Categories
Photos of Quebec Ship photography

The liner Mein Schiff 6 in Quebec City

The cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 docked in Quebec City in 2023.
The cruise ship Mein Schiff 6 docked in Quebec City in 2023.

Autumn in Quebec City heralds the arrival of cruise ships in large numbers. Some days see the arrival and departure of as many as five ships. All these passengers disembark by the thousands in Old Quebec   and delight the merchants. For the first time in Quebec City, the liner Mein Schiff 6 was recently seen moored at Quay 22 in the Port of Quebec.

The Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship docked in Quebec City in 2023.
The Mein Schiff 6 cruise ship docked in Quebec City in 2023.

The inscription “Mein Schiff” on the side means “my boat” in German. Note the obligatory capitalization of the common noun “Schiff” in this language. Common nouns are written in lower case in English. There’s also the word “Wohlfüllen” on the side, evoking something like “feeling of well-being“.

This cruise ship from Europe has 15 decks and can accommodate 2,517 passengers. More than 1,000 employees provide onboard service. For this trip to Quebec City, it carries mainly Germans. The company supplying the liner in Quebec City is called Hapag Lloyd. It has an international reputation and is also German-owned.

Hapag Lloyd and the Mein Schiff 6 in the Quebec harbour in 2023.
Hapag Lloyd and the Mein Schiff 6 in the Quebec harbour in 2023.

Hapag Lloyd also owns container ships and cargo planes. I was working in Iqaluit (airport code CYFB and formerly known as Frobisher Bay), Baffin Island, when I spotted a brand-new Boeing 737 in the company colors. It was arriving from Boeing Field (KBFI) and passing through Canada for customs clearance and fuel before continuing on to Germany.

Hapag Lloyd D-AHLO B737-4K5 in its delivery flight in 1989, from Boeing Field (KBFI) to Iqaluit, and then towards Germany. It is being refueled during difficult weather conditions. This type of aircraft did not experience much problem with the cold weather, but it was not the case with smaller business jets
Hapag Lloyd D-AHLO B737-4K5 in its delivery flight in 1989, from Boeing Field (KBFI) to Iqaluit, and then towards Germany. It is being refueled during difficult weather conditions. This type of aircraft did not experience much problem with the cold weather, but it was not the case with smaller business jets

The Mein Schiff 6’s next destination after leaving Quebec City is Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.

Click on the link for more Autumn photos of Quebec City and Île d’Orléans on my blog.

Categories
Human behavior

Michel Vanvaerenbergh’s book: « Souvenirs sans gloire »

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"
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"
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.

Categories
Screen captures

Flight simulation: a CP Air B-737 is approaching the Juneau virtual airport in Alaska

CP Air B-737 on approach for the Juneau airport in Alaska
CP Air B-737 on approach for the Juneau airport in Alaska

Here is a slightly modified screen capture showing a CP Air B-737 in a virtual flight towards the Juneau runway in Alaska. The Boeing is a creation of the Captain Sim company and the scenery is the result of the hard work of the ORBX pros.The meteorological system is a combination of three elements: Cumulus X, the “Heavy snowstorm” selection in FSX and the improvements to snow appearance obtained through PrecipitFX.

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

Aviation photography: Air UK Leisure B737-4YO G-UKLB

In 1982, Air UK ceased its charter flight operation. But five years later, the company was back in that business, under the name of Air UK Leisure. It started its operation by using three Boeing 737-200s but soon realized more aircrafts would be needed. In 1988, Air UK Leisure ordered seven new 737-400s, the first of their type in Europe.

Those 737-400s, built at Boeing Field in Seattle, had to fly to Europe by passing over northern Canada. The aircrafts could not do that long trip without stopping for fuel. They landed at the Iqaluit airport, on Baffin Island, in the Nunavut.

Air UK G-UKLB Boeing B737 arriving in Iqaluit
Air UK G-UKLB Boeing B737 arriving in Iqaluit

In the unique aviation photography above, taken from the local Transport Canada flight service station (FSS), you can see one of those new Boeings, a B737-4YO, G-UKLB.

During the same period, many companies having recently acquired some B737-400s and 500s did the same trip from Seattle to Europe by stopping in Iqaluit. Among those, Aer Lingus and Hapag-Lloyd.

Aer Lingus B-737 on final in Iqaluit in 1990
Aer Lingus B-737 on final in Iqaluit in 1990
A new Hapag-LLoyd (D-AHLL) Boeing B-737 has just arrived from Boeing Field in Seattle. Next destination: Germany.
A new Hapag-LLoyd (D-AHLL) Boeing B-737 has just arrived from Boeing Field in Seattle. Next destination: Germany.

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