The Magdalen Islands, in the Province of Quebec, are recognized for the magnificent sunsets. The picture above was taken while I was coming back from Havre Aubert with my family during summer 2017. The ponds are located between Havre Aubert and Cap-aux-Meules, immediately alongside the main road.
The day had been cloudy and there was no indication that the evening would offer a possibility to get an interesting picture. But around 8 PM, while the sun was still relatively high above the horizon, a few sunrays were able to pierce through the cloud deck. The stratocumulus being well defined, it became obvious that when the sun would be close enough to the horizon, it would light the cloud deck from below as well as light up the ponds. It was important to act rapidly in order to capture the beautiful atmosphere.
When the winds are calm and you must stand still close to ponds in order to do photographic adjustments, one must accept to lose some blood to swarming moskitos. That night, I must have lost a pint of blood!
The absence of wind allowed for a good reflection of the electric poles in the foreground.
The picture was taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera equipped with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens and a graduated filter used to avoid the underexposure that would be caused by the highlights in the horizon. I used aperture priority and set it at F18 to get a proper depth of field. The ISO was set at 200 and the focal length at 135 mm.
For other photos on the province of Quebec and also Quebec City, click on the following links from my blog:
Children are playing on a beach in Parksville, British Columbia
The children in the picture above immediately reminded me of my youth. In the ‘60s, video games had yet to be invented and we were often outside trying to create new situations in which we could take risks without serious consequences.
The kids are playing on a beach in Parksville, British Columbia. For how long will the boy be able to stay dry in his rubber boots? His sister seems to realize more than him the situation in which he has put himself. Maybe it is already too late to return to the beach before the next wave…!
The scene was caught with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera.
The reason for the delays and the positive side for the consumers
A virtual Bombardier regional jet CRJ-900ER (Aerosoft) with the Alaska Airlines colors is climbing after its departure from the Valdez virtual airport in Alaska (ORBX).
Digital Aviation & Aerosoft have finally completed their long awaited project to make a virtual CRJ-900ER and CRJ-700ER Bombardier regional jets. Months later than expected, the flight simulation enthusiasts can now try those two new virtual aircrafts. The CRJ is mostly used to link smaller airports and remote areas to the main hubs. The aircraft can rapidly reach its cruising altitude and stay there a long time, but it is not intended to be a really fast aircraft.
The company explains that, since the beginning, it had underestimated the complexity of the project and, because of ongoing delays, ended up having to catch up with the competition. In order to offer a superior product than the competition, Digital Aviation and Aerosoft had to review what it initially considered as an almost completed project.
Virtual CRJ-700ER aircraft (Aerosoft) with the Alaska Airlines colors airborne from the Valdez virtual airport (ORBX)
The CRJ-900ER and CRJ-700ER had their exterior almost completely redone; the consumer now ends up with a much better looking aircraft. The project manager says that it is only due to the patience and kindness of potential customers that the project was saved. It pays to be nice!
The first flight with the CRJ
Virtual CRJ-900ER aircraft with the Air Nostrum colors departing the St. Maarten international airport (Fly Tampa St.Maarten)
For the first flight, the manual recommends to first choose and activate one of the default FSX aircraft with the engine running. The pilot then selects the CRJ of his choice. It seems that doing so will prevent a lot of problems.
The virtual 2D cockpit
The virtual 2D cockpit helps save a few FPS. An easy access to the different sections of the cockpit is available since it is divided in several logical panels numbered from 1 to 9.
Navigation
The virtual pilot has access to an updated NavDataPro (May 2017) database for air navigation. It is the world’s most used database in aircraft. The aircraft is also compatible with the popular Navigraph database.
How does a standard computer deals with the new CRJ?
Virtual CRJ-900ER aircraft (Aerosoft) with the U.S. Airways colors airborne from the Denver International airport (Flightbeam Studios)
I have flown both aircrafts on several virtual airports like St. Maarten (Fly Tampa St. Maarten), Montreal international (Fly Tampa Montreal), Denver international (Flightbeam Studios) and Valdez (ORBX) without problems with regards to the computer’s processors and FPS. It was certainly out of question to try to land at the Courchevel airport (LLH Creations), with its short sloped runway, but a low pass at high speed caused no stutters.
