Ash Cloud Chile
 

I have read of a volcanic eruption in Chile. According to the Buenes Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre the asj cloud extends for 470 nms and is heading for Argentina.

To compare this to reactions to the Icelandic Ash Cloud, does anyone know what restrictions to flight have been put in place? Is it a 100nm radius from the volcano such as suggested by Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary or are restrictions more extensive?

The ash cloud is a fair distance south of Santiago and doesn't affect most international flights. Only an issue for Chilean domestic flights to southern Chile.

You can see the location on the following Sig Wx chart.

http://aviationweather.gov/data/iffdp/2129.pdf

Cheers

More than just domestic flights in Chile. San Carlos de Bariloche airport in Argentina is closed because of it, or is that effectively classed as a domestic flight?

Although it may not affect most international flights, how much of a protective zone have they put round the ash cloud, if any? I'm trying to compare restrictions to those imposed during the Icelandic ash cloud.

No doubt London & Scottish FIR's to close shortly.....just to be on the safe side.:rolleyes:

wetfeet:

I don't know for certain but it seems to be domestic airport. All connections I've heard of go through Buenos Aires.

San Carlos de Bariloche is truly a beautiful place.

Barlioche has international flights to Santiago de Chile, and also (as far as I am aware) to Brazil. Brazilians go there for the skiing.

If the prevailing winds are Westerly, then you might get no interruption to domestic Chilean flights, as they are generally to the West of the offending volcano.

My point was that caevans suggested the only disrruption is to Chilean domestic flights to southern Chile. Barlioche is in Argentina so it is more than just Chile affected i.e. international.

There are a couple of amazing photographs of the cloud here;

Chile volcano causes ash cloud and lightning tears the sky apart | Mail Online


coldair

The latest METAR I could find for San Carlos de Bariloche says:

SAZS 061800Z 32007KT 1000 VA VV/// 07/04 Q1012

So, they do have an ash problem. However, as the airfield is 53 nm from the volcano, this is hardly surprising. Remember that Chile is a very narrow country - the volcano is 10 nm from the Argentine border and 75 nm from the Pacific in the opposite direction...

And, even we ash cloud unbelievers know that ash doesn't respect national borders. :O

FWIW I still think that in this isolated case MOL will be proved closer to the truth than some of the "authorities" (much as it pains everyone, including me, to admit it).

I'm surprised that no one on this or the Iceland thread has mentioned the appointment of an Ash Czar: BBC News - Volcanic ash scientist appointed by government. I shouldn't be flippant because I really hope that some independent scrutiny (which isn't about getting extra funding for a certain university research department or profiling some "learned body" or other) will finally get people talking, sharing and finding out/admitting that there has been a significant amount of over-caution in the mix...

more info including great photo taken from a plane flying from Puerto Montt to Santiago. Interesting conjecture on possible link between large Chilean earthquakes and eruptions,

Eruptions | Big Think

all flights to Patagonia (Argentina) has been suspended since eruption.
Video from Bariloche

Used to fly saez to scel once or twice a week, can pick up some serious winds over the Andes. Thanks coldair for the link, I have never seen lightning with an erruption before, pics were truely amazing.

Lots of ash in Bariloche then. Just as there was right next door to the volcanoes in Iceland and Redoubt and....

If that much ash is falling out of the air next door to the volcano, how much is actually left 300 nm, 500nm, 1000 nm downwind???? :ugh:

That often happens when volcanos conataining viscous rhyolite/dacite magma erupts.

Due to its high viscosity they tends to produce very explosive eruptions spewing out mostly ash instead of magma flows like Hawaiian Volcanos.

Chaiten volcano, Mt. St Helens and Mt. Pinatubo are perfect examples on that.

Static electricity makes the lightning, actually if the eruption is big enough they often makes their own weather systems.

It's true that the Volcano is far away from Santiago... but winds maake the cloud move very quick ! (europe know that)

Right now, the operations from Santiago to Argentina, have been affected. they cancelled some of the flights, since the cloud arrived abeam Santiago (SCEL) this afternoon on the Argentinian side of the Andes... many flights to B.Aires have been cancelled already... Operators are taking detours around it... LAN started rerouting his flights to Mendoza, Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and crossing the ANDES on the north side of Santiago (via ASIMO), but later on (around 5 o'clock LT) they started cancelling flights.

I had a roundtrip flight to Puerto Montt this morning, and the views of the volcano were amazing... we are a tiny thing in this world compare to nature...

saludos


http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._2176615_n.jpg

Capt-Inop
 

As as rare as volcanic eruptions are I suspected the spectacle to be as simple as "heat lightning". None the less, the pics are great!

ADD

Just watching the news folks, they are calling it "vent lightning"

Do you think this one should be allowed to depart?

plane covered with ash | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

NE Turn
 

The ash cloud is already reaching EZE. Many companies have decided to cancel their departures.

amazing view!
 

[IMG]www.elpais.com/fotogaleria/erupcion/Puyehue/elpgal/20110606elpepuint_2/Zes/4[/IMG][/IMG]

According to my contact in The Falklands - Mount Pleasant is closed.