Volcanic ash cloud and Private / VFR flying (merged)
 

With most of the UK airspace closed to IFR flight today due the volcanic ash cloud it could be a good day to explore with of course ATC clearance airspace that on normal days you would not have gained clearance into....what a chance to get a clearance to overfly your local major airfield.....would be interesting to hear if many take the opportunity or even if the opportunity will exist!! :cool::cool:

Not for those of us who are stuck at work :(

Could be an interesting day though...

Smithy

Aye but its closed for a reason

Volcanic Ash will make a right mess of your highly expensive plastic window that you need to see out of.

MJ.......Yea I know that but the ash levels seem to be remaining high, I think the Scottish sigmet yesterday eve said between FL050 and FL350...I guess at 90kts the windscreen would not suffer??...Anyway I wonder if Loganair manage to operate all their flights VFR today.....:cool::cool:

Volcanic ash affecting piston engines?
 

Just wondering...

Projected spread

Nah mate the windscreens are made out of plastic. The ash is basically very fine particles of glass. The big aircraft screens are made out of glass and they get eaten by it. 90knts glass particles against plastic will just pit and I would imagine its not outside the range of possibilty to actually eat right the way through. Even if you flying in clear air there will still be particles dropping out below causing damage.

All your paint work will be shot blasted as well.

And the particles would also get sucked up into the engine. The filter might be able to take some of them out but as soon as you use the carb heat you will get them into the cylinders, the liners are very soft, you will basically turn your oil system into a liquid emery scourer (Emery paper which we call sandpaper is made out of volcanic ash)

I was also thinking about starting thread on the subject as well

Basically is particals of emery.

If it did get into your engine I would imagine it would just scoure it to death pretty sharpish.

I would also imagine as well that alot of cars are going to be screwed by this as well.

The current ASHTAM states as follows:

No idea how to access the referenced "VA ADVISORY" though, any clues anyone? Edit: The VA advisory is in fact the Met office notification linked by IO540 above :O

Only if they can reach FL200.

Click on Projected spread above

Nah the stuff has to land sometime once it does thats when the damage occurs. Where it will land who knows

Hopefully on the UK parliament tomorrow as a two fingers to GBs Carbon Emission taxes.

I am sure when the scientists note a dramatic increase in carbon levels GB will use that as another vindication and that global warming is all man made.

That little explosion has put more carbon into the atmosphere than ten years of the man made stuff.

Pace

Aye that volcano will have chucked more gases into the air than anything Brown will have done to help the enviroment.

Going to be interesting how long this thing is going to last.

The amount of ash thats up there already is quite small but the thing doesn't seem to be running out of steam. The ash is also up there before summer so next winter could be a right freezing job. If that high pushes the ash up into the artic high and dumps it on the ice cap that could speed up its melting. So the flights getting grounded for a week might be the least of our worries.

I wouldn't imagine it would be too clever for the engine's health...:uhoh:

Smithy

Are you pretty quiet today then FBW?

Not on duty till 1300 but I guess so :(:(:(

Mad Jock.....OH bugger does that mean I have to take the push bike to work??? :( Anyway whats all the panic about, I thought you were used to flying through dust?? :cool::cool:

I thought piston engines had filters? So apart from when using carb heat, the ash should be trapped by the filters.... But I think I'll hang fire until we know how long and just HOW bad the situation turns out to be...

And what about all the military aircraft? Jets don't have filters! Are we at risk?

I am but its dust which has had a couple of million of years to get all the sharp edges smoothed off it. Also as well we had a new prop put on 4 months ago and it s been stripped of paint and looks like its been on for 5 years flying in Scotland.

And personally if the ash does start to fall I would stick your own car in the garage and rent one.

Touch and go's at Heathrow from 12pm no charge