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

Raisins and blueberries in Inukjuak

(Precedent story: The cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 during a night flight over the Atlantic)

Around 1982, during the months when there was an on-the-spot cook preparing the meals in Inukjuak, for Transport Canada and Environment Canada employees,  we had it easy because everything was ready when meal time came. It remains that the desserts would have benefited from a little variety. Those were prepared with either grapes or blueberries, week after week, month after month.

Carrots and raisins muffins
Carrots and raisins muffins
Blueberries and lemon muffins
Blueberries and lemon muffins

We thus had the choice between raisin cakes, raisin pies, raisin puddings, raisin muffins and raisin cookies. When there was no more possibility of ingesting additional raisins, it was now time for blueberries: blueberry cakes, blueberry pies, blueberry puddings and blueberry muffins. However, to add some variety in the menu, there were no blueberry cookies. I was unable to eat raisins and blueberries for a long time following this monthly overdose of the same ingredients.

The cook not being particularly patient, I thought of making him laugh a little by asking him to participate in a trick where the victim would be a new Transport Canada flight service specialist (FSS) employee who had just arrived in Inukjuak in early afternoon. The latter had not taken any meal yet in the staff house’s kitchen. I knew that the dinner was served at 5 pm and that it was necessary to get organized to be on time. I thus told the cook that I would voluntarily arrive five minutes late with the new FSS. That would allow the cook to act as if he was extremely upset. I knew he would be convincing.

Dinner time came. It was 5 PM but training of the new flight service specialist was voluntarily extended five minutes. Then, feigning a surprise, we told him it was necessary to rush towards the staff house, as we feared the cook would be out of his mind. From the corridor that lead to the kitchen, we could hear cauldrons being smashed on the counter while the cook was shouting and complaining that new employees thought they were kings and lacked respect towards the kitchen staff.

The newcomer told me that he was not really hungry. Apparently, he was not anxious to face the cook’s anger. The situation got worse when I nevertheless incited him to go in the kitchen and try to arrange things with the cook. Seeing the new guy, the cook doubled his efforts, red with anger. Then suddenly, all the employees in the kitchen burst with laughter and the cook wished a warm welcome to the new FSS, thanking him for having given him a chance to relax a little.

(Next story: ice and ships)

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

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Flight Simulation

Flight simulation: a Canadian C130 Hercules on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise

Canadian C-130 Hercules on approach for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise
Canadian C-130 Hercules on approach for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise

For the challenging virtual flights category, a F18 landing on the bridge of an aircraft carrier would have been appropriate. But using a C130 was at least as demanding, due to an increased inertia and the absence of hook to slow down the plane. Since this had already been tried in real life on the USS Forrestal in 1963, it seemed that it would be an excellent exercice.

Canadian C-130 on final for the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier
Canadian C-130 on final for the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier

If you decide to try this exercice, expect to do few missed approaches as you get used to the narrow bridge and the more important size of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules (Captain Sim). The landing configuration with full flaps must be established a long time in advance. At the time you arrive over the bridge, no in flight adjustments must have been necessary for a minute or so on the approach. It will ensure a smooth landing.

Canadian C-130 on short final for the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier
Canadian C-130 on short final for the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier

The USS Enterprise deck height is about 130 feet and there is plenty of runway if you arrive at the threshold at the appropriate height. If there is a rebound, just apply full throttle and pull the control column slightly, as you are flying near stall speed. The approach speed should be around 110 kT. I chose to limit the fuel load to 50% in all tanks. The total weight of the aircraft was 127,000 pounds.

Canadian C-130 landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise
Canadian C-130 landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise

You will have to deactivate the option that makes the simulator react to an airplane crash. There are too many aircrafts on each side of the Big E runways and you risk hitting one of them with the C130 wings. For the real life trials on the USS Forrestal, the aircrafts on the deck had been moved away to give space to the Hercules.

Canadian C-130 parking on the deck of the USS Enterprise
Canadian C-130 parking on the deck of the USS Enterprise
Canadian C-130 parking on the deck of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier
Canadian C-130 parking on the deck of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier

There are many areas around the world where this exercice can be practiced since everything is already programmed in the TEAM SDB CVN-65 USS Enterprise software for FSX Acceleration. I chose to be airborne from San Diego (KSAN)and followed a heading of 257 degrees over 108nm. The USS Enterprise is located at 32,31.647N 119,1.802W. The month of July has been chose for the screen captures. The flight was done at 17h30 and the weather theme was ORBX5.

