Volcanic ash paralyses the skies over Europe! (1 Viewer)

[Colin1]

Was just thinking
while I drove into town this afternoon, 65 years is a drop in the bucket for a natural phenomenon like a volcano; I wonder what effect it would have had on 8th AF activities if this had happened mid-1944?

As for the Luftwaffe, as if their fledgeling jets weren't having enough problems...

 

[Airframes]

Good point Colin. It's bad enough flying through smoke, particularly 'heavy' clouds from burning industrial or oil plants for example. I'm sure there must have been the odd problem. I had a minor experience once, flying over the old London Brick plant, near Bedford, in a Cub. The engine coughed a couple of times, and the kite gained a bit of altitude, as we passed over the top edge of a large smoke plume. I don't think reciprocating engines would be badly damaged by an ash cloud, but it would certainly cause running problems if ingested into mthe air intakes for the fuel system etc.

 

[imalko]

This cloud of volcanic ash apparently found its way to these parts as well. Air space over Serbia was closed at 4PM local time today. All flights are banned until further notice.

 

[magnu]

Was just thinking
while I drove into town this afternoon, 65 years is a drop in the bucket for a natural phenomenon like a volcano; I wonder what effect it would have had on 8th AF activities if this had happened mid-1944?

As for the Luftwaffe, as if their fledgeling jets weren't having enough problems...

IIRC Mt Etna did erupt in 1943/44 not sure of the exact year but it did ground a lot of planes in Italy I can remember a photo of ground crew sweeping ash from the wings of B25s

Airships with solar powered electric engines anyone?

 

[Colin1]

IIRC Mt Etna did erupt in 1943/44 not sure of the exact year but it did ground a lot of planes in Italy I can remember a photo of ground crew sweeping ash from the wings of B25s

I can imagine
from a volcano's viewpoint, this one in Iceland only missed WWII by a whisker

 

[BombTaxi]

It has actually been noticeably quieter here today, and apparently the are around where I used to live (Richmond/Twickenham/Esher) has been beautifully peaceful, all due to the suspension of flights from Heathrow. On the downside, supermarkets are starting to run out of more 'exotic' fruit and veg because there is obviously no air freight into the country. I had heard reports that some ash was coming to ground in the far north of Scotland, but as I understand it, there wont be any chunks of rock or even visible matter falling from the skies any time soon...

 

[Colin1]

It has actually been noticeably quieter here today, and apparently the are around where I used to live (Richmond/Twickenham/Esher) has been beautifully peaceful, all due to the suspension of flights from Heathrow. On the downside, supermarkets are starting to run out of more 'exotic' fruit and veg because there is obviously no air freight into the country. I had heard reports that some ash was coming to ground in the far north of Scotland, but as I understand it, there wont be any chunks of rock or even visible matter falling from the skies any time soon...

and about time too, young man
Welcome back

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

What parts of Alaska are you going to visit?

Anchorage. It is where my wife is at right now, and hopefully where we will be moving to in the near future. Right now she is there until the end of August, finishing up her Masters Degree. I already booked my tickets. They have direct flights from Frankfurt to Anchorage that only take 9.5 hours because they fly over the pole.

I will be there for most of the month of July and of course we are going to travel around and see Denali National Park and other places. I really want to do some kayaking on the Kenei River, do some Salmon Fishing. Who knows, we are certainly going to drive around and see as much as we can.

 

[smackers]

PS, no probs Adler. I never thought of this as 'off-topic', to me that is movies and women etc, not planes

How is it a volcano is 'off-topic'??? Aeroplanes just come into the topic somewhere.

 

[BikerBabe]

It has actually been noticeably quieter here today, and apparently the are around where I used to live (Richmond/Twickenham/Esher) has been beautifully peaceful, all due to the suspension of flights from Heathrow. On the downside, supermarkets are starting to run out of more 'exotic' fruit and veg because there is obviously no air freight into the country. I had heard reports that some ash was coming to ground in the far north of Scotland, but as I understand it, there wont be any chunks of rock or even visible matter falling from the skies any time soon...

