Volcano? KLM flies anyway!!

[BoilerUP]

Its one thing to fly directly through a volcanic plume as KLM 867 and BA009 did...and another thing entirely to fly through 'diluted' ash thousands of miles downrange from the eruption while climbing or descending.

As long as the engines get borescoped on a regular basis (every flight, every 24 hours, whatever) I don't think safety of flight is really put at any risk...

 

[FLYLOW22]

There's only two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch.

 

[lowpitchstop]

I bet it was reserve pilots who flew these "test flights"...

Safety is great until you lose $$$$ trying to honor it... once it becomes too expensive, safety is a nuisance. Let Mikey do it, he'll find the hole in that ash cloud.....

 

[lowpitchstop]

Deleted, dbl post..

 

[Mookie]

There's only two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch.

And Carnies.....

 

[Flynfish]

Spalding, could it be a Tenerife reference perhaps?

 

[GogglesPisano]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/planecrash/minutes.html




1706:25.59
PA RT
Okay, we'll report when we're clear.

1706:31.69
APP
Thank you.

1706:32.43
KLM 3
Is he not clear, then?

1706:34.10
KLM 1
What do you say?

1706:34.15
PA ?
Yup.

1706:34.70
KLM 3
Is he not clear, that Pan American?

1706:35.70
KLM 1
Oh, yes. [emphatically]

Perhaps because of the KLM pilot's very senior position, neither the copilot nor flight engineer questions the pilot again, and the impact occurs about 13 seconds later.

 

[Kharma Police]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/planecrash/minutes.html




1706:25.59
PA RT
Okay, we'll report when we're clear.

1706:31.69
APP
Thank you.

1706:32.43
KLM 3
Is he not clear, then?

1706:34.10
KLM 1
What do you say?

1706:34.15
PA ?
Yup.

1706:34.70
KLM 3
Is he not clear, that Pan American?

1706:35.70
KLM 1
Oh, yes. [emphatically]

Perhaps because of the KLM pilot's very senior position, neither the copilot nor flight engineer questions the pilot again, and the impact occurs about 13 seconds later.

Nice, you want to pull up some more CVR transcripts of pilot's before they died to prove some more moronic generalizations? How about some cracks at southerners for some crashes by DAL or Southern Airways?, or how about people from Texas with some AA crashes? I mean, all people from Holland must think just like van Zanten.........

 

[GogglesPisano]

You're right. My generalization was out of line. My apologies to the family of Capt Van Zanten.

 

[flyburg]

Well, I am a KLM pilot. The impact is huge. Since thursday no more flights in most of Europe. Can you imagine the cost, it's comparable if not worse than 9/11. Just as traffic is starting to pick up.

The stinker is, with the exemption of friday evening we had an awsome sunset, there is nothing but clear blue skies. Even now,at night, very clear skies.

The decision to not fly is made by bureacrats. Now after 3 days of not flying airlines, and not only KLM (also Lufthansa) are starting to question the wisdom and rationele behind the decision and they performed a testflight (btw if conditions are really as bad as some here suggest, you have to admit that it is a pretty balsy move of the CEO to be on board).

Suppose this would happen in the US, with the bad economic state the airlines are in. Everyday you look at clear skies, wouldn't you start to question at least the decision. Wouldn't you like to have some confirmation whether it is really as bad as some 'crat says it is? With your job on the line???

Nobody at KLM takes the safety implications for granted!!!

In reference to an earlier post, these were not reserve pilots, but company test pilots. Just like US airlines, pilots specifically trained with a prior background in aviation engineering or ex airforce test pilots, usually trained in Edwards or PAX or Boscombe down. Would you suggest they are not qualified for that task?