Jim French head of Flybe was interviewed this morning on BBC breakfast
tv and radio 5...
he said that pilots can see ash on their weather radar...really?
since when>?
mods can put this thread in jet blast if they see fit...
i think he is wrong about saying aircraft radar can see the ash clouds...the radar usually cannot.
normal clouds are made up of moisture which can be seen on weather radar.
that's the reason why NATS have stopped all flights.
the ash cannot be seen by a/c radar. and this ash is so difficult to see and is at different flight levels.
for he and other airlines, whilst i can sympathize with the financial losses incurred to all by the 'no-fly' i am amazed that he made these
comments to the general public. it's rather misleading and i think dubious and maybe careless.
BA009 20 years ago with their weather radar were unable to see any ash clouds over Java and lost all 4 engines.
Capt. Eric Moody said this only the other day and stated how dangerous the unseen threat can be,
Jim French maybe panicking about his cash flow but he is rather silly to tell the public this ban should
be relooked at too hastily and decisions to lift the travel ban made by bodies who bow to commercial pressure.
see here for some damage to a DC8 flying into ash 900 miles away from ash clouds
http://www.alpa.org/portals/alpa/vol...8AshDamage.pdf
VOlcanic Ash Gives Jet Engine a Turbocharge : Discovery News