What's going on with the flights ?

[milanbenes]

are we flying this week or not ?

if flights don't resume, my one week in office one week from home is gonna become, 2 weeks from home one week in office - and drive there !!

Milan.

[Mich the Tester]

KLM did a test flight yesterday which seemed to go OK for a while but then the pilot decided to land when the detection instruments started giving him all sorts of warnings.

[milanbenes]

he he, nice one Mich

I found the website for EuroControl:

https://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.int/PUB...pec/index.html

and if you look on that page they've got their telco number and pin for information updates !


is there a website, where they are giving accurate information on when the flights will start ?

Milan.

[cojak]

KLM did a test flight yesterday which seemed to go OK for a while but then the pilot decided to land when the detection instruments started giving him all sorts of warnings.

Oh Dear!

So much for the airlines bleating "It's alright really, we can fly again.." (which is what I was beginning to think too, I must admit...)

[cojak]

That's interesting...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8628878.stm

A number of airlines, including BA, say they have carried out test flights within restricted zones with no obvious damage to aircraft.

[cojak]

That's interesting...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8628878.stm

No obvious damage, no - but when your dashboard light up like a Christmas tree, it's wise to be a little cautious...

[NotAllThere]

Just waiting to get notification that my 10am flight Zürich - Heathrow tomorrow is cancelled.

Supposed to pick up new client laptop, after the old one got a corrupted file in startup. Fortunately, I'd taken a VM image of it some time ago, so I'm still able to use it. ( And I was able to take the data off using an HD caddy ).

I wonder if the client is geared up just to send me a VM image of my new laptop?

[shaunbhoy]

KLM did a test flight yesterday which seemed to go OK for a while but then the pilot decided to land when the detection instruments started giving him all sorts of warnings.

Watched an episode of "Air Crash Investigations" recently that related to this very scenario. A big Jumbo (or similar IIRC) flew through just such a dustcloud at night and lost all 4 engines. Everyone in the cockpit and elsewhere was fitted with brown trousers as the lumbering beast went through a prolonged glide/plummet to earth powered only by a small wind turbine that appeared to give them just about enough power to see each others' panic-stricken faces. Anyway, if memory serves, after metronomically repeating the engine start-up procedures umpteen times, 1 or 2 of them half-spluttered into life and gave them enough power to make an emergency landing somewhere. Subsequently it was found that the engines gave the impression of having been thoroughly sandblasted, and that to have managed to land in anything short of a fiery ball was little short of miraculous. From that day on, they made the decision that flying through volcanic ash was probably, on balance, not the wisest thing to do. Mind you, when profits are affected.........................

[Pondlife]

NATS saying nothing into UK until 1am tomorrow.

Schipol Just says "No chance until further notice"

North DE saying 8pm tonight but are clearly having a laff.

Just glad I have a flat here otherwise hotels would have cost a fortune.

I am supposedly booked on the 11am tomorrow back home. But that's been true everyday since Thurs

[TimberWolf]

Watched an episode of "Air Crash Investigations" recently that related to this very scenario. A big Jumbo (or similar IIRC) flew through just such a dustcloud at night and lost all 4 engines. Everyone in the cockpit and elsewhere was fitted with brown trousers as the lumbering beast went through a prolonged glide/plummet to earth powered only by a small wind turbine that appeared to give them just about enough power to see each others' panic-stricken faces. Anyway, if memory serves, after metronomically repeating the engine start-up procedures umpteen times, 1 or 2 of them half-spluttered into life and gave them enough power to make an emergency landing somewhere. Subsequently it was found that the engines gave the impression of having been thoroughly sandblasted, and that to have managed to land in anything short of a fiery ball was little short of miraculous. From that day on, they made the decision that flying through volcanic ash was probably, on balance, not the wisest thing to do. Mind you, when profits are affected.........................

What are the odds of landing an unpowered aircraft, given enough height to reach an airport? Perhaps passenger jet pilots should be experienced glider pilots. Ones that only need one attempt at a landing.

I gather flaps don't work in dead-stick mode because there's not enough power to operate them without the engines running. So it would be a fast landing.