Would You Fly ?

[johnholmes]

see post 20 and none of us know just what did happen-but nothing illegal or dangerous was done as I've tried to explain in post 20 and other posts.

[The PIT]

see post 20 and none of us know just what did happen-but nothing illegal or dangerous was done as I've tried to explain in post 20 and other posts.

How do you know John ???? Inside info ????

[johnholmes]

20 years of working with the airline industry and nothing has changed in that context with what is or is not allowed regarding filing flight plans along with destination and the 2 standard alternates.

[john w]

20 years of working with the airline industry and nothing has changed in that context with what is or is not allowed regarding filing flight plans along with destination and the 2 standard alternates.

Planes flying across the atlantic fly commonly what are known as NAT tracks. (North Atlantic Tracks) google them, they change every day (6 hours like GFS :lol:) They are waypoints or fixes that planes fly across. There are others across the mid atlantic (South Americal Flights use these) However, there are also actual air coridoors through the South Atlantic as there are a few small islands dotted aeound that can be used. Oceanic Tracks are published.

UK controls out to about half way across and quite far south. Half way across its either Gander centre or New York oceanic control. id even post the frequencies if I was sad enough. So planes flying here filed (I presume) for EGLL...what I question is how they got clearence to EGLL from their departure airports when EGLL was closed????

John is right there is normally an alternate and then a second alternate and they are for mainly bad weather at the arrival airport.

For air coridoors you need to google upper ATS routes or failing that register at www.ais.org.uk. Go to the enroute AIP and its in there.

Youll notice a lot of the airways converge on specific points...that is the start of the NAT tracks and when craft are handed to either Shannon or Shanwick.

Hope thaty helps?

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

New ash map posted on BBC. The red/brown bit is the new no-fly-zone.

[johnholmes]

thanks for that input John

in answer to your query regarding how they managed to file Heathrow as their destination then I would imagine that filing that airport when its closed is no different to filing it when its closed due weather, crash on the runway etc. The 2 alternates have to be open,so this allows them to do just that. If conditions change en route then the original landing place can be used otherwise one of the 2 alternates.

Edited April 22, 2010 by johnholmes

[The PIT]

Good program on five about the ash cloud and does show the risks involved.

I'm also wondering how they're finding the time to do the checks on the aircraft as extra flights are now being allowed in. There's only so many hours in the day and only so many engineers.

John W does also raise the question of permission.

[The PIT]

AF kept on going on about Military aircraft sucking more ash because they're travelling faster.

Okay we know that ash isn't uniform so unless both aircraft are circling round in the same area it may not stand up. Think of this a smoke filled room you open the door run across and out the other side. Next you walk in and walk slowly around the across the room. The second time of course you will breath in more smoke as you're exposed to it longer.

The amount sucked also would depend on how much the jet engine needs to pull in too power the aircraft. The other question is how does ash react to higher temps ash still melts at the same temperature perhaps higher temps may result in engines self cleaning who knows.

So I still think there's a risk involved and also the question of repeated exposure to the cloud.