A virtual CRJ-700ER aircraft (Aerosoft) with the Air France HOP colors is in flight over the Courchevel virtual airport in France (LLH Creations)
Flying the CRJ at low speed
The CRJ offers a good margin of manoeuver when it comes to flying at low speed. But due to the position of the engines, the aircraft’s nose will raise rapidly when the throttle is brought back to idle. In a constant and progressive descent, that does not cause a problem. But if the manoeuver is done on short final when the aircraft is still above 50 feet, the rapid change in the aircraft’s attitude could induce a stall.
The air brakes
One cannot rely too much on the air brakes to slow down the CRJ. They have limited efficiency, both for the virtual and the real aircraft.
Floating tendency
If the aircraft arrives over the threshold at a higher speed than recommended, it will float for a long distance before finally touching down.
Landing and take-off distances
A virtual CRJ-900ER aircraft with the Air Canada colours (Aerosoft) is approaching the Montreal Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau virtual airport (Fly Tampa Montreal)
The CRJ-900 and CRJ-700 operate on relatively short runways. The CRJ-700 needs 5040 feet for take-off (at maximum weight) and landing, under the standard ICAO conditions. The CRJ-900 requires 6060 feet for take-off and 5260 feet for landing. The maximum range has been established to be around 1300 and 1400 nm.
Managers that facilitate the use of the CRJ
For the CRJ, Digital Aviation & Aerosoft have created managers that allow choosing the number of passengers, cargo, as well as calculating the fuel weight, the center of gravity and the amount of trim required. There is even a FS2 Crew option if desired. Another manager facilitated the addition of liveries.
The flight simulation enthusiasts had been anticipating the arrival of that regional jet for a long time; some did not believe anymore that it would one day become a reality (that includes the company too!). The flight simmers now have access to a world class and high quality regional jet.
For more articles on flight simulation on my web site, click on the following link : Flight simulation
The Quebec Bridge, the longest cantilever type bridge in the world, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017. For the occasion, several activities were organized in Quebec on September 23rd 2017, culminating with fireworks near the bridge.
Reflections on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge was celebrated with fireworks.
Several workers lost their live while attempting to build the bridge. A Wikipedia article resumes its history: The Quebec Bridge
In 2017, the safety issue was brought back in the news. This time it was about the lack of maintenance that favored an increasing amount of rust on the metallic structure.
The funds that would allow to paint the bridge on a regular basis seems hard to find. The bridge owner, the Canadian National Railway Company, and the different levels of government are attempting to find a solution that would be acceptable for all. This discussion has been going on for years. While the bridge holds on, everything is fine.
September 23rd 2017 celebration for the 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge.
About the photography
During the fireworks several boats equipped with an additional lighting system approached the bridge.
It was impossible to get really sharp shots of the boats since they were constantly moving due to the strong current of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The fireworks lasted about thirty minutes and attracted a huge crowd, both along the St.Lawrence Seaway and on the higher grounds of bothLévis and Quebec City.
Fireworks for the 100th anniversary of the Quebec Bridge
Frequent adjustments of the camera’s aperture and ISO were needed since it is always very demanding for a camera to deal with sudden burst of lights appearing in the darkness. It was necessary to limit the exposure time in order to avoid an accumulation of blurred light trails.
The Quebec Bridge is 100 years old in 2017
The pictures were taken with a Canon 5DSR full frame camera mounted on a tripod. A Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM was used to capture the fireworks.
The pictures below have been taken in Ottawa, Canada, with a Canon 5D MKII full frame camera. This model is aging a bit, but it has always and still provides the photographer with great colors.
Autumn reflections in Ottawa in 2015
Trees with autumn colors in Ottawa in 2015
Autumn colors on an Ottawa street in 2015
Jogging session early morning in Ottawa
Autumn scenery in Ottawa in 2015
Autumn colors in an Ottawa park in 2015
View of part of the National Gallery of Canada from a park in Ottawa during autumn 2015
United States Embassy in Ottawa
Below is the interesting Canadian Museum of History, in Hull, and few sculptures. I find the Canadian Museum of History’s architecture particularly interesting because of its rounded shapes. It certainly is more expensive to build, but the result is superb.
