Volcanic ash encounter

화산재는 엔진을 망가뜨릴 수 있어(추력 상실·플레임아웃) 절대 들어가면 안 됩니다. 핵심은 피하고, 만났으면 즉시 빠져나오고, 회항·보고. 문법은 동명사/부정사 — avoid + -ing(피하다), decide to + 동사원형(결정하다)을 정확히 쓰는 거예요.

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1. Scenario

I was the First Officer of HL123, in the cruise when we received a report of volcanic ash on our route.

Volcanic ash can damage the engines and even cause them to flame out, so we must avoid flying into it. As we got closer, we saw a haze ahead and smelled a faint sulphur smell, which suggested ash.

We decided to turn back. We made a 180-degree turn to exit the area and avoided flying into the ash cloud. We selected engine anti-ice and continuous ignition on, in case of any ingestion, and we reduced thrust, because hotter engines take more damage from ash.

We declared a PAN-PAN, told ATC about the ash, and requested a diversion to an airport upwind of the cloud, so the ash would drift away from us rather than toward us. ATC coordinated the turn-back and the descent, and once we were out of the affected area we descended to a safer level.

We diverted and landed safely, and we filed a volcanic ash report for other aircraft.

2. At a Glance

English — We got a report of volcanic ash on our route. Ash can damage engines and cause a flameout, so the rule is simple: do not fly into it. We avoided entering the cloud, made a 180-degree turn to exit, reduced thrust, and turned on engine anti-ice and ignition in case of ingestion. Then we declared a PAN-PAN, diverted clear of the ash, and reported it for other aircraft.

한국어 — 항로상 화산재 보고를 받았습니다. 화산재는 엔진을 손상시키고 플레임아웃을 일으킬 수 있어 규칙은 단순합니다 — 들어가지 말 것. 구름에 진입하지 않고 180도 선회로 빠져나왔으며, 추력을 줄이고 흡입 대비로 엔진 방빙·점화를 켰습니다. 이후 PAN-PAN을 선언하고 화산재에서 떨어진 곳으로 회항했으며, 다른 항공기를 위해 보고했습니다.

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3. Key Verbs

encounter

뜻: 마주치다

• We were about to encounter volcanic ash on our route.
• If we encounter ash, we exit immediately.

avoid

뜻: 피하다

• We avoided flying into the ash cloud.
• We must avoid volcanic ash at all costs.

exit

뜻: 빠져나오다

• We made a turn to exit the area.
• We exited the ash by reversing course.

select

뜻: (장치를) 켜다

• We selected engine anti-ice and ignition on.
• We selected continuous ignition in case of ingestion.

descend

뜻: 강하하다

• We descended to a safer level once clear.
• We descended out of the affected area.

declare

뜻: 선언하다

• We declared a PAN-PAN because of the ash.
• We declared an urgency and asked to divert.

divert

뜻: 회항하다

• We diverted to an airport clear of the ash.
• We diverted once we were out of the area.

report

뜻: 보고하다

• We reported the ash to ATC.
• The ash cloud was reported to all aircraft in the area.

monitor

뜻: 계속 확인하다

• We monitored the engine indications closely.
• We monitored for any signs of ingestion.

request

뜻: 요청하다

• We requested a diversion clear of the ash.
• We requested a lower, clearer level.

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4. Key Expressions & Collocations

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5. Vocabulary

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6. Sentence Frames

빈칸만 갈아끼우면 다른 회피·이탈 상황에도 그대로 씁니다.

• We received a report of ____ on our route. → We received a report of volcanic ash on our route.
• ____ can damage the engines, so we must avoid flying into it. → Volcanic ash can damage the engines, so we must avoid flying into it.
• We decided to ____ and made a 180-degree turn to exit. → We decided to turn back and made a 180-degree turn to exit.
• We selected ____ on, in case of ____. → We selected engine anti-ice and ignition on, in case of ingestion.
• We declared a PAN-PAN and requested a diversion ____. → … a diversion clear of the ash.

