Airplane-Mounted Camera Detects Presence of Volcanic Ash

Bethany Whitfield

Friday, December 16, 2011 at 12:17 AM ET

Verified

** The new AVOID system may help pilots
detect the presence of ash and maneuver
around it.**

Key Takeaways:

Dr. Fred Prata developed the AVOID technology to detect volcanic ash and prevent flight disruptions similar to those caused by the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
The Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector (AVOID) uses thermal infrared cameras to detect silicate ash particles up to 100 km away at 33,000 feet, allowing pilots time to avoid hazards.
Funded by EasyJet, the system has been tested over Mount Etna, and EasyJet plans to install AVOID on 20 of its Airbus aircraft pending approval.

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Last year thousands of flights were brought to a standstill for days on end when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, scattering thick clouds of ash over much of Europe. To prevent a similar recurrence of events, Dr. Fred Prata of the Norwegian Institute of Air Research has developed a technology aimed at alerting pilots of the presence of ash in the air.

Prata’s system, funded by the British airline EasyJet and known as the Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector (AVOID), relies on two thermal infrared cameras to detect the presence of silicate ash particles in front of an aircraft. At an altitude of 33,000 feet, the system can reportedly detect silicates up to 100 km away, allowing some time for pilots to maneuver around it.