It's the same here, only with flights to and from Copenhagen.
I live in one of the suburbs surrounding CPH, and we usually get a lot of planes coming in, heading for Kastrup (Cph. airport), and it's very quiet and peaceful here now.
I've got to admit that I enjoy it, because sometimes those planes come in so low that it almost sounds like they're going to land in front of the apartment buildings on the lawn out here, so the peace is very welcome here; I'd just wish that people weren't stuck in all sorts of places all over the world, it must be incredibly annoying not to be able to get back home.
I've got a friend who lives right next to the airport in Kastrup, and she has told me that the quiet's almost eerie, it certainly doesn't feel normal to her and her husband.
Another friend is stuck in Greece, and now her husband - who's home alone here in Denmark - gets to feel what it's like being a full-time mom for two small kids....now if that ain't poetic justice, somehow!
Ah well, they'll sort it out eventually, they've got family who can help just in case dad's stuck with a problem with the kids.
But still...

The hotels are full with travellers who can't get home these days, and the hotel owners certainly earn a good deal of money on that, and people find other ways of getting home somehow - by train, bus, car, whatever, and the rail companies and bus companies is suddenly very busy, so eventually people will get home one way or the other.
But it is a nuisance, and now the vocano's eruption has increased in strength, so all flights are cancelled at least until 2 o'clock sunday afternoon, danish time, according to Naviair.

EDIT sunday morning:
All flights are cancelled here until 2 o'clock tonight.

 

[BombTaxi]

Cheers Colin 8)

I read in the Guardian this morning that estimated cost to the airline industry (UK only, if I have understood it correctly) is around £200 million per day. This is probably about right, i think - the last strike was costing BA £7 million a day and that was only a partial suspension of services. The knock-on effect on the wider economy through loss of airfrieght is going to be quite scary though. I am going shopping shortly, so I will see first-hand how badly the supermarkets are struggling with fresh produce. On the other hand, Eurostar are making a killing, with their services packed to capacity, and I suspect Virgin Trains, East Coast, CrossCountry and the other long-distance train providers are probably rubbing their hands together at the moment too...

 

[RabidAlien]

I would imagine someone has already figured out they need to route all shipping and produce via boat/train. I wouldn't expect the local economy to be impacted too severely. The airline industry, however, is gonna hemorrhage.

 

[rochie]

got a very fine build up of what might be ash on my car bonnet up here in middlesbrough it is very fine and does not feel gritty at all seems to be building up on all the "leading edges like wing mirrors rubber seals around the windscreen etc as my car is passing through the air, all uk airspace now closed untill tomorow morning at least

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I too had a light coating on my Jeep this afternoon. Not sure if it was ash or pollen though. We are the middle of the main pollen season around here. Normally the pollen is yellow and this is gray and white, but who knows.

 

[BombTaxi]

I would imagine someone has already figured out they need to route all shipping and produce via boat/train. I wouldn't expect the local economy to be impacted too severely. The airline industry, however, is gonna hemorrhage.

A lot of the stuff affected here in the UK is produce from Africa etc - the life is so short that by the time it gets here on a boat/train, it will be out of date or so short-dated as to be unsaleable. Having said that, my local Tesco didn't seem too short - but it is an Extra store and is probably getting first shout on any stock that is left. I suppose the smaller Local/Metro stores and their counterparts elsewhere are probably struggling by now. Admittedly, the effect on other, non-perishable commodities probably won't be too bad.

 

[rochie]

stuff on my car is a dirty grey colour and of very fine particals ! as you say who knows ?

also waiting for prices to shoot up for foodstuffs etc for work, suppliers will try any excuse

 

[FalkeEins]

.. I guess you chefs need mange-tout or asparagus from Guatemala ..but the rest of us could no doubt go without quite easily..

AF have announced that they are re-starting long-haul flights to JFK, FDF, HKG, DXB and DKR (among other destinations) tomorrow from airports in south-west France (TLS, BOD. PUF and PGF) eg

 

[rochie]

.. I guess you chefs need mange-tout or asparagus from Guatemala ..but the rest of us could no doubt go without quite easily..

AF have announced that they are re-starting long-haul flights to JFK, FDF, HKG, DXB and DKR (among other destinations) tomorrow from airports in south-west France (TLS, BOD. PUF and PGF) eg

not just the fancy stuff but once a lot of kitchens that use imported meat all the time cant get supplies and start having to use local stuff which is more expensive in the first place, then good old supply and demand kicks in and everything creeps up in price !

 

[BombTaxi]

Just tell 'em its locally produced, free-range, organic, happy meat that has done zero food-miles and slap a tenner on the price mate, thats what the supermarkets do!

 

[rochie]

Just tell 'em its locally produced, free-range, organic, happy meat that has done zero food-miles and slap a tenner on the price mate, thats what the supermarkets do!

if only it was upto me