As an Air Traffic Controller, the last week has been very different.
Although the way this has been relayed by the media is somewhat misleading.
The air space was never actually closed, in Class A airspace which is all your airways, and only SOME airfields/sectors like the airspace around London.
To fly in Class A airspace you need an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance issued by air traffic control. ICAO the international body for air traffic directs that no clearance will be issued when volcanic ash is present. So the airspace is not closed as such, you just don't get a clearance to enter.
I know that sounds like a mute point, but a pilot could in the event of an emergency or if they decided not to speak to air traffic control, or just plain don't know where they are can/will enter controlled airspace, in fact many do, though this is normally unintentional and can cause major issues for air traffic when you have to take avoiding action on unknown contacts on radar.
Airspace is classified from A to G, G being uncontrolled airspace which there is lots of within the UK and in some parts over FL100 (roughly 10,000feet depending on atmospheric pressure). Although in the UK we only use A, B, D and G, though we may have just calssified some area C or are thinking off, UK airspace is very complex.
Most UK airports outside London, i.e. Birmingham, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol etc etc are in fact Class D airspace where you can fly VFR (visual flight rules) and with the large aircraft being out of use, lots pilots of smaller aircraft have taken the opportunity to fly in places they would not normally be allowed due to the priority being for the larger commercial aircraft. Although conversly to that, the Channel islands are within there own Class A sector and they do not move anywhere near as many aircraft as some of the above airports.
The reason why large commercial aircraft could not depart these air fields VFR is because there flight planned route would be filed to take them into Class A airspace as they would fly airways, so it all gets complex.
As usual the media likes to spin thing out of control and next thing you know its hysteria.
Never realised there were so many geeks out there
Although the way this has been relayed by the media is somewhat misleading.
The air space was never actually closed, in Class A airspace which is all your airways, and only SOME airfields/sectors like the airspace around London.
To fly in Class A airspace you need an IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance issued by air traffic control. ICAO the international body for air traffic directs that no clearance will be issued when volcanic ash is present. So the airspace is not closed as such, you just don't get a clearance to enter.
I know that sounds like a mute point, but a pilot could in the event of an emergency or if they decided not to speak to air traffic control, or just plain don't know where they are can/will enter controlled airspace, in fact many do, though this is normally unintentional and can cause major issues for air traffic when you have to take avoiding action on unknown contacts on radar.
Airspace is classified from A to G, G being uncontrolled airspace which there is lots of within the UK and in some parts over FL100 (roughly 10,000feet depending on atmospheric pressure). Although in the UK we only use A, B, D and G, though we may have just calssified some area C or are thinking off, UK airspace is very complex.
Most UK airports outside London, i.e. Birmingham, Bournemouth, East Midlands, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol etc etc are in fact Class D airspace where you can fly VFR (visual flight rules) and with the large aircraft being out of use, lots pilots of smaller aircraft have taken the opportunity to fly in places they would not normally be allowed due to the priority being for the larger commercial aircraft. Although conversly to that, the Channel islands are within there own Class A sector and they do not move anywhere near as many aircraft as some of the above airports.
The reason why large commercial aircraft could not depart these air fields VFR is because there flight planned route would be filed to take them into Class A airspace as they would fly airways, so it all gets complex.
As usual the media likes to spin thing out of control and next thing you know its hysteria.
Never realised there were so many geeks out there
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