Volcanic Ash Grounds UK Flights

***Teo10*** · 15-04-2010 08:25 AM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8621407.stm

Woke up this morning and heard this had happened, didn't believe it at first until I heard it again... I had thought why would flights be grounded because of this, it explains it a bit as to why they've shut the airports.

Crazy stuff

**vein** · 15-04-2010 09:06 AM

I'm meant to be flying to Lanzarote tomorrow

**CB_NO3** · 15-04-2010 09:39 AM

You should be ok by then, they think flights should be ok as from 7pm tonight. Thats not confirmed though.

**vein** · 15-04-2010 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by CB_NO3

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You should be ok by then, they think flights should be ok as from 7pm tonight. Thats not confirmed though.

Where are you hearing that mate?

**~~Woody1985~~** · 15-04-2010 10:02 AM

On the BBC news site...

**vein** · 15-04-2010 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by Woody1985

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On the BBC news site...

cheers, fingers crossed then!

**~~Woody1985~~** · 15-04-2010 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by vein

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cheers, fingers crossed then!

There's a link to it on the OP.

It says they expect flights to start again at 6pm tonight so I reckon you'll be okay for tomorrow unless the eruptions get worse or the bigger volcano blows.

The last bit is just me teasing.

**vein** · 15-04-2010 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Woody1985

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There's a link to it on the OP.

It says they expect flights to start again at 6pm tonight so I reckon you'll be okay for tomorrow unless the eruptions get worse or the bigger volcano blows.

The last bit is just me teasing.

i'm a bit worried about Arthurs Seat erupting as there is no way we will get out the street in the morning if there is Lava everywhere

Its Ryanair we are flying with and I can see they have cancelled all flights in and out of the UK for today. I'm just hoping that tomorrows flights are not affected but they have said the anticpate cancellations and delays tomorrow too

**Aaron** · 15-04-2010 10:43 AM

Ryanair usually have a quick flight turn around so it depends on where your aircraft is just now as it might not even be in the UK.

And for the geeky amongst us. Here is a live radar map of Europe's airspace: http://www.radarvirtuel.com/

**LancashireHibby** · 15-04-2010 11:05 AM

I'm supposed to be flying to France tomorrow morning, absolutely gutted

**Pretty Boy** · 15-04-2010 11:11 AM

I'm sitting typing this in the departure area of Manchester Airport. Due to fly back to Aberdeen at 2pm, definitely not happening. Waiting to see if flights are going to resume later this evening, if not it's the train or bus for me.

Loads of people mumping and moaning around me. Of course it's a pain in the er5e but surely everyone realises safety comes first? Can't understand all this shouting at airport workers myself, it's hardly their fault and i'd be more worried if they were taking pointless risks.

**LancashireHibby** · 15-04-2010 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by foreverhibs

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I'm sitting typing this in the departure area of Manchester Airport. Due to fly back to Aberdeen at 2pm, definitely not happening. Waiting to see if flights are going to resume later this evening, if not it's the train or bus for me.

Loads of people mumping and moaning around me. Of course it's a pain in the er5e but surely everyone realises safety comes first? Can't understand all this shouting at airport workers myself, it's hardly their fault and i'd be more worried if they were taking pointless risks.

Indeed, I'd much rather find out now than if I was in mid-air!

You should be ok getting the train up to Aberdeen though.

***Sylar*** · 15-04-2010 12:00 PM

Interestingly enough, we've just been outside in Aberdeen for lunch and there's a strong smell of hydrogen sulfide in the air!

**Ritchie** · 15-04-2010 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by The Story So Far...

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Interestingly enough, we've just been outside in Aberdeen for lunch and there's a strong smell of hydrogen sulfide in the air!

3 people have said to me today that they could smell that last night.

they all stay in the east lothian area.

**--------** · 15-04-2010 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by foreverhibs

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I'm sitting typing this in the departure area of Manchester Airport. Due to fly back to Aberdeen at 2pm, definitely not happening. Waiting to see if flights are going to resume later this evening, if not it's the train or bus for me.

