The last few days we seen a lot of news buzz about volcanic ash over Europe & particular Iceland. Thousands of flights have been canceled. On a given day, there are about 20,000 flights across Europe & the North Atlantic. Now, its down to about 6000. The hazard comes from ash from the volcano. When it rises in the atmosphere were the temperature is cold the volcanic ash can look like a typical cloud in the sky. It would be very easy for a jetliner to fly through one unintentionally with deadly consequences. This is evident from the only case recorded in aviation history when a British Airways B-747  flamed out, or lost all four engines when it flew through an ash cloud over Indonesia in 1982. The Captain of that flight Captain Eric Moody was calm as he told the passengers they lost all four engines over the South Pacific. The airplane became a giant glider as it silently glided to the ocean. Luckily, Capt Moody was able to successfully restart all four engines in flight. This is something that all crews are taught in the simulator. We hope that we never have to use those skills. But in this case, it payed off. So if you are traveling to, or from Europe this week have a healthy dose of patience when you get to the airport. These delays may extend for days.