Quote:
Originally Posted by RetiredF4
An aircraft maneuvering in altitude, speed and track could be anywhere on a position close to the south arc and to the north arc.
Please explain how a position close to the north arc can be compatible with the logged values of BFO (Burst Frequency Offset or doppler compensation error).
I can't explain it to you, however others can.
As I understood it from discussions, a rapid descent or a rapid climb while over the data point would alter the data more than cruising north or south, as climbs would give closure to the satellite and descents would give opening to the satellite. If the aircraft was turning north and descending at the same time, the turn to south at the relevant data point would no longer be the only option, but to the north it would be possible too. Speed and track changes from one data point to the next would alter the present interpretation as well. There would be millions of pathes possible if all maneuvering options would be considered, as long as those pathes ended somewhere close to the northern or southern arc.
The present "only south it is" path is founded on a lot of assumptions and few facts, as would be a north path too. I'm not saying it was the wrong decision to search south, but it might have been flown to the north as well.