Icelandic Volcano: Final Nail in coffin for trip to Rome!

[caiusbeerquitius]

I am very sorry for you, Byron!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Thanks for the sympathy guys.
Here's the biggest fly in my ear. If this extends over several days, or weeks even, will the decision be made to crew change us by boat, or will "health and safety" rules which state it is too unsafe to do ship to rig transfers overrule common sense, again?

[Epictetus]

Sorry, Byron. What a mess. They have cancelled all air traffic in Finland too. The union is probably annoyed, because they had planned on striking again anyway.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Sorry, Byron. What a mess. They have cancelled all air traffic in Finland too. The union is probably annoyed, because they had planned on striking again anyway.

God is saving them the trouble, :lol:

[ParthianBow]

I guess, given that it's from Iceland, it'll be a Viking god! Who must be quite mad :?

[Caballo]

Bad luck mate- really feel for you. I was supposed to taking my son and a load of youth rugby players on tour to Jersey...tour now off. Some very disappointed lads. :|

[Marcus Mummius]

Just got word from our centurio that he won't get to Rome either. Flights canceled till tomorrow noon and all places in those flights are already taken.

Some of our people left earlier this week, before the trouble started.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Same with our people. asmall number made it out before the start of this, but most are stuck here.
Heard on the news about an old couple who had saved for years for a trip o Venice and a Med cruse for their Ruby anniversary
had it cancelled. Feel for them.

Sorry to hear about your rugby trip Caballo, this has been a bad thing for so many people.
It is finally clouding over up here tonight, I wonder if this comming rain and snow will wash it out abit?

Well, I am feeling luckier than most today. Managed a limited number of choppers today, and some of us got off.
So, now just need to either hope for another miracle and get out monday, or, face reality and try and recoupe some of the financial loss.....

Well, it could be a Viking god, or just Vulcan has a long arm....

[Marcus Mummius]

It seems like the people who got there will have problems getting back...

[jkaler48]

As a last resort they could wear their kit and hitchhike
Sign should say: "I came I saw I need a ride home!"

[jvrjenivs]

It seems like the people who got there will have problems getting back...

That's what got me thinking too. Actually I think I'm lucky I was unable to go this year. Anyway, I'm waiting for a package from the states, which also got delayed. We'll just have to wait to see how long the air will stay closed. And just hope that other volcano will not awake.

[Caballo]

I know absolutely nothing about volvanoes...but saw this article

'Risk of Katla: Could 2nd Icelandic Volcano Eruption Follow?
The eruptions of the comparatively small Eyjafjallajökull glacier volcano in Iceland have historically preceded massive eruptions by the more feared Mount Katla. Experts are concerned that the present volcanic eruption could trigger activity at Mount Katla, which is potentially much more dangerous. Its last major eruption was in 1918. Icelandic volcanologists consider it plausible that Katla may erupt, and that is why they are monitoring Katla very closely right now. There are eruption channels between Eyjafjallajökull and Katla and magma could shoot into the Katla volcano. Katla might only need a nudge. Effects of Katla's eruption would put the present air travel chaos in the shade, inflicting much greater economic losses upon Europe. Deposits from the ash cloud formed by Katla when it erupted spectacularly in 1755 can still be found in peat bogs in Shetland and other parts of northern Europe.


Zoom on lightning caused by electrical discharge within volcanic ash column, Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

Iceland is a volcanic hot spot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is the dividing line between the Eurasian and North American continental plates. The country's three major volcanoes -- Hekla, Katla and Grimsvotn -- lie along this boundary. Altogether there are 35 active volcanoes on and around the island. Icelandic settlement reaches back to the late 9th century AD, with three documented instances of an eruption in the Eyjafjallajökull volcano preceding an eruption in Katla, but 22 documented eruptions in the much more active Katla in the same period. This connection has not been lost by geologists observing the disaster. Icelandic history is rich of tales of the might of the much-feared Katla volcano.

Eyjafjallajökull, which is currently filling the sky above northern Europe with ash, is a minor player in Icelandic terms -- though its last eruption lasted for more than a year, from December 1821 to January 1823. It began erupting soon after midnight on March 20th this year and the first eruption lasted for three weeks. It erupted for a second time on Wednesday April 14th and the lava is now coming out ten times faster than the last eruption. This eruption has many of the same characteristics as the eruptions in the 19th century. Whether or not the eruptions go on for nearly a year as the past eruptions did, only time will tell:

1. Some experts suggest that the present eruption could soon start tapering off; yet
2. Some leading volcanologists have warned that eruptions from Icelandic volcanic activity could last for up to a year.

We can expect the volcanic ash already spewing out of Iceland to hang around in the skies for the next couple of weeks with many planes grounded across many European countries, but if Katla goes then it might last for months. Back in 1783 another volcano in Iceland caused thick fog across Europe and even spread as far as the US, for eight months!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

The problem is the windpattern, not the volcanos...they are erupting fairly regularly around Iceland, what is needed are some good south/south westerly winds to blow this up and away from europe and back up to artic circle.

There are so many experts giving predictions on sky news that it was getting confusing.
Now that I am home and only have terestrial tv, I haven't seen it mentioned in the news, so not sure what the latest is.

What I did find odd, was how a small plane, that took off from London, flew around sussex, and the London area anf outto sea down there, determined the conditions for the entire UK yesterday, when all the satalite pictures were showing a different pattern up til then. :?

Thank god we had a few helo pilots with balls(one of mine was a woman!) 8)

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... ast_-_Nats

Read the bit at the bottom of the thread. As with our choppers yesterday, no damage to engines or aircraft reported.
A bit of common sense again is required.....

[M. Demetrius]

As with our choppers yesterday, no damage to engines or aircraft reported.
A bit of common sense again is required.....

Well, of course we all know that helicopter and other propeller aircraft have a different sort of air filtration system. Jets just suck the air right into the combustion chamber. Either way, as a US politician recently said, "Never let a good crisis go to waste", so we can probably expect the economic part to be the most important...never mind the problems for the farmers (flourine in the ash is a health risk, so is the food safe to eat? Dunno.) They'll find some way to legislate something or other about the eruption.

Sorry your trip (and those of other folks) had to be cancelled. Notice how the airlines aren't refunding the already purchased ticket price...there's where the legislation ought to be focussed, if you ask me. But iirc, nobody did. 8)