Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: Oddball on April 15, 2010, 05:54:48 PM
Title: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 15, 2010, 05:54:48 PM
Since early this morning the airspace around Northern Scotland was closed to all traffic due to a volcanic eruption on Iceland. All airports cancelled flights and this restriction spread southwards until all flights around Britain got grounded since the ash cloud is being blown South East due to the Jet Stream, the only flights allowed currently is Rescue/Emergency aircraft. This will be the case until at least 0600Zulu Friday 16.04.10. As far as I can tell from news reports Northern parts of Europe could also be affected to this ash cloud.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: gibbo_335 on April 16, 2010, 12:59:25 AM
::eek:: ::eek:: ::eek:: WOW!!!! I saw this in the paper this morning HOLY HECTAPASCALS!!!!
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Gulfstream Driver on April 16, 2010, 03:18:13 AM
Heard this on the radio, too. Sounded like most of Europe was shut down.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 16, 2010, 07:39:43 AM
Flights are being allowed out of Prestwick and Glasgow on a limited basis along with Ireland since they are on the West Coast and its a bit clearer there. But airspace in England is still closed and still could be until 01.00 Zulu 17.04.10 and is being reviewed hourly by the National Air Traffic Service and the Met Office. Heard yesterday the ash cloud was around 40,000ft and today its could be as low as 18,000ft
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 17, 2010, 08:21:58 AM
Well after Scottish airspace being re-opened at 1900Zulu yesterday its now closed due to a shift in wind blowing the ash cloud back over Britain and this restriction will remain until 0100Zulu 18.04.10.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Fabo on April 17, 2010, 08:57:59 PM
STUPID STUPID STUPID Eurocontrol!!!
I am an aspiring glider pilot in Kladno, Czech Rep.
(http://www.akkladno.cz/web/AIP_LKKL_mapa.gif)
Our airspace is pretty limited. Right next to Ruzyne CTR, right under Ruzyne TMA. Usually, we have a coordination agreement, that lets us go as high as possible into TMA.
Today, things were different. Today, LKPR Prague Ruzyne was closed.
One would hope, hey, no flight restrictions, for the first time in maybe 50 years :D
But nay, sayeth the Eurocontrol, for not only flights into LKPR are forbidden, but all flights to CTR and TMA are ::complaining:
So, we ended up with beautiful sunny day, without airliners going all around us, AND WITH RESTRICTIONS WORSE THAN NORMAL!!!
arrgh...
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 17, 2010, 09:48:36 PM
Only thing that was allowed to fly out of Scone (EGPT) Fabo was General Aviation and the air taxi that flies off the river Clyde between Glasgow and Oban.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Fabo on April 17, 2010, 10:36:29 PM
Well yeah, we towed all afternoon long, but it was only standart pattern and "terrain langings". No flights for me ::whistle:: (I am still at the very beginning - and I need altitude for stalls&spins)
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Frank N. O. on April 18, 2010, 08:25:41 PM
In DK it's closed at least until 14:00 monday and there's a growing unrest about the financial disaster with all the stranded planes and passengers. I heard on the radio that british aviation is loosing 2 billion a day :o Some are saying the closure of the airspace is a total overreaction but I'm not so sure, what do you think? Depending on how dense the cloud is and at what altitude then it might not cause a crash would it? I seem to remember hearing about a 747 flying thrue ash from a nearby vulcano eruption and the passengers in the rear of the plane went into panic as the restarting of the engines caused flames to spew out the exhuasts but as they'd cleared it the engines came back on and they landed normally (I'm not sure I remember the details correctly though).
Frank
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 18, 2010, 09:30:01 PM
I've seen photos from the British Airways Speed Bird 9 flight that went through a ash cloud over Java in the 1980's. Rolls Royce stripped down the engines and found the fan and turbine blades basically ruined. Even if metal/ceramic technology has advanced since then I still don't want to be up there a ash cloud hanging around. There is talk of the Royal Navy getting involved using the amphibious fleet to transport people home and using Spain as a transport hub.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: croatian judge on April 18, 2010, 11:52:56 PM
I've seen photos from the British Airways Speed Bird 9 flight that went through a ash cloud over Java in the 1980's. Rolls Royce stripped down the engines and found the fan and turbine blades basically ruined. Even if metal/ceramic technology has advanced since then I still don't want to be up there a ash cloud hanging around. There is talk of the Royal Navy getting involved using the amphibious fleet to transport people home and using Spain as a transport hub.
I remember seeing the episode of "Mayday" on that and I can say I wouldn't want to be in a similar situation.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Rooster Cruiser on April 19, 2010, 12:04:44 AM
It would appear to me that there may be some short term prospects for Caribbean tour ship operators to commence trans-Atlantic service. The last time this volcano erupted in 1821 it didn't stop erupting for two years!
Ash clouds are simply too dangerous for turbine powered aircraft to fly though. The microscopic ash particles are like shards of glass, and they sandblast leading edges of airplanes and ruin the engines. There hasn't been a fatal accident yet, but it would just be a matter of time if the airlines just flew through the clouds with impunity.
Since its too dangerous to fly a jet through the ash clouds, the alternatives are to press all the surviving old piston engine airliners back into service (with extra large air filters) or get the QE2 and other large ocean liners into service if they can withstand the stormy seas of the North Atlantic. The airlines that operate into Europe are simply SOL until that volcano dies down.
