Malaysian Airlines MH370 contact lost

[OleOle]

RichardC10

thanks for that work and the grasp it gives on the required error margin of the arcs. I would expect the great circle solution to turn to the right (west) when getting closer to the pole. Am i wrong or is the turn just too slight to see?

When going west over Malacca Strait in the first part of the track the a/c was heading always directly towards the satellite. Maybe from this part of the track inmarsat could put more constraints on speed.

Wind drift would also play a significant role.

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Edit: Richards answer was, on southerly tracks and in lower latitudes great circles and rhumb (constant heading) lines are very similar. Wind drift for both solutions is similar too, and would not help to distinguish.