What volcanic ash?

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Globalti

Legendary Member
I've just heard that even Manchester airport is likely to have 85% of its flights cancelled today yet I'm in Manchester now and I can tell you that the sky is clear blue and there's no sign of a layer of ash.

WTF is going on? What's Glasgow like, Greedo?
 

snorri

Legendary Member
No ash visible, but there is 90% cloud cover at present, and the ash is above the clouds. The sun can be seen through a gap in the clouds, so everything looks quite normal in the Highlands.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
The report I heard said that the ash is 11 km (or was it miles?) up, so it's not really going to be 'visible'. It could give some nice sunsets though.

Also, I think, as I type, it's only over Scotland, but heading south.

Overcast here in York anyway.
 

Bman

Guru
Location
Herts.
I think it has more to do with physical problems for the aircraft instead of visibility problems.

Apparantly jet engines dont like volcanic ash.
 

Andy in Sig

Vice President in Exile
Bongman said:
I think it has more to do with physical problems for the aircraft instead of visibility problems.

Apparantly jet engines dont like volcanic ash.

I read somewhere that the ash is supposed to be very fine and it gets in the engines, builds up and then screws them up.
 

nigelb

New Member
All dark and grey here in Cambridge, overcast - I just assumed that was "British Summer".

So, is this the start of the next ice age, or will it accelerate global warming ...

Nige
 

cookiemonster

Legendary Member
Location
Hong Kong
Near clear skies here in Aberdeen.

No sign of volcanic ash. An over-reaction perhaps?
 

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
cookiemonster said:
Near clear skies here in Aberdeen.

No sign of volcanic ash. An over-reaction perhaps?

Read the wiki link about Speedbird 9.

The ash that stopped its engines was not visible either.

Would you be happy taking off in a plane when there is a very real possibility that ALL its engines may stop in flight?
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
cookiemonster said:
Near clear skies here in Aberdeen.

No sign of volcanic ash. An over-reaction perhaps?

Only as much as screaming your head off as your airliner plunges to the ground...:ohmy:
 

XmisterIS

Purveyor of fine nonsense
Volcanic ash is typically micron or sub-micron sized and is sharp (that's why it sticks). It's not like ash that comes from burning wood - this stuff is made of evaporated rock. When it gets into a moving device, it sticks to itself, the device and acts like sandpaper - which is why you clean your bike transmission to remove the grit that has been thrown up from the road, which also acts like sandpaper!
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
SavageHoutkop said:
Wikipedia shows
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9

In response to the OP - I was also expecting a cloud of some description! Figured perhaps it'll take a while to get here, after all Scotland is quite far....

Should be a nice sunset tonight though if it's clear?

Oh, I love that 'illustration' of the plane in the dust cloud, showing a pitch black background, when the account doesn't mention visible dust at all...
 
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