One major advantage with the revised search zone position is it means reduced transit time to the zone, and more search time available for each aircraft.
The ADV Ocean Shield (which is tasked to tow the U.S. Navy pinger locator) is expected in Albany, W.A. (not Fremantle, as previously advised by the media), at an ETA of 1300UTZ (2100HRS WST) tonight.
I'm guessing it will take a day or two to set up the pinger locator on the Ocean Shield and then another couple of days to travel to the search zone - so they won't be starting to look for the FDR pings until around Monday 31st, I'd say.
That's only a week approximately before the FDR battery runs out. That's not much time, when they only have a rough idea of where the aircraft might have splashed down.
