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Platinum Airways looks at volcanoes Over the next five weeks, Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, will look at the effect of volcanoes on aviation. The Ash Destination of the Week series will take us around the globe. Four years ago, large parts of European air space were closed due to volcanic ash clouds. Platinum Airways’ May DOTW theme will focus on the effect of volcanoes on aviation. The series starts with a visit to the Eyjafjallajökull in southern Iceland, as this volcano’s eruption led to the cancellation of thousands of flights, leaving millions of passengers stranded or rerouted. Our first DOTW is Reykjavík’s domestic airport (BIRK). Arguably the first major emergency caused by volcanic ash was BA9 from EGLL to NZAA, with several stops. On its leg from WMKK to YPPH, the B744 flew through a volcanic ash cloud that originated from Mount Galunggung. Its four engines shut down and the aircraft successfully diverted to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (WIHH). The third Ash DOTW takes us to Clark International (RPLC), the closest airport to Mount Pinubo, the volcano with the strongest eruption over the past decades. The two final Ash DOTW’s look at what may happen in the future. The largest supervolcano on land is Ash destination #4: the Yellowstone Caldera. The main access airport into Yellowstone is Jackson Hole (KJAC). We end the series with the volcano that poses a potential threat to the largest population living underneath, Mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy, and its airport, LIRN. As usual, DOTW offers charts to be downloaded and links to scenery files. A selection of YouTube videos usually contains flight deck and ground views with landings and departures. About Platinum Airways: Keen to deliver on its mission to keep the fun in the hobby, Platinum Airways is probably the only virtual airline to combine an Open Skies policy, allowing its pilots to fly any mission of their choice with the aircraft of their choice at the time of their choice, with a strategic hub network. The carefully selected hubs, Newark (KEWR), Dallas-Fort Worth (KDFW), Vancouver (CYVR), Perth (YPPH) and Brussels (EBBR), should be attractive to a global membership. In addition, Platinum Airways offers its pilots an often cheeky Destination of the Week, Military and Cargo. Sticking to the KISS principle (Keep It Straight and Simple), Platinum Airways hosts an active forum and a screenshot of the week competition, with the winner providing the main picture on its home page for the next week. For more information, please visit www.platinumairways.org or mail info [at] platinumairways.org.