Volcanic Cloud?

Ron Earp

Admin
Ian, and Kevin.
Listening to your arguments then maybe thats why you sit in the back with the talking freight with one window between eight , and not the pointy end with the best view in the house.:laugh: :thumbsup:
.

And it isn't just the engine that is the issue as the airframe takes a beating from the ash and it presents its own problems.

Can you imagine what it'd take to study this properly in situ?

A big team of engineers for starters. Probably a high altitude piston engine aircraft (not many of those around) that has been hardened against this sort of failure. Test pilot crew. Naturally, the plane have to have a turbofan fitted on a test rig to figure out how much ash it can injest before it stops working. Meanwhile, the major component you need is an active volcano and it needs to be ready once all the other items are in place.

Good luck. I for one wouldn't do it. I've accidentally picked up the Lava soap in the shower and used it on my important parts, don't want anything to do with volcanic ash. Plus, went to Hawaii a couple of years back and spent a lot of time in the volcano state park. Ash bad.
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Ian,
I am without doubt correct. This ash is not being carried on low level winds which was the basis of Ian's point and argument The winds - where it flows from high to low pressure are the subject of the mean sea level pressure charts and bear absolutely no relation to the upper winds. As an example I have crossed the pond on a westerly jet stream of over 100 knots and then landed with an easterly wind at Heathrow. So - we are not both correct. :bash: :grinf:
 
Ian, and Kevin.
Listening to your arguments then maybe thats why you sit in the back with the talking freight with one window between eight , and not the pointy end with the best view in the house.:laugh: :thumbsup:
.

David, maybe the sarcasm is my post was not clearly evident with the comments about Elvis (the king who is obviously dead), fake moon landing (a ridiculous conspiracy), and fox news references... Next time I will stick only to posting email forwards which I receive before I research if there is a shred of truth to them. ;)

I fly at least twice a week so believe me, I am a fan of shutting down the flight system when bad things, like ash clouds, occur.

I obviously believe the reason for canceled flights are because of the ash. Next time I will include a wink or [sarcasm] [/sarcasm] tags around posts I intend to be in jest.

Kevin
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
Ian, and Kevin.
Listening to your arguments then maybe thats why you sit in the back with the talking freight with one window between eight , and not the pointy end with the best view in the house.:laugh: :thumbsup:
.


Hey David I even have to pay for the reduced size seat, no legroom, my foot area taken up by a damned computer video thing, still I don't need a seat belt any more as my knees are jambed hard in the seat back in front and you get paid to sit up front! Some guys have all the luck!

Ian
 
And it isn't just the engine that is the issue as the airframe takes a beating from the ash and it presents its own problems.

Can you imagine what it'd take to study this properly in situ?
I heard on the news that the UK had sent up a scientific weather plane to investigate and wondered if anyone knew what it was? - DERA (QinetiQ) Hercules perhaps?


Good luck. I for one wouldn't do it. I've accidentally picked up the Lava soap in the shower and used it on my important parts, don't want anything to do with volcanic ash.
What was your Buell doing in the shower Ron...? :inquisitive:

On second thoughts, No - don't answer that :laugh:


Sorry, couldn't resist - long day and all that......
 
Volcanic ash is just awful stuff. Kind of like a mixture of real fine beach sand and dust. I live about 40 miles south of Mt St. Helens in Washington and we got about 2 inches of the stuff and considered ourselves lucky as towns due east of St Helens got over a foot. The ash got into everything and was impossible to get rid of as it doesn’t break down in water like soil dust. It doesn’t have a smell to it and is gray in color. Ash getting into any type of engine would have the same results as throwing a bag of sand in an engine. Not real good on mechanical parts.
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Terry
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Looking at the Dust RGB selection on
Todays Images
and the current wind direction on www.Westwind.ch
these problems with the airport closures will remain
in force for several days to come. I can't see much happening
in the UK for at least another 48 hours and possibly as long as Tuesday midday utc.
and then we need to see European airports getting the all clear as well. This may take even longer in much the way that the UK was first to be affected and first to clear. All down to the medium and upper wind directions in the days to come.
People will be running out of money all over the world waiting for a clearance and without a government in situ for the moment to come up with a magic fix, it high lights the fact that the embassies are going to have to step in and help very shortly.
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
A BA 747 departed SFO for Scotland last night and turned back after one hour. I estimate he had to dump 55 tonnes of fuel.
Another wonderful and impressive decision implemented to perfection.
 
Well my flight tomorrow to Detroit has just been cancelled. Iwonder how I am going to pick up the parts at my friends house now... Dave, looks like I won't be dropping by next week.
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Well, apparently this volcano last erupted in 1821 so if there is such a thing as a a period its 189 years.
That's the good news.
The bad news is it lasted for two years until 1823.
Scientists on the gound in Iceland have suggested it's intensified today.
My next flight is April 27th London to Edinburgh as passenger though I'm making alternate travel plans now.
 

Doug S.

The protoplasm may be 72, but the spirit is 32!
Lifetime Supporter
A friend of mine has been trying to get to Paris since Thursday. She was stranded in Houston for a day, then made her way back home, and has reported she is on her way back to Houston to await a flight out via Philadelphia. If the volcano is intensifying, I doubt she will be able to get to Paris within her window of opportunity. What I can find on the internet says France's CDG and ORY are closed at least till 8 AM Monday, April 19th, and LSY is just closed with no predictable opening date. Doesn't sound good......

Doug
 
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