UK-wide ash detector system to prevent airspace shutdown
A network of ash detectors is to be installed across the UK to help prevent volcanic ash clouds shutting down European airspace.
An ash cloud from Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull led to airlines cancelling flights in 2010.
This started an international effort to improve forecast capability and the aviation authorities to change their flight safety rules.
"We’ve got three bands of ash – low, medium and high, which is defined by the amount of ash in the air – that defines where airlines can fly," said Jonathan Nicholson of the Civil Aviation Authority told the BBC.
"If the airline has arranged with us that they can fly in the low and medium bands, then they’re free to make their own choices. So we should see much less disruption with the same amount of ash as we saw during the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud."
The detectors use lasers to work out how dense a layer of ash cloud is and that data can be used to work out if that cloud is safe to fly through.
The system will be made up of 10 instruments called Light Detection and Ranging Systems, or Lidar.
Aviation minister Robert Goodwill said: "This new equipment will allow the UK’s Met Office to track ash clouds more easily and predict how they might spread more accurately.
"That could play a big part in minimising disruption to flights during any future incident."
The detection network will be used together with the Met Office Civil Contingency Aircraft, or MOCCA, which is kitted out to detect volcanic ash particles.
Easyjet has also been testing an ash detector while British Airways has flown an experimental instrument on one of its planes which measures the static electricity generated by the friction of an aircraft flying through ash.
Diane
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