Here is a question for Air Traffic Controllers/Piolts out there regarding the Avherald story linked to below...
In the report, it states:
"Solo City is located about 18nm east of currently active volcano Merapi, which had erupted on Oct 26th. Darwin's VAAC (Volcanic Ash Advisory Center) forecasted volcanic ash up to FL300 following that eruption. Batam is located about 635nm northwest of Merapi volcano."When a situation like this occurs, is it possible for air traffic control to give vectors around the ash cloud? I know volcanic ash clouds are not visible on radar, but they would show up on satellite images. If it is at night, I would imagine it would be impossible to see the ash cloud before you were in it...
http://www.avherald.com/h?article=432d008d&opt=0Below is a pic of the bird involved, Airbus A330-343X OY-VKG (cn 349).
On a side note...brings to mind the story of British Airways flight 9...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9
