MPN11 – I very much appreciate your frustration at the ‘spotters info’ that has crept into this thread. I was sat upon from a great height on Friday, although I am not a spotter. However, there is a real issue in identifying what is actually flying, at least in the short term. Many on this forum wish good solid technical information that when they take-off it is a safe environment in which to conduct a flight. They are to be applauded.
From the information being provided by the cross posting from SBS forums etc.. some crews are clearly flying. Three Condors 767 have recently coasted out at Brest on trans-atlantics. AF will be launching long hauls tomorrow from Toulouse and Pau. KL is starting some schedules. SK on trans-atlantics etc., as well as the test flights.
Are these crews being rostered, invited, volunteering, persuaded or pressurised (God forbid)? What technical information is persuading these crews that it is safe to fly, even if it is just ascending /descending through the ash layer?
Acceptable manageable calculated risk - maybe. However, I would be very interested to hear the safety argument for the ‘go’ decision from the crews concerned.
I look forward to buying you a drink in the WW bar.