What's need in this rather desperate situation is **real** data measured in a scientific manner by **real** sensors.
And this is exactly what Metair (
www.metair.ch) and its partners have been doing since yesterday by flying a small, but very well instrumented research aircraft through the ash cloud measuring the sizes, composition and density of the ash cloud and the particles therein.
Yesterday, the aircraft flew for more than 3 hours and up to FL170 over Switzerland and came back with data nobody else in all of Europe has sampled so far (to our best knowledge). The data is currently being analysed by scientists and the Swiss autorities.
Today, the aircraft just came back from another mission, this time up to FL180, with another batch of extremely valuable data. The data is **already** with the Swiss autorities and there will probably be another flight later today.
The instruments on the aircraft are amongst the best science has to offer.
The aircraft is a Diamond Aircraft ECO-Dimona, a purpose-built special mission research aircraft carrying pods under the wings for scientific sensors (see Metair's website). MetAir is part of a world-wide network of a group of dedicated scientists and pilots who use this type of aircraft for all sorts of airborne research. The team has a reputation to deliver extremely valuable work and at a time, when it's most needed, without bureaucrazy and red tape. In just 4 weeks, this is the **second** time, that we were able to do this, after delivering the **only** reliable flood forecast from airborne lidar measurements just 4 weeks ago during the "floods of the century" in Queensland, Australia (through ARA-
www.airborneresearch.org.au, the Australian partner).
Actions are needed based on solid science, not endless talk and politics.