Behind the Scenes with Cathay Pacific
Three of the cabin crew from Hong Kong eagerly wait for their guest to begin boarding for the flight back to Hong Kong.
The following photo essay was contributed by Vancouver photographer Dave Roels (www.daveroels.com). Dave was given access to photograph behind the scenes with Cathay Pacific airlines as they get ready to fly from YVR to Hong Kong. Check out the photos below and follow Dave as he illustrates what goes into getting a flight off the ground.
Cathay Pacific Airways is in its 29th year of “Service Straight from the Heart” from Vancouver to Hong Kong. Since its first flight to Vancouver in 1983, the premium Hong Kong international airline has grown from 2 to 21 flights weekly – offering more non-stop services to Hong Kong than any other airline.
Out of Vancouver, Cathay Pacific offers 2 daily non-stop flights to Hong Kong and a daily non-stop to JFK New York. And from Toronto, another 10 weekly non-stop flights to Hong Kong. Aside from passenger flights, the carrier also operates 3 weekly freighters each out of Vancouver and Toronto bringing cargo from Canada to Hong Kong and Asia Pacific.
Safety always comes first within Cathay Pacific and you can be assured of that when traveling on one of their Boeing 747-400 or 777-300ER planes out of Vancouver. The engineering team here is one of the best within the system with professional and dedicated long-time employees. During the 100 minutes or so ground time between an inbound flight’s arrival and outbound flight’s departure the engineers and mechanics will meticulously go over the aircraft to make sure that all is well for the flight to continue its onward journey.
Once the aircraft lands a team of specialists will go over the aircraft from the cockpit to the back of the plane checking tires for any damage upon landing, refueling the aircraft, inspecting the engines as well as cleaning the cabin and bringing on board meals for the long-haul flight to Hong Kong. One engineer takes the data from the on board computer in the cockpit which monitors the flight for any discrepancies.
Close to one-third of the Hong Kong passengers coming to Vancouver are tourists.
Flight CX838 lands at Vancouver International Airport from Hong Kong.
Flight CX838 moving toward the terminal.
When you flush the toilet in the aircraft here is where the waste ends up.
A Cathay Pacific maintenance engineer inspects the large tires for any damege that might have occurred during the landing.
The Cathay Pacific maintenance engineer gives a visual inspection to the tails of the air craft after landing.
Cleaning the hydraulics is one of the Cathay Pacific Engineers jobs once the aircraft lands.
One of the Cathay Pacific Engineers inspects the rotor blades in the Rolls Royce engine for any possible damage.
Two Cathay Pacific Engineers prepare to open the casing on the Rolls Royce Engine.
Cathay Pacific Engineer gives a visual inspecting of the Rolls Royce engine after the flight.
The aviation fuel is being loaded into the wings during the turnaround.
Cathay Pacific flight crew that just flew in from Hong Kong along with the Engineering Manager in vest.
Part of the Cathay Pacific cabin crew who keep the passengers comfortable on their flight to and from Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific Engineering Manager takes records the flight data from the on board computers during the flight from Hong Kong.
A groomer cleans the drop down table and back of seat before the new passengers board for the flight back to Hong Kong.
Two goomers clean the seats and the pouch and replace the on board magazines for the new passengers.
A catering worker puts fresh meals into the ovens for the return flight to Hong Kong.
The head rests have new cloths put on and the vacuum cleaner finishes up.
A catering worker loads some meals into the onboard oven while another workers stocks the cupboard.
The head rests have new cloths put on and the vacuum cleaner finishes up.
A catering worker rolls a cart full of food that will be stored on board for the flight.
A Cathay Pacific Engineer checks a number of systems with the on board computer.
A first class cabin attendant checks the seats to make sure they are functioning before the flight to Hong Kong.
One of the cabin crew checks off the numbers as the catering staff counts to make sure everything is as ordered for the meals on the flight.
Two of the cabin crew pose for a quick picture before their guest start to board for the flight to Hong Kong.
A Cathay Pacific Engineer gives the thumbs up to the pilot saying have a fun flight to Hong Kong.
Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2012/03/22/behind-the-scenes-with-cathay-pacific/
