May I propose some answers to some of the questions posed here?
"Why did they 'elect' to fly through a CB?" :
1) I cannot see where we have established the exact track of 447 to show that they did?
2) When faced with the ITCZ or any other significant weather feature, sometimes there is no 'easy' way through, and a crew will 'elect' to follow what appears to be the best route (which can prove to be the wrong one).
3) I believe that from the recovered surface wreckage the indications are that there was no 'general' state of cabin preparedness for significant turbulence? This I find surprising. If I were to cross an active ITCZ I would have the cabin secured. An anomaly.
Regarding flight path from LKP to supposed impact point:
I believe we are surmising around 4 minutes between LKP and impact? We have NO idea of where the aircraft went in those '4 minutes'. There is enough time for 4 completely controlled 180 degree turns there. Why are we 'assuming' the aircraft just fell downwards with little forward speed? Why do we not consider the crew may have turned away from whatever 'happened' and may even have been returning to S America?
We seem to be building all sorts of dramatic manoeuvres, and then lines of 'theory' which rapidly gain a life of their own as semi-fact based on very little evidence. Ah! I forgot where I am for a moment..........
Zoom climbs, high-level combat manoeuvres - all very interesting - and I have been there, but why are we getting involved in them until we get the FDR/CVR readings? If they are unreadable, then game on, and this thread will become HUGE!