I think it'd be awesome to see some old DC-6's and DC-7's fly the North Atlantic again!
RC
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Mike on April 19, 2010, 12:46:45 AM
It would appear to me that there may be some short term prospects for Caribbean tour ship operators to commence trans-Atlantic service. The last time this volcano erupted in 1821 it didn't stop erupting for two years!
Ash clouds are simply too dangerous for turbine powered aircraft to fly though. The microscopic ash particles are like shards of glass, and they sandblast leading edges of airplanes and ruin the engines. There hasn't been a fatal accident yet, but it would just be a matter of time if the airlines just flew through the clouds with impunity.
Since its too dangerous to fly a jet through the ash clouds, the alternatives are to press all the surviving old piston engine airliners back into service (with extra large air filters) or get the QE2 and other large ocean liners into service if they can withstand the stormy seas of the North Atlantic. The airlines that operate into Europe are simply SOL until that volcano dies down.
I think it'd be awesome to see some old DC-6's and DC-7's fly the North Atlantic again!
RC
Yeah, that would be really cool!! Maybe the DC-3 doesn't need to retire after all....
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Fabo on April 19, 2010, 03:41:16 AM
It would appear to me that there may be some short term prospects for Caribbean tour ship operators to commence trans-Atlantic service. The last time this volcano erupted in 1821 it didn't stop erupting for two years!
Ash clouds are simply too dangerous for turbine powered aircraft to fly though. The microscopic ash particles are like shards of glass, and they sandblast leading edges of airplanes and ruin the engines. There hasn't been a fatal accident yet, but it would just be a matter of time if the airlines just flew through the clouds with impunity.
Since its too dangerous to fly a jet through the ash clouds, the alternatives are to press all the surviving old piston engine airliners back into service (with extra large air filters) or get the QE2 and other large ocean liners into service if they can withstand the stormy seas of the North Atlantic. The airlines that operate into Europe are simply SOL until that volcano dies down.
I think it'd be awesome to see some old DC-6's and DC-7's fly the North Atlantic again!
RC
Yeah, that would be really cool!! Maybe the DC-3 doesn't need to retire after all....
Like this? ;D http://trainz.dtnet.cz/FS2004/txt/cls38-05_schema_4c.gif (http://trainz.dtnet.cz/FS2004/txt/cls38-05_schema_4c.gif)
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: 4X-NTY on April 19, 2010, 06:24:18 AM
I saw in the news that some of the restriction in Europe had been cancelled.
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 19, 2010, 09:13:54 AM
Nah 4X British Airspace is still closed to airliners at least until 0100 Zulu 20.04.10 and there are similar restrictions in place some airlines have flown a few test flights BA did one out into the Atlantic from Heathrow on a 3HR flight then landed at Cardiff where the main maintenance hanger is. Thing is everyone has forgotten about the General Avition stuff. those stranded are after cars and boats to get home. I have only seen TWO aeronautical Engineers on the news reports and one of them was after he landed doing a test flight in a turbo-prop when it all started (think it was a Twotter where is S'Mom just now?) and all the rest was travel experts who usually do holiday programs talking about the effects on aircraft. They only talked about flame outs and how it clogs the engines nothing about how the ash errodes the blades and damages the perspex. HMMM maybe I should try get a job as a talking head?
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Frank N. O. on April 20, 2010, 11:55:33 AM
Danish airspace was opened last night, but only if you were at high altitude (the weather crew on tv said the cloud is between 1500 and 11000 meters so I guess high altitude is above 11 km's).
Cimber Air had planned to send up one of their ATR42's to make a test-flight today but not sure if they've done it yet.
Other people have spent something like 20000 DKK just to get home from mainland Europe, including busses and taxis! Other people aren't so lucky, like danish tourists from various countries in Asia going home with the chinese airline and now all stranded in China with no place to stay or compensation apart from what the danish embassy rushed to provide, include temporary visas since China was just a stop on the way home with the plane. In USA KLM is refusing danish passengers any assistence now they can't get home (and that's directly against EU law since KLM is a european company), so all in all a lot of trouble still with that cloud.
Frank
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 20, 2010, 12:24:23 PM
Scottish airspace has a limited opening but it soon could close again due to a suspect cloud moving South. The Royal Navy is mounting a limited operation involving HMS Ark Royal and HMS Ocean off Calais and HMS Albion taking home the 2nd Battalion of the Rifile Regiment along with 200 citizens from Santandar in Spain. Starting to wonder if I'll be able to fly out to Moscow a week on Sunday now :( :-\
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Oddball on April 21, 2010, 09:15:27 AM
Looks like British airspace is now open with out restrictions. what about the rest of Europe any word?
Title: Re: NOTAM: British airspace closed!!
Post by: Frank N. O. on April 21, 2010, 09:35:15 AM
Since 11:00 today all airspace is open in Denmark until 02:00 tomorrow at which time a new evaluation will be posted.
Cimber Air sent a ATR72 up yesterday and the pilot did the usual manouvers and reported everything ok and there was no visual damage to the plane either. They were going to check the engine parts with mikro-cameras and check filters, engine-oil etc. and then make the final recommendation together with engine manufacturers etc. And since the airspace is now open then I guess the ash-cloud isn't too heavy here for the time being.
