BrATCO:
Congratulations; you did a great job and that is what we all hope would happen when the merde hits the fan.
The other side of the coin was a friend of mine who had severe smoke in the cockpit at altitude northbound over the slightly high (Alpine) ground. He sent a Mayday requesting an emergency descent and was told to standby!
Whether there was a language difficulty or ATC were unused to talking to a pilot using an oxygen mask I know not.
My friend diverted himself towards LSGG and the first useful conversation he had with ATC was when he changed frequency to the Swiss.
Smoke in the cockpit is almost the ultimate killer. If it cannot be controlled then you have about 11 minutes to get yourself and the aircraft on the ground.
Last edited by JW411; 14th Jul 2010 at 18:59.