View of the USS Enterprise deck with a Canadian C-130 Hercules
View of the USS Enterprise deck with a Canadian C-130 Hercules

It is a demanding exercise that you will certainly appreciate. Have a good flight! If you feel like it, tell me how it went!

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

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

The cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 during a night flight over the Atlantic

(Precedent story: a kitchen used as a navigation aid to aviation)

Cockpit and crew view of a KLM B747 on a night flight from Montreal to Amsterdam (EHAM) . The picture was taken while the aircraft was mid-point over the Atlantic ocean, in 1983.
Cockpit and crew view of a KLM B747 on a night flight from Montreal to Amsterdam (EHAM) . The picture was taken while the aircraft was mid-point over the Atlantic ocean, in 1983.

There was a time when it was very simple to visit the cockpit of an aircraft in flight. A request was made to the stewardess, who then coordinated with the captain. Even during this period though, several companies forbade those visits when the plane was over the ocean.

In 1983, during a journey from Montreal towards Holland, I decided to take a chance and ask the on-board staff the dreaded question, hoping to be able to take a picture of the cockpit.

The flight was being made on a KLM Boeing B747. In the middle of the night, while the plane had been at cruising altitude for several hours and most of the passengers were asleep, I discreetly asked the flight attendant the authorization to visit the cockpit. Naturally, she refused. I tried again, telling her that I was working as a flight service specialist (FSS) for Transport Canada in Inukjuak, and that I regularly talked with KLM to provide air traffic services. To dissipate any doubts, I finally gave her the KLM call-signs that I was dealing with over Northern Quebec.

She agreed to deliver my request and, twenty minutes later, I was told: “come with me but pay attention not to wake the first class passengers installed near the spiral staircase which leads to the cockpit “. As I entered the cockpit, the captain turned around, greeted me while he crunched in an apple and returned to his work. Everything was quiet in the cockpit and we could hear a continual light whistling caused by the air friction.

After a short discussion with the crew, I asked both pilots and the flight engineer to close their eyes a short moment while I took a photo with flash with my Pentax KX. A photo impossible to take today, under the same circumstances, due to higher security standards.

And, since I started my annual holidays by visiting a cockpit, I thought it would also be interesting, once in Holland, to visit the famous miniature world of Madurodam, so as not to stay away too long from the aviation world…

The miniature world of Madurodam, Holland 1983
The miniature world of Madurodam, Holland 1983
Madurodam, Holland 1983
Madurodam, Holland 1983

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

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Flight Simulation

Flight simulation: Parry Sound (CNK4) to Toronto Billy Bishop (CYTZ)

Flying over Toronto downtown shortly before the landing in Toronto Island (CYTZ)
Flying over Toronto downtown shortly before the landing in Toronto Island (CYTZ)

I recently added, in the standard virtual flight section, a flight leaving Parry Sound for Toronto Billy Bishop.Here is an opportunity to learn a bit more about the Great Lakes region in Ontario. The Parry Sound airport, from ORBX, is a first creation by Vlad Maly for this province. The runway length is 4000 feet. Just beside the airport, there is a lake, Robert’s Lake (CRL8), with many cottages, floatplanes and sailboats that are visible when you select the appropriate season. The lake also offers 4000 feet for takeoffs and landings.

The actual flight has been made while the clouds were low enough that the flying altitude forbid the adequate reception of the Toronto Island (Billy Bishop) NDB (257khz) in the first half of the flight. A touch-and-go was made at Toronto International (CYYZ). MyTraffic2013 provided the airport with many AI aircrafts. Once over downtown Toronto, it was now time for Pilot’s FS Global 2010 to automatically install a maximum of buildings, for more realism.