Loads of people mumping and moaning around me. Of course it's a pain in the er5e but surely everyone realises safety comes first? Can't understand all this shouting at airport workers myself, it's hardly their fault and i'd be more worried if they were taking pointless risks.

Maybe they want to break some altitude/speed records for gliders?

Volcanic pumice dust will stop a jet engine dead - end of. It doesn't have to be visible to the naked eye, either.

A BA 747 lost all 4 engines for this reason over Java some years back and only landed because the pilots somehow got 3 engines restarted before the imminent nasty sudden stop halfway up a mountain. The plane had dropped from 31,000 feet to 12,000 before the engines fired up. They were examined later, and found to be all fouled up with pumice dust.

They had to land blind because the cockpit screens had been sandblasted opaque by the stuff, too. Hardly any paint left on the plane, as well.

**Ritchie** · 15-04-2010 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Doddie

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Maybe they want to break some altitude/speed records for gliders?

Volcanic pumice dust will stop a jet engine dead - end of. It doesn't have to be visible to the naked eye, either.

A BA 747 lost all 4 engines for this reason over Java some years back and only landed because the pilots somehow got 3 engines restarted before the imminent nasty sudden stop halfway up a mountain. The plane had dropped from 31,000 feet to 12,000 before the engines fired up. They were examined later, and found to be all fouled up with pumice dust.

They had to land blind because the cockpit screens had been sandblasted opaque by the stuff, too. Hardly any paint left on the plane, as well.

was that one of those aircrash investigation episodes by any chance doddie??

**Pretty Boy** · 15-04-2010 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Doddie

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Maybe they want to break some altitude/speed records for gliders?

Volcanic pumice dust will stop a jet engine dead - end of. It doesn't have to be visible to the naked eye, either.

A BA 747 lost all 4 engines for this reason over Java some years back and only landed because the pilots somehow got 3 engines restarted before the imminent nasty sudden stop halfway up a mountain. The plane had dropped from 31,000 feet to 12,000 before the engines fired up. They were examined later, and found to be all fouled up with pumice dust.

They had to land blind because the cockpit screens had been sandblasted opaque by the stuff, too. Hardly any paint left on the plane, as well.

That particular plane still flies and is nicknamed the ashtray. Used to be called the City of Edinburgh but was renamed City of Elgin when Elgin was granted city status.

Stolen straight from wikipedia but i'm bored stuck in this airport so thought i would do a wee bit research regarding what is keeping me here.

**--------** · 15-04-2010 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by Ritchie

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was that one of those aircrash investigation episodes by any chance doddie??

Yup. About a week ago, coincidentally.

Pilots were freakin magnificent - hadn't a clue what was going wrong, just kept plugging away and saved themselves, the plane and their passengers. Unsung heroes without a shadow of a doubt.

But since then there's been an absolute rule - you don't fly jetliners into clouds of volcanic dust.

Makes sense to me.

***Wembley67*** · 15-04-2010 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by Doddie

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Yup. About a week ago, coincidentally.

Pilots were freakin magnificent - hadn't a clue what was going wrong, just kept plugging away and saved themselves, the plane and their passengers. Unsung heroes without a shadow of a doubt.

But since then there's been an absolute rule - you don't fly jetliners into clouds of volcanic dust.

Makes sense to me.

Wee article on the Java situ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8622099.stm

**~~Phil D. Rolls~~** · 15-04-2010 12:57 PM

Amazing, they are able to say this emergency will be over by 6pm tonight, and yet they don't seem to have had any idea, until the last minute, that it was on its way. It's almost as if they're making the whole thing up.

**James70** · 15-04-2010 12:57 PM

The pilot of that 747 was on lunchtime news saying that the engines had been totally wrecked by the volcanic ash, how they started working again goodness knows but just as well they did.

You would think that Glasgow Airport was the only one in Scotland that was closed by the way BBC Glasgow are going on about it. I thought Edinburgh was supposed to be a busier airport these days anyway. Of course anything that happens outside of Glasgow is only of minor interest.

