in dogfights. He explains that some of the most demanding challenges for the aviation artist are painting through glass and simulating rotating propellers.

Keith Ferris‘s artwork has appeared in the Aviation Week and Space Technology calendar and the Airman Magazine cover, to name a few. Many international companies have used his work for their publicity. Among them, Mitsubishi Aircraft International, General Dynamics and Fairchild Republic Company. His paintings are part of many collections, among which the U.S. Air Force art collection and the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.

The book presents paintings of the following type of aircrafts: Lockheed T-33, Boeing P-12, Wright Type A Biplane, Loening OA-1B (amphibian), Spirit of St-Louis, Grumman F-14 Tomcat about to land on an aircraft carrier, B-52 and KC-135 in a refueling operation, the Thunderbirds (F-100), Harvest Reaper F-111, Supermarine Spitfire and German Messerschmitt 109E in a dogfight, Atlas Centaur Space Launch Vehicle cutaway, China Air Force Mig-15 and a F-86 Sabre (the dogfight is over), Fiat C.R.42, F-15 and a Soviet SU-15 in a dogfight, Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress in action, Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, F-4C and F4E Phantoms in action, F-105D and F-105E Thunderchiefs in action, Mitsubishi’s A6M2 Zero-Sen and MU2, Bell 47G, PBY Catalina, Handley Page 0/400, Skylab.

There is also a very interesting story about the steps involved in creating a gigantic B-17 mural (25 feet high by 75 feet wide) for the Smithsonian Institution.

Title: The aviation art of Keith Ferris
Author: Keith Ferris
©1978
Edition: Peacock Press/Bantam Book and edited by Ian Ballantine
ISBN: 0-553-01196-0