'Contact lost' with Malaysia Airlines plane
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Soldato
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If it's Iran or Russia I would say north.
I'm struggling to get my head around the basics of this whole story:
Surely if the following items exist today:
Self-inflating flotation devices
Various types of distress beacons
Then how is it possible to be in this situation where a commercial jet liner has simply vanished?
It's really worrying to be completely honest. We're living in a world where they spend billions of our hard earned cash to launch global eavesdropping missions to "stop terrorism", yet one terrorist who's a qualified pilot is all it potentially takes to make a fully laden 777 completely vanish?
OK a cargo liner I could understand, but a passenger jet? FFS there should be over dozen redundant self-deploying beacons with their own flotation devices located along the entire length of the fuselage including several in the tail section.
Surely if the following items exist today:
Self-inflating flotation devices
Various types of distress beacons
Then how is it possible to be in this situation where a commercial jet liner has simply vanished?
It's really worrying to be completely honest. We're living in a world where they spend billions of our hard earned cash to launch global eavesdropping missions to "stop terrorism", yet one terrorist who's a qualified pilot is all it potentially takes to make a fully laden 777 completely vanish?
OK a cargo liner I could understand, but a passenger jet? FFS there should be over dozen redundant self-deploying beacons with their own flotation devices located along the entire length of the fuselage including several in the tail section.
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Were playing the conspiracy card though, most likely it's crashed into the sea and sunk.
What makes these 'self-deploying' beacons and floatation devices deploy?
We still dont know for sure that it crashed.
Merely active/transmitting during normal flight. Deployed upon severe G-force or water immersion.
That's even more worrying. 200,000KG object worth three-hundred-million dollars flying around with effectively a cloaking device?
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Soldato
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Seems they are saying that certain things were disabled. What exactly that means I am not sure, is it somebody flicked some switches or is it more technical to do that?
I am still leaning towards the rapid decompression. The pilots fell unconscious and somebody, probably a crew member tried to raise the alarm but lacked the knowledge and turned things off.
I know absolutely nothing about flying a plane other than some hours on FSX, but even I think I could change the heading and altitude of an aircraft via the autopilot. The radio etc I would be clueless with. Looks like it did a 180 and headed back losing altitude.
Probably all I would be able to do given the situation.
Nothing that technical, all you would need is then to turn on when power was lost. Stick them on both wing tips and they would h able to transmit at least once even in the case of a water landing (before sinking).
The crew, somehow awake after the pilots fell unconscious, entered the locked cockpit, and fiddled with switches they didn't understand, before failing to secure an oxygen supply, and falling asleep themselves? I'm no pilot but that seems... completely implausible.
Soldato
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Why most likely? It's been taken deliberately and someone has put a lot of hard work and planning into it, clearly. You really think with all that preparation it would end up in the sea? No, my money is on it being intact somewhere, and being taken by the pilot.
I think they always aim (or best practice is) to have at least 30-60 minutes of fuel spare - apparently a couple of airlines have got into trouble for their habit of keeping to the bare minimum extra (Ryan Air I think is the main UK culprit), as it can mean that if there is a headwind or any sort of delay they can be almost on fumes before they get down.
Also they'll allow for fuel in case of a headwind (meaning they'll need more of it) in addition to the amount needed + minimum extra.
There can also be economic reasons to load more fuel on than is strictly needed - you might get it cheaper at one place than another (enough to offset the cost of carrying it), or it might allow you to do the main hop, then a short second trip before stopping to refuel.
I wouldn't read anything into the amount of fuel being an extra couple of hours, especially given that if there is a delay or diversion the aircraft might need another 30-60+ minutes in the air to get down.
So lets look at the possibilities.
1) Probably it's in Pakistan by now have they have 100's of hostages.
2) It's in the sea and everyone's dead
If it's 1 then it's very strange no one has claimed responsibility, which means that the main reason for doing this was not the passengers but getting their hands on a plane.
What could they need it for? One possibility is that they could pack it with explosives (Maybe even a dirty nuclear bomb) and fly it somewhere below radar and BOOM! Only legitimate target is somewhere in Israel
It was taken deliberately, just read today's news. If it's been taken deliberately then logically, planning has been put into it. Judging by the northern corridor, which is the one they think is most likely, it would have been a good way over land at 8am, ergo, not in the sea, ergo most likely trying to land somewhere, for some reason. The pilot has a 777 flight sim at home [no, not a full motion one], I'd like to know how common that is but come on, it's a bit suspicious.
How would I know that, not a clue.
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Soldato
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Not least to say hiding a plane of that size isn't exactly easy. Spy satellites and drones all over the place it isn't like a car you can just stick in a garage.
You would also need a large runway miles away from anyone that might see it come it to land.
Don't get me wrong it would be great to see all the passengers and crew alive and well in a James Bond type plot but I think it is really unlikely.
You would also need a large runway miles away from anyone that might see it come it to land.
Don't get me wrong it would be great to see all the passengers and crew alive and well in a James Bond type plot but I think it is really unlikely.
They would only need a mile stretch to land, and flying over remote areas of the Middle East there's more than enough room.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-and-how-can-a-plane-just-vanish-9194501.html
Soldato
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Just to clear up why a member of the cabin crew may still be conscious and able to operate when the passengers and pilots have fallen unconscious.
This is why Helios lost contact and members of the cabin crew took over command of the flight deck and were able to operate in the conditions. Sorry I buy this more than mystery terrorists taking the plane without being tracked and landing it in some far away place.
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