오늘의 표현 포인트 — "We must avoid flying into it" / "We decided to turn back." 동사마다 뒤 형태가 정해져 있어요(avoid + -ing, decide to + 동사원형). 오늘 문법 포인트로 연결됩니다.

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7. Common Mistakes → Better Phrasing

한국인이 자주 쓰는 틀리거나 약한 표현을, 시험에서 통하는 표현으로 바꿔 익히세요.

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8. Grammar Point — Gerund vs Infinitive (avoid + -ing / decide to + 동사원형)

동사에 따라 뒤에 -ing가 오느냐 to + 동사원형이 오느냐가 정해져 있습니다.

• avoid / keep / stop + -ing: We avoided flying into the ash.
• decide / need / want / plan + to + 동사원형: We decided to turn back.
• We stopped climbing and chose to descend.

핵심: avoid · keep · stop · consider → -ing / decide · need · want · plan · choose → to + 동사원형. 자주 틀리는 부분이라 동사별로 묶어 외우세요.

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9. Model Answer — Q1

"What happened to your aircraft? Explain the nature of the incident."

틀은 자유 — 무슨 일 → 어떻게 대처 → 결과 흐름이면 됩니다.

In the cruise, we received a report of volcanic ash on our route. Volcanic ash can damage the engines and even cause them to flame out, so we knew we had to avoid flying into it. As we got closer, we saw a haze ahead and noticed a faint sulphur smell, which suggested ash.

We decided to turn back. We made a 180-degree turn to exit the area and avoided entering the ash cloud. We selected engine anti-ice and continuous ignition on, in case of any ingestion, and we reduced thrust to protect the engines.

We declared a PAN-PAN, told ATC about the ash, and requested a diversion to an airport upwind of the cloud, so the ash would drift away from us rather than across our route. ATC coordinated the turn-back and the descent, and once we were out of it we descended to a safer level.

We diverted and landed safely, and we filed a volcanic ash report for other aircraft. The rule that guided us was simple — never fly into the ash, and get out of the area straight away.

10. Model Answer — Q2

"How do you think ATC handled the situation? Could it have been handled differently?"

Q2 = ATC 평가로 의견 표현을 익히는 자리. 아래는 한 예시 — 외워서 그대로 쓰지 말고, 시작·마무리 표현은 자유롭게 바꿔 보세요.

All things considered, ATC handled it well. After our PAN-PAN, they cleared our turn-back and, when we asked for an airport upwind of the cloud, they gave us one quickly without routing us anywhere near the ash. They also passed the ash information to other traffic, which is important for everyone on that route.

I'd have welcomed clearer information on the extent of the ash, so we could have planned the turn-back sooner. Taking everything together, though, their quick clearance and coordination gave us a safe way out.

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11. Follow-up Q&A

1. Why is volcanic ash so dangerous? → It can damage the engines by abrasion and melting, block the pitot system, and cause a flameout, so we must never fly into it.
2. What did you do when you suspected ash? → We made a 180-degree turn to exit, reduced thrust, and turned on engine anti-ice and ignition in case of ingestion.
3. Why declare a PAN-PAN? → To get priority for the turn-back and diversion, since ash is a serious threat to the engines.
4. What did you do after landing? → We filed a volcanic ash report so that other aircraft and the authorities knew about it.

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12. Shadowing Sentences

각 문장을 3~5번 소리 내어 따라 하세요.

1. We received a report of volcanic ash on our route.
2. Volcanic ash can damage the engines and cause a flameout.
3. We knew we had to avoid flying into it.
4. We decided to turn back.
5. We made a 180-degree turn to exit the area.
6. We selected engine anti-ice and ignition on, in case of ingestion.
7. We reduced thrust to protect the engines.
8. We declared a PAN-PAN and told ATC about the ash.
9. We requested a diversion to an airport upwind of the cloud.
10. We filed a volcanic ash report for other aircraft.

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