On final for the Toronto Billy Bishop (Toronto Island) airport (CYTZ)
On final for the Toronto Billy Bishop (Toronto Island) airport (CYTZ)
Landing at CYTZ with the CN tower in the background (FSX)
Landing at CYTZ with the CN tower in the background (FSX)

Finally, theToronto Billy Bishop (formerly Toronto Island) was modified by ORBX in order to make it more interesting and alive. You will thus find, on arrival, some staff to take care of the refueling process. Somes vehicules have also been added. Naturally, MyTraffic2013 took charge of AI aircrafts as CYTZ is quite a busy airport and needs some air traffic to enhance the realism.

Time to refuel at Toronto Billy Bishop (CYTZ)
Time to refuel at Toronto Billy Bishop (CYTZ)

I wish you a good flight, if you wish to try it out. I would suggest though, for a more interesting experience, that you install ORBX FTX Global Vector on your computer, as the Microsoft Flight Simulator (FSX)software does not do a good job when it comes to representing the Great Lakes area. ORBX Open LC for North America further improves the flying experience.

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

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

A kitchen used as a navigation aid to aviation in Inukjuak

(Precedent story: the UFO invented in Inukjuak in 1983)

Inukjuak during a blizzard that forbid landings for days.
Inukjuak during a blizzard that forbid landings for days.

The winter 1982-1983 was fierce in Inukjuak (CYPH), in the Nunavik. There was a period when the winds were strong enough and the visibility reduced to the point that a rope had to be attached between the staff house and the flight service station. A Transport Canada flight service specialist (FSS) had to hold a rope to guide himself from one building to the other. And good luck to the FSS who would try to carry his meal on a tray between both buildings. A hand held the rope while the other one took care of the tray which was going in all directions. On one occasion, tray and food found their way in the snowbank.

Due to strong sustained winds, snow sometimes reached the roof top of the Inukjuak flight service station.
Due to strong sustained winds, snow sometimes reached the roof top of the Inukjuak flight service station.

After a storm which seemed endless, I remember that the employees had to dig steps in the hardened snow in order to reach the flight service station door.

We sometimes had to dig in the snow to free the door and enter in the Inukjuak flight service station
We sometimes had to dig in the snow to free the door and enter in the Inukjuak flight service station

This blizzard, which lasted twelve days, had prevented any takeoff and landing. There was no more milk for sale in the Inuit village, as it was now reserved for children. Hardly one hundred feet over us, there was a perfectly blue sky, according to the pilots who had tried to land on multiple occasions. But one morning, an Austin Airways pilot decided to risk an approach.

A red square was useful to help the employees find a building during a blizzard in Inukjuak.
A red square was useful to help the employees find a building during a blizzard in Inukjuak.

The pilot could not benefit from any precise navigation aid during his approach, as the airport was only equipped with an NDB. So he trusted his local knowledge and what was left of his judgment. He knew that the staff house was painted green and situated just beside the runway. I guess that he prepared himself to aim for the colored staff house then make a sharp turn at the last minute. He dived into the storm, estimating the wind drift as much as he could.

At that same moment, our cook was working in the staff house’s kitchen. He was facing a huge bay window and was stunned to suddenly see the nose of a Twin Otter appear a few meters away from the window at the same time as a steep turn was being made to avoid the building. Reverse thrust was immediately applied to immobilize the plane as fast as possible. The cook repeated what he witnessed to every employee. I guess that helped him to unwind a bit.

As this was not enough surprise for the day, the plane’s doors opened and, instead of the much needed milk cargo expected by the villagers, we witnessed about ten passengers stepping out the plane and chitchatting like nothing ever happened. This unorthodox approach to the Inukjuak airport would now be one more story added on top of all the others told by pilots offering daily air service to northern Quebec villages along Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay coasts.

(Next story: the cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 during a night flight over the Atlantic)

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

Categories
Photography

Night Photography

Empress Hotel at dusk, Victoria Harbor, Canada 2014
Empress Hotel at dusk, Victoria Harbor, Canada 2014

1. Ensure you bring : tripod, remote cable, flashlight and timer.

2. Use of RAW (.TIFF) is highly recommended. There is a greater potential for corrections afterward, if something is not according to your taste.

3. Noise reduction activated on the camera.

4. If the winds are calm: ISO between 50 and 200.

5. If there are strong winds: ISO 400 might be useful to avoid a blurred picture caused by the continual small vibrations of the tripod due to a long exposure. That is why a heavy tripod is always preferable.

