UK no-fly zone

[Mike O'Dell]

when they tore down the engines of planes that flew into
the Mt St Helens ash cloud, the mechanics said they
looked like they'd been sandblasted. tungsten-nitride
coated titanium? simply chewed-up.

we are getting a demonstration of "single point of failure"
in the transportation space. the interesting question will
be how people respond to it, other than just have a tantrum
about how it simply has to get better, of course.

the video-conferencing system and service providers will
likely benefit.

and maybe now they'll get serious about the rail tube across
the Atlantic!

	http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/engineering/transatlantictunnel/interactive/interactive.html

	-mo

On 4/17/10 8:02 AM, Brian Hawes wrote:
> I live twenty miles from Brize Norton, a major Military airfield in U.K. My home is close to the flight path for normal landings (E-W).
> I have seen nothing in the Sky for three days.
> When the Military stops flying, you know this is for real.
>
> Actually I tell a lie. When I was out for my early morning walk today, there were two hot-air balloons drifting by. The relative lack of movement in the atmosphere suits some fliers.
>
> Brian
> G2KQ
> ________________________________________
> From: tacos-bounces+hawes=herald.ox.ac.uk at amrad.org [tacos-bounces+hawes=herald.ox.ac.uk at amrad.org] On Behalf Of Philip Miller Tate [Philmt59 at aol.com]
> Sent: 17 April 2010 11:52
> To: Tacos AMRAD
> Subject: UK no-fly zone
>
> Hi, fellow Taconians
>
> It's rather strange to be living in an area south-west of London,
> less than 30 minutes' drive from Heathrow airport, without the
> constant sounds of aircraft flying overhead. It would be hard to put
> your finger on what is different if it weren't for the constant
> headline news of the volcanic ash coming over from the Icelandic
> volcano. It's somewhat reassuring, though, to see nature doing an
> infinitely better job of polluting our air than we can with aircraft.
>
> Of course, as an alternative to our recent diet of general election
> politics, the media are loving it. There was an amusing exchange on
> the TV news the night before last, which I shall paraphrase for the
> sake of brevity:
>
> Announcer: Well, the no-fly regulations will persist until at least
> 7.00 am tomorrow, although some experts are suggesting that, in fact,
> they may continue for as long as another 48 hours. We have a senior
> meteorologist on the line...
>
> M: Good evening.
>
> A: Good evening. What are the latest forecasts?
>
> M: Well, as you know, this situation is almost unprecedented, so it
> is difficult to forecast with any certainty, but...
>
> A: Another 48 hours?
>
> M: Ummm...
>
> A: Three days?
>
> M: Well...
>
> A: More?
>
> M: Like I said, the situation is difficult to predict, but the
> prevailing winds over Northern Europe are not expected to change for
> the foreseeable future. The problem could persist for five days or
> more... Maybe a week.
>
> A: Well, thank you. There you have it - maybe as long as a week.
> [Five minute studio discussion on economic effects, damage to airline
> revenue, stranded passengers etc.] We are now going live to Iceland
> to discuss the eruptions with a leading scientist.
>
> S: Good evening.
>
> A: Good evening. A senior meteorologist has suggested the problem
> could persist for almost a week. What are the signs over there?
>
> S: Well, this situation is almost unprecedented, but the current
> evidence is that the eruptions are getting stronger, not weaker, and
> there is no shortage of ash that could be spewed out - this process
> could continue for weeks...
>
> A: For weeks? Or even months?
>
> S: It's perfectly possible.
>
> A: Well, thank you. [Another five minute studio discussion on
> economic effects, damage to airline revenue, stranded passengers
> etc.] We are fortunate to be joined in the studio by Professor Blah,
> a leading expert volcanologist who has specialized in studying
> Icelandic volcanoes, now retired. Good evening, Professor.
>
> V: Good evening.
>
> A: We understand that the current situation is almost unprecedented...
>
> V: Well, not entirely without precedent, but certainly rare. The last
> time there was a major incidence of Icelandic volcanic ash emission
> being blown across Northern Europe was in 1821.
>
> A: Do we know how long it lasted?
>
> V: Yes. Until 1823.
>
> [You could almost hear the sound of British Airways executives
> rushing to telephone their stockbrokers and unload their shares.]
>
>
>
> Phil M1GWZ
>
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-- 
"Of course it's hard!
If it was easy, we'd be buying it from somebody else!"