Recent Icelandic Volcanic Eruption Shuts down UK Airspace

[Evan]

This from Business Week:

Experts: Airlines must intensify engine checks

By SLOBODAN LEKIC
BRUSSELS

Experts warned that airlines resuming flights over large swaths of Europe on Tuesday should carry out extensive engine inspections if there is any suspicion that an aircraft has flown through volcanic ash.

No plane has flown though any zone containing ash, which are off-limits to air traffic. according to Eurocontrol, the continent's air traffic agency. It said much of the ash plume has dissipated over the past two days, and is now found in significant concentrations only over the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea.

But airlines and experts still say they want to conduct random engine tests as a safety precaution, in case the planes encounter lingering traces of airborne particles in zones deemed generally free of the contaminants.

"If in the normal course of events, a flight crew were to suspect that they have flown through or near the ash cloud, this must be reported and an engine inspection must be undertaken on the ground," said Martin Chalk, president of the Brussels-based European Cockpit Association which represents 38,200 pilots from 36 European nations.

Volcanic ash can cause serious damage because of the way the intense engine heat interacts with the particles.

Test flights or ferry flights by about three dozen airliners in France, Holland, Germany and Britain on Monday experienced no ill effects from ash, said David Henderson, spokesman for the Association of European Airlines. He said airlines did not expect that they would have to increase the tempo of regular engine checks.

"As far as airlines are concerned, they are confident that their established, regular maintenance inspections are perfectly adequate to detect the effects of ash," Henderson said.

The two big engine makers, General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney, said Tuesday they were advising airlines to avoid volcanic ash, and to inspect engines that may have encountered it accidentally.

So... the engine manufacturers, the ones who designed and built the engines, say it is necessary, and airlines say it isn't and they won't do it.

This is very bad. Where are the regulatory agencies in all this?

[HalcyonDays]

This is very bad. Where are the regulatory agencies in all this?

It's called 'regulatory capture' : just like in the finance industry, the regulators are out-smarted by those whom they regulate.

What seems to have happened, in the UK at least, is that 18 hours ago British Airways planned a concerted action, launching 12-15 long-haul flights from around the world, timing them for arrival at LHR in the evening, having them orbit in several regions around the UK, daring the regulatory agencies to make a decision. It seems the latter just caved in.

[AVION1]

ok boys and girls...new picture and is not looking good, the mess is heading once again to europe....

[Myndee]

I also guess this is why there is a Lufthansa A340 parked just back from the gate at DFW. It was at the gate two days ago...and I have never seen it here this long at one time.

Just to add, it was still there yesterday! It was at the gate again though, so I guess it is going home. It is D-AIGB, if anyone cares.

[Myndee]

Wasn't it a BA 747 that lost all four engines after lighting up like a Christmas tree, and by the grace of God was able to shake off the volcanic particles from the engines?

[mawheatley]

Wasn't it a BA 747 that lost all four engines after lighting up like a Christmas tree, and by the grace of God was able to shake off the volcanic particles from the engines?

Yes it was. BA009 on its way to PER in 1982. Managed to get three engines relit, but the windshield was virtually opaque!

When the engineers flew out to examine it they said it was a miracle even one of them restarted! This stuff is not to be messed with!

[brianw999]

A slightly risque' bit of humour just to break up the doom and gloom...

Q. What's the difference between Cheryl Cole and the Icelandic volcano ?

A. The Icelandic volcano is still blowing Ash !

[Cargo Runner]

It's called 'regulatory capture' : just like in the finance industry, the regulators are out-smarted by those whom they regulate.

What seems to have happened, in the UK at least, is that 18 hours ago British Airways planned a concerted action, launching 12-15 long-haul flights from around the world, timing them for arrival at LHR in the evening, having them orbit in several regions around the UK, daring the regulatory agencies to make a decision. It seems the latter just caved in.

So what?

Who are you to make any judgement?

Who am I to make any judgement?

But I do think it is funny that aircraft can fly around and over the UK but not inside it One CEO did fly on his company's jet and 'showed' that no damage was suffered to 'that' aircraft. Pointless going on about how long the flight was or how could they achieve anything on a 90 minute flight? The fact is, he did it and was the only person who was qualified to do it. I didn't see any Government ministers take to the sky OR refuse to take to the sky..... the 'official' 'research' plane that went up was a joke, when interviewed the 'mouthpiece' described what their had encountered as MUCK, ffs is that the technical name for this stuff?

This whole episode has been a joke and personally I am glad to be working again, being forced to use up your holidays for days the airport could not take in planes is very wrong.

[brianw999]

....... and personally I am glad to be working again, being forced to use up your holidays for days the airport could not take in planes is very wrong.

WHAT ! You were forced to take holiday for something you had no control over and you couldn't go anywhere anyway because there were no flights.

You need to talk to your union reps damn quick.

[yeti]

You have already proven your lack of knowledge on this subject.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMIkk-ZqUzM

Oh dear, I am devastated.... Unless you are a complete idiot, you must realize that data such as this on military aircraft is classified, and I would be breaking my countries law if I was in position of it outside of my workplace, let alone posting it on a forum. I have been therefore deliberately vague about engine types and specific data. (it was a while ago anyway and I did not copy the aforementioned classified date and bring it home!)

As for my lack of experience.... 12 years and an engineering degree obviously does not count for much were you come from...

So lets get onto the the facts hear and stop trying to inflate our own ego's.

The facts now are this:
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8634276.stm
1. European airspace is now open
2. The concentration of ash in the European zone has not significantly decreased
3. The airlines and manufactures have stated that they are confident their engines and airframes can cope with the small amount of ash in the atmosphere.
4. At no time during the crises was ash at concentration levels near what would be considered dangerous to the aircraft tested

So... as I correctly stated in my original post it appears to be a massive over reaction by Eurozone control. This would appear to be mainly due to the lack of accepted data they had to hand at the start of the crises.

[EconomyClass]

A "forced holiday" could be very nice in certain locales. But I imagine for some people, they weren't in a locale that they would choose for a holiday. Not thinking any names, but just know that some places are vacation destinations and some places are emphatically not!

I wouldnt be so much delighted to be back to work as to be able to holiday where I wanted, not where I was when the music stopped playing.

[WILCO737]

I guess everybody is back home now - or at least most of them EXCEPT me! I am still not on my way home and I won't be home until saturday morning.

Anybody else still noch back home?

[MCM]

Overreact is exactly what they should have done.

Volcanic ash is NASTY. It is one of the biggest threats airborne to an aircraft. The fact that some flights proceed ok is irrelivant.

There has been, really, quite little study into volcanic ash and how to mitigate its effects. I would far rather all the airspace was closed than to allow aircraft to fly through and become affected.

You must also remember how busy this airspace is. It'd only take a handful of planes to start requiring diversion and the whole system would fall apart.

The answer is - don't mess with volcanic ash!

[Highkeas]

I guess everybody is back home now - or at least most of them EXCEPT me! I am still not on my way home and I won't be home until saturday morning.

Anybody else still noch back home?

My wife is now halfway across the Atlantic and fortunately she is on her originally scheduled flight (I'm tracking her flight on Flightaware). I expect that there are zero empty seats on her flight.

[WILCO737]

My wife is now halfway across the Atlantic and fortunately she is on her originally scheduled flight (I'm tracking her flight on Flightaware). I expect that there are zero empty seats on her flight.

Same for my flight. That's why I have to fly on friday as on Wednesday and thursday the flights were too full, didn't get my booking through, but now it works
Ready to leave Paradise