Trailing lights on boulevard Champlain, Quebec City
Trailing lights on boulevard Champlain, Quebec City

6. If you wish to take a picture of people moving at a normal pace, and you have access to quality lenses, it will often be necessary to use ISO 800 to get a clear shot. This setting could allow the shutter speed to be adjusted at about 1/200 which is plenty to obtain a picture that is not blurred; that is unless you are not using a long focal like 200mm or more.

7. For people shots, it is better to have your back to the remaining light on the horizon, unless your goal is to capture a silhouette.

8. For extended exposure, use the autofocus “one shot” setting until it stops working due to insufficient light. Then use manual focus. Or use manual focus all along, with Liveview, if you prefer it that way, for extra precision.

9. Mirror lock-up function must be activated to avoid vibrations caused by the shutter action.

10. Use a remote cable when taking the picture to avoid useless vibrations.

Old Québec at dusk
Old Québec at dusk.

11. If you wish, you might think of selecting a specific AF point to ensure a better focus if there is a small area that matters the most to you in the picture.

12. Do not use the FULL AUTO mode during night photography.

13. The three most important modes are 1. Aperture (taking care of slightly overexposing for surrounding lights) 2. Speed 3. Manual. There is one more reason to overexpose a bit if you work with the RAW format: there is more data information in light than in shadow, so once the picture is taken you have access to more data to play with to adjust the dark sections of the picture.

14. If you expect an exposure longer than 30 seconds, use BULB mode.

15. Night pictures are best taken using the camera bracketing funtion (-1,0,+1) and this, every two minutes.

A Christmas tree in Sillery
A Christmas tree in Sillery

16. The best period for night shots is 15 minutes after sunset, until official night time, which you can find on the internet. As this period is quite short, it is important that you know in advance what is of interest to you and where you will position yourself when comes the time for the picture.

17. Total darkness is not what is the most favourable in night photography. But you can certainly obtain interesting results using black and white.

18. Beware of surrounding light reflection in your lens.

19. Histogram has to be reviewed to ensure that there is no serious overexposure.

20. It is preferable to choose an aperture between F11 and F16 for maximum sharpness as well as an adequate depth-of-field.

21. If shooting a subject against the remaining light over the horizon, there might be quite a contrast in lighting between where you stand and where your subject is positioned. You might think of using grad filters (3-6-9-10) to help correct this huge light difference, or you can transform the standard photo session into an HDR one. Or both! There are also filters specifically designed for sunrise and sunset periods that can improve your shots.

Paris, Le Marais 2013
Paris, Le Marais 2013

All the photos were taken with a Canon 5D MKII

Categories
Photography

Aperture, ISO and Speed

A Decision Has to be Taken

You must decide the ideal combination between the following: aperture, speed and ISO. All three are interrelated and choosing one has a direct influence on the other two.

You are facing a beautiful landscape in which you want everything to be in focus: you decide that the aperture is what matters the most. Choosing aperture as the priority is a very popular choice. Let’s consider that you choose F16, which should give you a very interesting depth-of-field but will demand a lot of light. You have to compensate somewhere. If there is not much movement in the scene, and you have access to a tripod, you might decide to choose a slow speed, which allows more time for the light to enter the camera. Doing so, you won’t need to crank the ISO and you will avoid adding useless noise to your picture.

In the picture below, aperture is set at F16. The vegetation in the left corner draws the viewer’s eye toward the pedestrians, and then progressively to the quai des Cageux. We finally see the Quebec bridge, the longest cantilever bridge in the world.

Quai des Cageux, Québec 2012.
Quai des Cageux, Québec 2012.

If you decide that speed is a priority, you will have to compromise ISO or aperture. ISO will have to be increased to improve light sensibility, but doing so will increase the size of the grain in the picture. Depth-of-field will have to be adjusted as well since a higher speed does not let much light enter the camera. You won’t be able to pick F16 this time. So you will eventually find that there are some out of focus areas in your picture. With a bit of practice, you can be less demanding on the speed, providing you can follow the subject with your camera (it is like if you were slowing down the subject, so less speed is required).