The Canadian Museum of History, located in the Province of Québec and seen from Ottawa during the autumn 2015
Artwork located in Ottawa, Canada
Peacekeeping Monument (Reconciliation), located in Ottawa, Canada
Ottawa Parliament in autumn
For more articles in the category « Photos of Canada », click on the following link : Photos of Canada
Front cover of the book Autos Biographie by Jacques Godbout
Jacques Godbout has found a very interesting way to present his autobiography. The cars that he once owned or rented , even those who he attempted to drive without success, become the link that the reader follows to travel around the world, always learning something new about the author’s life.
This is a refreshing book, filled with humor, where the author presents his family and many other people with whom he studied or worked, including Robert Bourassa, a former Prime Minister of Quebec.
Back cover of the book Autos Biographie by Jacques Godbout
As a citizen of Quebec City, I was surprised to learn that it is the rounded shape of the St-Laurent bar, inside Château Frontenac, that inspired Jacques Godbout and three of his friends (Paul Buissonneau, Gilles Carle and Jacques Languirand) when they were asked to sketch the beautiful Montreal Expo 67’s pavillion “L’homme dans la cité” (Man in the Community).
The Harlequin in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, 2017.
The picture above shows the Harlequin, a bulk carrier built in 2012 that has a 9.7 meter draught. It sails under the Cyprus convenience flag. On June 18th 2017, when the photo was taken, it was in front of the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis, Quebec, and was about to cross the Atlantic heading to Rouen, France. The Jean Gaulin refinery is Quebec’s largest refinery and ranks second in Canada when it comes to refining crude oil.
The photo was taken at 21:07, just before nightime. Since I was positioned on the highest floor of the Quai des Cageux wooden tower, there were constant vibrations associated with people going up and down the stairs. The tower’s movement combined with a moving vessel made the use of of tripod totally useless. It was thus necessary to make a handheld photo, which seriously increased the risk of a blurred picture considering the lack of light.
A Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM fixed lens installed on a Canon 5DSR full frame camera helped to make a successful shot. The fact that this kind of lens requires very little light increases the photographer’s margin of manoeuver. It would obviously have been possible to increase the ISO to 6000 and more to compensate for the poor lighting, but that would have degraded the photo’s quality. The ISO was thus limited to 2000, with a shutter speed of 1/200 sec and a 1.6 aperture.
In order to limit the risk of a blurred picture, it was necessary to follow the movement of the ship with the camera. The closer one gets to immobilizing the ship in the viewfinder, the better the chances of a defined photo.
Since the ship was farther than it appears on the picture above, some cropping was mandatory to bring the vessel to a decent size. If the ISO had been too elevated to start with, the ensuing photographic grain would have been too big after the cropping and the quality of the picture would have suffered. With an ISO limited to 2000, the image kept a decent definition.
For other pictures of ships on my website, click on the following link : Ship photography.
Two Porter Airlines Bombardier Q-400 on the Toronto Billy Bishop airport
That is what happens when there is only one taxiway and both pilots refuse to give way…
You have certainly realized that there are no conflict here and that, a fraction of a second later, both Porter Airlines Bombardier Q-400 aircrafts continued taxiing, one towards the ramp and the other one towards one of the runways of the Toronto Billy Bishop airport in Ontario.
Few seconds before, I was watching both aircrafts getting closer with each other. Being of the same format, it was possible to get a special effect. Every fraction of a second counts when doing street photography so I took several shots and chosed the one that allowed the minimal space between the two aircrafts.
The title of this French book could be translated as: “Memories without glory: the confessions of an airline pilot”. A bit of modesty was certainly required in order to publicly expose one’s own flying mistakes, especially when that person is an airliner captain.
Front cover of the book: “Souvenirs sans gloire – Les confessions d’un pilote de ligne”
However, the book does not relate only some of the errors made by the author, Michel Vanvaerenbergh, but also those of the crew members working at the time for the Sabena airline company.
Generally, flying errors are discussed in private and corrective actions are published by each airline company for their staff in order to limit the risk of repeating the same mistakes. But to actually publish a book on one’s own mistakes is quite original and also very useful. Beginners or experienced pilots will certainly profit from the author’s past experiences.
