posted on Apr, 27 2010 @ 07:39 AM
It is plain incorrect to say that there is NO precedent for ash causing near fatal interuption to a jet engine, as can be attested to by a British
pilot who flew through a cloud, which stripped the paint from his plane, scratched the lens on the landing light, and stopped all four engines. It was
a matter of luck that he , his crew, and the passengers of the craft werent flattened by sudden and unintentional interaction with the surface of the
earth. To deny this is quite foolish since its a matter of record and has been known about for thirty years. People need to quit debating it. However,
wether or not the ashcloud from Iceland was of the right consitancy to cause this almost terminal failiure is another question, one which could have
been answered alot easier if everyone had worked together. In fact it would have been easier for ANY one nation to send up a plane equiped with filter
based chemical analysis gear, and a well expirienced pilot who could glide the damn thing home in an emergancy . You would have thought that wouldnt
have been hard since Europe is a big place, and home to some of the best pilots in the entire freaking world.However, nothing like that happened
because the entire response to the incident was badly organised , disjointed and confused. This is because although in Europe we have common laws
which apply to all nations, the standard operating procedures for emergancies are all very slightly different, as are the disaster management
methodologies.
The proposals for unified airspace (while I dont agree that they are the best way) are meant to make co-ordination between the nations easier in the
event of such a catastrophic issue coming to light. While I agree something needs to be done, I cannot accept that the best way is to unify the
airspace. There ought to be a system for emergancies only , which links the air traffic controlers of all Europe, both military and civilian during
such a crisis, sure. But I dont think its a great idea to have it as a permanent fixture.