Friday, April 16, 2010

A Hard Rain's Not-A-Gonna Fall

The deadly layer of Icelandic Volcanic ash does not drift over Knutsford - we do not see a spectacular sunset.  The UK Met Office do not actually know with any great precision  where the outpourings of  Eyjafjallajoekull are going as they can not actually see it from space either (or rather it can not be discrimated from ordinary clouds)  and are relying on their notoriously flaky "computer predictions".  To make up for this they show on TV puerile and patronising representations of volcanoes erupting and just to be on the safe side lets create mayhem of swine flu proportions to the traveling public by promulgating forecasts that result in the shut down all UK airspace at all flight levels - as well as not flying do we now need to wear those silly face masks too?

I'm well aware that volcanic ash and gas turbine engines are not good bed fellows:  I saw first hand the stripped down RB 211s that had been involved in the British Airways 747 incident in 1982 and, represented Rolls-Royce at meetings with BA where we argued about the precise failure mechanisms!  BA said that the ash built up to such an extent that the internal nozzles blocked and caused compressor surge and RR maintained that the engines flamed out due to reduced O2 (or was it the other way round?).  I suspect that both mechanisms came into play but the engines started again and everyone walked away unscathed!

On a lighter note, the Cherwell Valley Services have burnt down within days of Mrs Nikos suffering the worst manifestation of English greasy over priced breakfasts there.  Whoever set fire to this establishment has done the public a good turn!
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UPDATE

This is the sort of cobblers that's gets my goat on the BBC web site (copied, I suspect, from the equally factual and objective Daily Mirror) - completely stupid and misinformed reporting missing the most important factor!


Yes the consumption of volcanic ash might ultimately erode metal and the other things mentioned  but the main problem is it blocks the compressor and air flow and causes flame out or compressor surging = engine stops!

8 comments:

  1. I thought it was pigeons that tended to do for Rolls Royce aero engines. (I grew up very near the Leavesden factory and such matters are very close to my heart).

    Ah, The Curse of Mrs Nikos! Please send her over here - maybe she can do the same for all Romanian food.

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  2. I learned a very important lesson as soon as my education reached the point at which I knew more about certain subjects than the average person (or rather journalist)'s general knowledge. Once I realised they knew less than I about my specialisms, and wrote something that fell between stupid mistakes (more accurately described as negligence) and distorted reporting (more accurately lies) I realised they could be no better on subjects I don't know about and limited myself to reading the headlines and looking elsewhere for the facts.

    The old adage about believing none of what you read and only half of what you see always holds true.

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  3. Hi Nikos,

    We have some stranded tourists here because the UK airports are shut...I now understand why your planning to ride your bike from Blighty to Greece!!

    Cheers,

    Dave....

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  4. Hi Nikos, remember me? I'm whinging about being stranded on Crete at http://stoperupting.blogspot.com/2010/04/dunkirk-spirit.html

    As I'm stranded in Greece, blogging and affected by aircraft issues I thought I'd pop by, say hi and ruthlessly self-promote. Rio x

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  5. Gadjo - Canada geese are the hazard!
    MarkE - I believe nothing and am therefore free!
    Dave - you could rent your basement out to stranded Brits!
    Rio - Hi!

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  6. Canada geese 1 : Aeroplanes 0.

    Long live Kazantsakis :-)

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  7. What a fascinating read! I had an idea that it wasn't as cut-and-dried as the 'experts' said....

    Of course, if we had kept with nice, easy to build piston engines - Merlin and Centaurus come to mind - all the erks would be doing now is changing the airfilters more regularly.

    Or if we had fully developed the no-moving-parts ramjet!!

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  8. Nikos:

    you can have all the Canada Geese you can; EAT, CARRY, STEAL, TAKE, PUT IN A BAG . We have them all over the place. They are protected by Federal Law. They POO everywhere and have taken over all of our parks.

    oh, also no HARD RAIN over here either. The last hard cloud came from Mt St Helens

    bob
    Wet Coast Scootin

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