I hate BBC Scotland!

Rant over!

**--------** · 15-04-2010 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Wembley67

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Wee article on the Java situ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8622099.stm

That's him. The story was on National Geographic about ten days ago.

The captain's being extremely modest, btw - the eruption was causing serious communication problems with ground control at Djakarta (they couldn't take in that the plane had lost all four engines - they thought that only the number four engine had failed) and by the time the 747 was on final approach the pumice dust had deprived the pilots of all forward visibility. He had to land the plane blind. He said that doing so "was a bit like negotiating one's way up a badger's arse" - at which the mind boggles, rather. (Mine does, anyway.)

IIRC the passengers and crew of that plane hold regular reunions - they have exclusive membership of the Djakarta Gliding Club or some such thing. Moody himself's a 24-carat solid gold hero, IMO.

http://www.ericmoody.com/

**LancashireHibby** · 15-04-2010 04:58 PM

Another batch of cancellations announced by BMI Baby, including my flight. Gave over

***hibee_girl*** · 15-04-2010 05:05 PM

Flights now suspended until 7am tomorrow at the earliest.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-...osing_Airports

***hibee_girl*** · 15-04-2010 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by foreverhibs

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I'm sitting typing this in the departure area of Manchester Airport. Due to fly back to Aberdeen at 2pm, definitely not happening. Waiting to see if flights are going to resume later this evening, if not it's the train or bus for me.

Loads of people mumping and moaning around me. Of course it's a pain in the er5e but surely everyone realises safety comes first? Can't understand all this shouting at airport workers myself, it's hardly their fault and i'd be more worried if they were taking pointless risks.

You'd be surprised how many people don't realise that. We were on a flight coming home a few years ago, couldn't land at Edinburgh airport due to really bad weather so we went to Glasgow. You would have thought we were going to Canada the way some folk reacted

Sorry but I'd rather a few hours added on to a journey than be dead!!

The best bit though was when they were trying to organise coaches to get us back to Edinburgh, lots of folk complaining that I was getting on the first coach just because I had a young baby

***Barney McGrew*** · 15-04-2010 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by foreverhibs

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Loads of people mumping and moaning around me. Of course it's a pain in the er5e but surely everyone realises safety comes first? Can't understand all this shouting at airport workers myself, it's hardly their fault and i'd be more worried if they were taking pointless risks.

My missus works at Edinburgh airport, and it's pretty much par for the course

**~~Chuckie~~** · 15-04-2010 05:37 PM

This pleases me, not just because I like a good drama, but because I have a very dear friend visiting from Spain who is due to fly back on Saturday morning... Hopefully this flight ban will last a while.. Mon the volcanic ash..

Every cloud and all that....

**~~Phil D. Rolls~~** · 15-04-2010 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by hibee_girl

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You'd be surprised how many people don't realise that. We were on a flight coming home a few years ago, couldn't land at Edinburgh airport due to really bad weather so we went to Glasgow. You would have thought we were going to Canada the way some folk reacted

Sorry but I'd rather a few hours added on to a journey than be dead!!

The best bit though was when they were trying to organise coaches to get us back to Edinburgh, lots of folk complaining that I was getting on the first coach just because I had a young baby

Travel seems to bring out the worst aspects of human nature.

***shamo9*** · 15-04-2010 06:58 PM

Stranded in Belgium, luckily I`m at my sister`s rather than a hotel. Now to deal with the headache that is Ryanair

**Pretty Boy** · 15-04-2010 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Barney McGrew

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My missus works at Edinburgh airport, and it's pretty much par for the course

I travel quite a bit with my work and the abuse airport workers take is at times shocking.

The one that always gets me is folk who turn up late for a flight and then moan that 'it's only 5 minutes'. Sorry but most airlines have online check in available at least a week before the flight, they also have self check in desks at the airport and a manned check in that opens 2 hours before a flight and close 40 minutes before. If you can't get checked in on time with all those options then it's not the staffs problem.