Have to say that flying round Wiltshire / Hampshire at 2000ft this morning was a great experience. Lots of GA and microlights, but no big boys. And NO mode S either!
Andy

plenty of GA - not mentioned by the media
 

I'm rather surprised that there's apparently been no coverage of the aircraft that are flying. I used to work on BBC regional news and if I were there now I'd have had a crew and reporter at Popham like a shot to do the "but some aircraft are still flying in Britain" angle and we'd have got it onto national news. They all seem mesmerised by the "Britain's airspace is closed" line.

If you've been flying today (I haven't) it might be worth giving
the local radio station a bell - good promotion for private flying just tell them how safe it is with no ash at low altitude etc.

BBC news has just commented on Newquay having normal operations to the Scillys "because they fly at around 1500ft".

Heathrow must be loosing Million's or even billion's.

Come to think of it so is every other company involved, BAA should have organized last night a VFR fly in £20-30 landing fee, £10-15 a touch and go for Heathrow. The amount of traffic they would have got would probably utilise both runway's.

Saying that would traffic have a limit of coming in due to ANO rule 5?

Such as if on 27's having a short final and starting base .5 of a mile out to avoid Hounslow.

They would have made something at least.

Surprise suprise
 

See the French have closed all their airspace and their airfields as a result of , you guessed it, Volcanic Ash!!!
No GA in France, no open airfields! France joins our Nats or is Nuts

Fright Level: Glad i'm not the only one that thought of that, just forgot to pick up my headset before I left for work. Ho hum, there's always tomorrow :E

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/04/16/iceland-eruption-could-trigger-more
Looks like this problem may keep repeating.

Does anyone have experience of the effectiveness of aircraft air filters against this stuff? The O-200 filter seems to have a much smaller surface area than a car engine of similar size. Also, of course, a different type of filter.
This is of academic interest to me at present, as our O-200 is having a top overhaul.

From USGS advice re volcanic ash. (For cars etc)
“The most effective method to prevent ash-induced damage to machinery is to shut down, close off or seal equipment until ash is removed from the immediate environment”

“Change oil and oil filters frequently (every 50-100 miles in heavy dust; every 500-1000 miles in light dust).
Do not drive without an air filter. If you can not change it, clean it by blowing air from the inside out. Do not change it until you notice a loss of power to the engine as a dirty filter is more effective than a clean one.”

The Dutch have just closed airspace down to all VFR and IFR Civil flights until at least 8am on the 17th. Looks like the CAA here have joined the ranks of the other morons.

Lets hope the UK dont stop VFR flights, some cracking WX recently and coming up...

Went flying yesterday and !!!
 

On the return leg at around 4:30 asked Farnborough if we could do an ILS. Answer: "sorry we cannot Radar vector you cause CAA forbids us to us the Radar as it might give defective data" . So we said OK we will self position for the localiser, Answer, "I will need Authoriastion to accept you as this is normally a busy period " !!! a few minutes wait Answer "Sorry I can't get authorisation as the he who authorises is not here"

Likely gone home as there was nothing happening !!!

Today heard of a TB10 who asked Heathrow Approach (yes there was someone there) for an ILS, Answer "sorry you need an IR to do that", TB10 can we have a SVFR and self position ? NO and if we did allow it would be £400 landing fee !! Bascically go away little boy..

A one off (we hope) chance for some interesting experiences and RULES and JOBs WORTH get in the way .
:*

EGLF had 3, possibly 4 movements today. So your diagnosis (he/she'd gone home) is probably correct...

Lighttown,

Utter rubbish.

Whilst I of course do not doubt the veracity of the above reported overheard TB10 conversation, leaving aside the issue of currently being unable to offer IFR (or apparently SVFR) clearances, take note of the following NOTAM regarding EGLL...

Q) EGTT/QFALC/IV/NBO/A/000/999/5129N00028W005
B) FROM: 10/04/16 20:26C) TO: 10/04/17 12:00
E) IN LINE WITH CURRENT UK AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS AD IS CLOSED

... and which is likely to be reissued as long as the effective airspace closures are in effect.

EGLL ATC procedures do not allow them to position traffic to a closed runway, which the runway surely is when the airfield is closed.

So, airspace clearance issues and the airfield itself is NOTAMed closed, maybe it's time to stop the pie in the sky let's go do touch and gos at Heathrow posts here and elsewhere.

^^ Lool - Did they really say that on frequency. (Heathrow Director)

I love it! All these demented SEP pilots (myself included) desperate to visit their favourite excluded airfield and a very senior jobsworth scouring the rule book to ensure that his underworked lakies are kept underworked.

I noticed that several regional airports including Southampton and Norwich were NOTAMd closed and their ATZs were also closed. Doesn't that mean we can fly VFR over them as much as we like or have I missed something?

Report from the Do 228 research plane: "A lot of muck up there"
 

Informal report from the engineer on board the Do 228 research aircraft, just after landing at Cranfield (from the BBC):

"Satellite imagery is showing a plume currently between 20 and 35 thousand feet over the near continent and extending westwards into southern UK and the English Channel. Evidence of thin plumes of volcanic ash were detected last night and during today across the UK, mainly at around six thousand feet. Also, there have been unconfirmed reports of slight ash deposits in places. With continuing eruptions from the volcano, we will continue to monitor the situation overnight. Issued at 1828 on Fri 16 Apr 2010. "

from the met office.

6000 feet, getting closer to ground level then!...

Dutch airspace now closed to all traffic until at least 1400. Apparently, Dutch GA is somehow special and would fall from the sky whereas UK GA can continue to fly unaffected...

Yes, this will prevent many a glider from having an engine failure today...

Follow the deadly ash cloud here:
Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland : Natural Hazards

Even better, watch it live here:
Eyjafjallajökull frá Hvolsvelli

Just add two days and you'll know if your flight wil be cancelled. :ok:

The Cranfield research aircraft found 3 layers of ash below 10k.

Anyone who has been up flying during this period of GA heaven had a look at the air filter to see what it has picked up. Also if anyone is rich enough maybe a soap sample might not go amiss either.