The picture below was a bit particular: it was taken when I was on a boat rocked by waves. The eagle was far away and was traveling in the opposite direction, thus increasing the relative speed of the subject. The Canon 5D MKII was hand held and 400mm focal was necessary. Speed was crancked at 1/1600 and the ISO required was set at 5000. Naturally, the grain in the picture being larger, slightly diminishes the quality. This was a necessary compromise if the eagle was to be taken in flight.

Eagle observed in the Campbell River region. Summer 2012.
Eagle observed in the Campbell River region. Summer 2012.

It is getting dark and you want a photo with absolutely no noise and you decide that the aperture is what matters the most. You make no compromise and choose ISO 50. This setting requires a lot of light, because the lower the ISO, the higher the demand for light. In order to make sure that your picture will not be blurred, a tripod will be necessary, since there will be an extended exposition time. In the picture below, the shutter has been opened for ten seconds, with a 9.0 aperture, 200mm focal and 50 ISO. Only the small branches in the foreground are blurred.

IMG_0617 - Resize Queen Mary 2 Québec 2012 watermark eng

Note: in general, it is better to use a tripod as often as possible, even in daylight, in order to optimize quality. Choose a heavy enough tripod to prevent vibrations under windy conditions. A light tripod is easy to carry but does not allow for acceptable pictures in adverse weather. It’s obvious that this Queen Mary II photo would not have been as precise if a light tripod had been used. In this case, it would have meant that continual vibrations would have been recorded during 10 seconds. The boat would have been totally blurred.

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

The UFO invented in Inukjuak in 1983.

(Precedent story: assertions concerning the massacre of sled dogs during the fifties and sixties)

An Environnement Canada employee is launching a weather balloon in Inukjuak in 1983
An Environnement Canada employee is launching a weather balloon in Inukjuak in 1983

When I was working as a Transport Canada flight service specialist (FSS) in Inukjuak (CYPH) (Nunavik) in 1983, I witnessed the creation of a most improbable UFO. According to its duties, the Environment Canada staff at work in the upper air station had to launch, twice a day, a free-rising balloon which could go up to approximately 70,000 feet. These hydrogen filled balloons were pulling a radiosonde which was transmitting data such as wind speed and temperature at all altitudes.

One day, an observer attached a small battery on the probe as well as five battery fed bulbs. The balloon rate of ascent was corrected to take into account the additional weight of the new equipment. Finally, at darkness, the whole installation was launched. The only thing an observer on the ground could see in the sky was five lights moving quickly together while maintaining the same spacing. The speed and height of the unknown formation were impossible to determine since there was no ground reference.

Observed from the ground, this UFO could be either at 100 feet or at a very high altitude. The object was totally silent and seemed to be moving like nobody’s business. A UFO is now identified, decades later.

(Next story: a kitchen used as a navigational aid)

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

Categories
Screen captures

An approach at the Denver international airport

An Airbus A340-500 on final for the Denver international airport
An Airbus A340-500 on final for the Denver international airport
An Airbus A340-500 is landing at the Denver international airport
An Airbus A340-500 is landing at the Denver international airport

The two screen captures show a CLS Airbus A340-500 CLS on approach for a landing at the Denver international airport. This airport has been created by Flightbeam Studios. The shadows on the ground are possible through the Cumulus X software. If you want to obtain those effects, ensure to set the cloud cover to “scattered” clouds, so that the sun can reach the ground and create thermals. FSX is the platform I used, and the clouds are managed by REX.

The CLS Airbus A340-500 replicates quite well the inertia that a pilot has to deal with in real life. The engine sound is also quite interesting. Naturally, this virtual aircraft is dating a bit, so don’t expect to obtain multiple original angles if you like to press that V key while flying.

Categories
Screen captures

A Pilatus PC-21 in Kenai, Alaska

A Pilatus PC-21 heads for a landing at Kenai airport, Alaska, after a training session (FSX et Cumulus X)
A Pilatus PC-21 heads for a landing at Kenai airport, Alaska, after a training session (FSX et Cumulus X)

In the present screen capture, the Pilatus PC-21 is a creation of IRIS, while the background scenes (SAK) and Kenai regions are ORBX products.The clouds are being managed by REX. This picture has been slightly modified to improve the lighting. IRIS PC-21 is an excellent aircraft and numerous point of views are provided for the screen captures fans. The operating platform comes from FSX, helped by Cumulus X.