Some of the stories are quite scary: on several occasions, the reader realizes that the pilots and passengers were lucky to survive a flight. Once, the pilots had to decide if a runway was long enough for take-off. They did not have the appropriate documents on board to calculate what was needed and the Sabena office was closed. They estimated that they could do it but realised too late that is was not the case, seeing the end of the runway approaching quickly. They forced the Boeing off the ground before it had reached the appropriate speed. The aircraft refused to climb for seven minutes. That meant that the aircraft was close to stalling and that everyone on board nearly escaped death.
Back cover of the French book: “Souvenirs sans gloire”
The author tells the story of crew members under the influence of alcohol with whom he had to deal with. There is also the unbelievable account of a test flight with Yemeni pilots who never used the appropriate charts to adjust the parameters of the aircraft. To make it easier, they preferred assuming the aircraft was always at its maximum weight.
On a few occasions, too much assertiveness from pilots and crew members almost resulted in an airliner crash.
The literary style has only one objective: go straight to the point. So forget any fanciful writing. Moreover, there are no paragraphs in this small book, something to which I was not used. But those are only details and the reader can easily deal with them.
Considering the intensity of real life stories, “Souvenirs sans gloire” is certainly a book not to be missed, especially for the aviation enthusiast.
Click on the link for other books relating specifically to human behaviour on my blog.
The chilean vessel Esmeralda and its crew during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
In July 2017, the four masted Chilean sailboat Esmeralda arrived in Quebec City for the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. The arrival was quite spectacular, as the whole crew sang together for several minutes for the people standing along the pier.
In order to avoid any distraction, the full frame picture has been taken in the portrait mode and the cropping was tight enough to bring forward the crew members standing up high away on the masts.
The picture below offers another point of view of the sailboat masts but this time the importance is given to the colored chairs directly installed in water, allowing the tourists to cool down during a particularly hot summer day. The wide angle lens used for the shot was a Canon 14mm f/2.8L. Two diagonal lines created by the pool in the foreground progressively meet with each other in the distance, in front of the sailboat.
The vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
When the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 ended, several small boats approached the Esmeralda and other sailboats to slowly travel with them from Quebec City until they cleared île d’Orléans. In the picture below, you can see the cruise ship Maasdam, which has been repositioned to a new pier in the Port of Quebec in order to accomodate the sailboats.
The ship Maasdam and the vessel Esmeralda during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec City.
In the picture below, the sailboat Esmeralda his heading towards the north of île d’Orléans as the final parade is completed. On the left, you can see the Château Frontenac and, directly behind, the Hotel Le Concorde Québec, with in its upper ring a revolving restaurant offering a superb view of Quebec City. The hand held photo was taken from île d’Orléans with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM telephoto lens. This lens is equipped with an integrated stabilizer.
It would nonetheless have been quite difficult to succeed with such an important cropping without the performance of the 50.6 megapixel full frame sensor used in the Canon 5DSR. Considering the great distance over water that is present between the camera and the sailboat, it is possible that you notice a mirage effect, even with the small picture presented here.
The vessel Esmeralda in Quebec City during the Tall Ships Regatta 2017. In the background, the Château Frontenac and the hotel Le Concorde.
I thought the crew would use all of the sailboat’s sails once passed île d’Orléans, but it was not the case. The picture below was taken from the top of a wooden tower installed at the north east extremity of île d’Orléans, while the Esmeralda is still navigating using its engine.
Even without the sails, the photographic composition benefited from a yellow field, a merchant ship and a lively horizon line showing the Appalachian mountains. No tripods were used for the shot as the wooden tower was constantly moving. The telephoto lens used was a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and a slight cropping was necessary.
An approximative rule of thirds is behind the composition of the photo : you can imagine three fictive horizontal lines dividing the frame. The sailboat also finds itself on one of the rule of thirds vertical line on the right.
The vessel Esmeralda, from Chile, sailing on the St. Lawrence Seaway after its departure from the Tall Ships Regatta 2017 in Quebec.
For other pictures of ships on my blog, click on the following link : Ship photography.
