Search on after Malaysia Airlines flight vanishes

[mistermack]

They are working on designs that float, and that get shot out of the back of the plane when g forces are detected. It seems incredible that the money spent on designing a new plane hasn't been matched by development of the black boxes.
The most ridiculous aspects are the two hours recording of the voice recorder, and the 30 day limit on the battery life for the pingers.

Floating boxes might be liable to theft in some areas, I suppose. That's the only drawback I can think of.
They would drift in the currents and winds, but you could calculate roughly where to look.

They would cost more, if you had to include radio transmitters, but when the plane costs 200 million dollars, the cost of the box is tiny anyway.

I'll bet that they'll be re-designing the transmitters on the planes, to prevent them from being turned off in flight.

[rainbow]

If it's the same one, which seems likely, they should be able to calculate the drift direction and speed, so they should now know where to look with the planes.

It certainly doesn't look like a ship container in those pics. I think it's a bit too long anyway.

Since they don't know the exact time that the plane went down, I think finding the rest of the plane and the black boxes before the batteries go is a long shot. They can calculate a rough drift path, but it could be anywhere along that line. And the water is about 10,000 feet deep.

Wouldn't it be clever to design a "black box" that floats?

It would be incredibly clever. Any ideas how you'd do it?

Make it lighter than water, just a thought. Could this work?

Wood floats, maybe they could come up with a really high-tech substance that has similar properties?

[rainbow]

You mean one that gets detached from the plane? That, I think, would be rather defeating its purpose.

Guessing wildly, as I sometimes do - I'd guess that they should have some sort of "location device" attached so they can track its movements.

Far-fetched, I know.
Perhaps even something based on the $100 GPS technology I use to get home, when I can't find my map.

Just a thought.

[mistermack]

Oh dear.

10, 9, 8, 7, .....

Macdoc, where are you? There's someone here got some nits need picking.

[rainbow]

Oh dear.

10, 9, 8, 7, .....

Macdoc, where are you? There's someone here got some nits need picking.

[macdoc]

they know it's there
now it's a hunt

BREAKING NEWS Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak says "with great sadness" data now confirms that the aircraft's last position was in the Indian Ocean south of Perth

The announcement by the Malaysian PM appears to have been based solely on tracking data supplied by Inmarsat and not on sightings of debris in the ocean..

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26711298

A black box locator is being sent. BBC reporting above is live.

Once more if the software on the plane had been upgraded at $10 per flight it would have resolved the issue.

Floating epirbs are the norm on any boat. Hell my riding partner carries one for his outback runs.

[Svartalf]

I'd still like to know why they went there to fall...

[cronus]

I'd still like to know why they went there to fall...

Captain had a bad hair day. Decided the folks in the back had to start taking him seriously.

[mistermack]

Once more if the software on the plane had been upgraded at $10 per flight it would have resolved the issue.

Whatcha mean, once more?
Did you post that before, or did you dream it?

[pErvinalia]

I'd still like to know why they went there to fall...

Here's a very good analysis and theory by an experienced pilot. Tends to make good sense. Basically, a fire disabled the crew (and presumably the passengers) and it flew on autopilot on that heading till it either broke up with fire or ran out of fuel. Worth a read.

There has been a lot of speculation about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Terrorism, hijacking, meteors. I cannot believe the analysis on CNN; it’s almost disturbing. I tend to look for a simpler explanation, and I find it with the 13,000-foot runway at Pulau Langkawi.

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/mh ... ical-fire/

[macdoc]

Except that it's a week ago...

A Startlingly Simple Theory About the Missing Malaysia Airlines Jet
BY CHRIS GOODFELLOW03.18.146:30 AM

and why would there be course changes on the other side of the island.
I would find it VERY unlikely this event was due to a plane malfunction.

So do the FBI and aviation experts. Occam's razor says someone flew it....there are three suspects known.

[Warren Dew]

Except that it's a week ago...

A Startlingly Simple Theory About the Missing Malaysia Airlines Jet
BY CHRIS GOODFELLOW03.18.146:30 AM

and why would there be course changes on the other side of the island.
I would find it VERY unlikely this event was due to a plane malfunction.

So do the FBI and aviation experts. Occam's razor says someone flew it....there are three suspects known.

And yet, the latest information using doppler analysis of the pings shows the plane went to exactly where this theory predicted.

[macdoc]

Ummm where do you get that....

The Telegraph considers it suicide flight now based on sources not yet revealed



http://www.theage.com.au/world/mh370-cr ... hvmf1.html

and so do the FBI and other aviation experts.

Let's assume the eye witnesses in the Maldives were correct about the height of the plane with it's landing lights on........do you really think it was a crippled jet looking for a landing spot???? It could done a sea landing anywhere along the 1,000 km chain of islands and many would survive....

Do your really think a heavy without a pilot would get 3,000 more KM south at that kind of height????

Way too many holes in the malfunction thesis.

While nothing is ruled out...

the team investigating the plane’s disappearance believed that no malfunction or fire was capable of causing the Boeing 777’s unusual flight path after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, or the disabling of its communications systems.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/mh370-crash ... z2wwGGuIwl

[pErvinalia]

Fair enough, but the suicide theory is a bit stupid. Why fly all the way down there to suicide? Why not just ditch it into the dirt near Malaysia etc??

[pErvinalia]

Nice quotemine, by the way.

But The Telegraph report said sources had revealed that the team investigating the plane’s disappearance believed that no malfunction or fire was capable of causing the Boeing 777’s unusual flight path after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, or the disabling of its communications systems.