Originally Posted by
Dai_Farr
This will not help MH370, sadly, but...
As Nimrod aircrew, Search and Rescue was part of our business. As aircrew, we were required to undergo survival training of our own, including, not surprisingly, dinghy drills. At least one per year had to be in the sea (as opposed to the RAF Station swimming pool).
We had a variety of "goodies" to play with, including day and night flares. The Night end had a gNurled knob! The day end, when you set it off, produced copious amounts of red smoke. Bl***y annoying when someone pointed it into the dinghy!! No names, no pack drill but his last three was Perks!!!
But dip it on the water, it spread like a dye.
Could Messrs Boeing and Airbus incorporate a big one of these into the fuselage of all commercial aircraft? It could be situated beneath a frangible panel and possibly seawater activated, like McMurdo lights on lifejackets and dinghies, or g-activated. Of course, the thing would have to be subject to regular inspections and servicing. Just picture Heathrow and the surrounding suburbs when Button C gets pressed out of sequence! With Easy Jet, you wouldn't know!!!
Anyway, just a thought.
Cons: Ten days on, is it still visible? 20? 30? The environmental lobby?
How about a detachable, floatable package containing a dye marker and a modified transponder. Transponder only becomes active on receipt of a pre-determined interrogation from a search aircraft, vessel or satellite. Military search aircraft have I band IFF interrogators so this would be easy. Stick such an interrogator on SAR ships and satellites that would/could be used in SAR.
Dai lad - I believe that is nominative determinism
Looks like the engineers are already on the task of bolting the stable door now that MH370 cannot be found...
From the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/22/bu...tter.html?_r=0
"Outside the U.S., Steps to Track Planes Better"
"PARIS — Some foreign regulators and airlines have moved much faster than their American counterparts to adopt more advanced airplane tracking technology."