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Why ash and aircraft don't mix

A volcanic ash cloud is an abrasive combination of fine rock, minerals and glass particles. Concentrated ash clouds near a volcano can cause catastrophic damage, but even planes that fly through diluted clouds hundreds of miles away must be checked for potential problems.

SOURCE: David Schneider, research geophysicist; U.S. Geological Survey; FAA | Bonnie Berkowitz and Alberto Cuadra/The Washington Post - April 17, 2010

This Story A glance at flight disruptions due to volcanic ash Article \| -- three klm passenger planes left schiphol airport in amsterdam on monday evening during daylight under visual flight rules bound for new york, dubai and shanghai. Airlines in Europe are expected to fly between 8,000 and 9,000 of the 28,000 scheduled flights Monday because of a flying ban in major... Stranded passengers running out of patience Iceland volcano activity upsets travel, global trade European airports begin to reopen Why ash and aircraft don't mix Air-travel crisis worsens Iceland volcano ash continues to wreak flight chaos Air-travel crisis grows with no end in sight Mourners pay respects to Polish leader, Obama unable to attend Europe's aviation officials urged to drop flight bans This Story Ash-filled skies ground thousands Article \| LONDON -- With a monstrous cloud of volcanic ash closing down airports from Britain to Finland to Austria on Friday, much of Europe was confronting a bizarre question: What do you do in a world without air travel? Iceland among world's most volcanically active Why ash and aircraft don't mix Iceland volcano activity upsets travel, global trade Volcano's ash cancels flights Iceland volcano ash continues to wreak flight chaos This Story Ash-filled skies ground thousands Article \| LONDON -- With a monstrous cloud of volcanic ash closing down airports from Britain to Finland to Austria on Friday, much of Europe was confronting a bizarre question: What do you do in a world without air travel? Why ash and aircraft don't mix Iceland volcano activity upsets travel, global trade Volcano's ash cancels flights Air-travel crisis worsens Mourners pay respects to Polish leader, Obama unable to attend Iceland volcano ash continues to wreak flight chaos Air-travel crisis grows with no end in sight This Story It's hard to put a finger on a volcano's pulse Article \| The year of the earthquake has suddenly become the year of the volcano. A volcano can ruin your wedding, dinner, etc. Flights resume in Europe, but new eruptions cloud plans With ETA home unknown, a dad is poised to explode Travelers at Dulles struggle to get to Europe Get There: Skies in Europe slowly reopen Officials move to restore air travel across Europe No clear guidelines on flying through an ash cloud Iceland volcano activity upsets travel, global trade Why ash and aircraft don't mix Foreign Policy: Are there more geological disasters this year?		Network News X Profile View More Activity TOOLBOX E-Mail This Reprints
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