Corrected entry: At the end when they are rescuing Harry from the mine, we see a helicopter land and kick up tons of volcanic ash. Given the destructive nature of ash to the engine (as seen in the earlier scene), it would not make any sense to have a helicopter operate anywhere near the area.
jerimiah
4th Jan 2011
Dante's Peak (1997)
4th Jan 2011
Dante's Peak (1997)
Corrected entry: When the pickup truck crosses the lava, the engine would have overheated and stranded them on the lava given the amount of heat going directly up into the engine compartment.
Correction: Actually, lava in movies is typically over-rated. Though the tires definitely would have been goo after one spin in that lava, the surface of the lava would be much cooler. You may actually be able to walk barefoot over it, it wouldn't be too much different from hot coals except for the much hotter liquid beneath. They spent 1 minute and 20 seconds on the lava surface, which would not have been enough to overheat the engine.
The tires being on fire would have increased the temperature under the hood even if the lava itself didn't being that the wheel wells would have also been capturing the heat within them.
Correction: Also, since the rear axle broke through the surface crust, the truck would become a rocket, due to the intense heat causing the gas fumes to ignite.
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Correction: The previous helicopter crashed because of the heavy ash in the air overwhelmed the engine. The later helicopter would presumably be equipped with an appropriate filter to protect the engine. Properly equipped, there's no reason a helicopter wouldn't be used as emergency transport, considering the likely state of the roads. While ash on the ground might moderately increase risk, helicopters are used routinely to fight forest fires.
Volcanic ash is extremely abrasive and corrosive containing parts of glass, dust and debris that will not only cause problems to the engine but will also damage the leading edge of the rotors, altering their aerodynamic abilities.
jerimiah