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Malaysian Airlines MH370 contact lost

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Malaysian Airlines MH370 contact lost

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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:13
  #7421 (permalink)  
 
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About the "arcs"

Originally Posted by Shadoko

Hope I didn't make errors there and this could help!
One small point - the satellite can't see the full earth disc! Why, because it is too close.

Use 35786km as Earth to Satellite distance, and 6371km as Earth radius. The right-angle triangle with 35786+6371 as side'c', 6371 as side 'a', will when solved for side 'b' provide a max distance of 41672.8km. Solving for satellite beam center to max angle (half beam) will provide 8.69°.

Using the above will show quickly that the 90° elevation at the Equator is correct, but the satellite doesn't see the poles.

Enough said, and I'm sure you'll go back and make the necessary changes.

As a help, check post #3929

Also post #5965 will show the earth - satellite elevation angles for some possible positions.

The so-called 'ping' times are of course the time taken for the receipt of the return of the aircraft's ICAO unique ID when polled by the satellite on an hourly basis - divided by 2 and converted to distance allowing for any latency/aircraft SATCOM through time. That timing creates the distance and ultimately the arc position on the earth's surface. The initial 'ping' was most likely at 1611UTC when the STATCOM system was powered up during the pre-flight checks.

Last edited by mm43; 24th Mar 2014 at 03:11.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:14
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While we are discussing rumours/rumors here, it is interesting to see that India has refused China's offer of ships to help in the search, and to wonder if such thoughts may not have crossed Australian minds too regarding Chinese planes in Western Australia.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/in...#axzz2wm7yhZXa
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:14
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I would have to agree with your assessment, ChickenHouse. Someone - my guess, a team of someones, with many tech. manuals available to them - spent months if not years preparing for this.

If evidence magically comes to light conclusively implicating either of the pilots as a spur of the moment suicide, I'm firmly donning my alfoil hat and joining the conspiracy theorists - i.e., I will not believe it. If one of the pilots was involved, (and I don't believe this to be so for one moment), it was as part of a highly specialised team with a clear agenda, and NOT a spur of the moment suicide.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:15
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Anyone know if crew O2 quantity is a parameter on the T7 sfdr?
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:20
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Looks like even VH-VHD has had a go today. HMAS Sucess is already there and the Xue Long is about half way now. Can you see much out of a 319 window?
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:28
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I may be wrong, but I think suicide may be somewhat acceptable in some Asian countries, at least, compared to some western countries.
According to the World Health Organization, the rate of suicide in Malaysia is close to the lowest on the planet; a tenth or so of rates in European countries.

The rate of suicide-by-loaded-aircraft amongst pilots is vanishingly low as well; statistically it's zero plus noise. Pilot suicide is a highly unlikely explanation for this incident. Unfortunately, so are all the other possible explanations.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:29
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Anyone know if crew O2 quantity is a parameter on the T7 sfdr?
It is not a parameter on any DFDR.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:33
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jolihokistiks:
... India has refused China's offer of ships to help in the search, and to wonder if such thoughts may not have crossed Australian minds too regarding Chinese planes in Western Australia.
No, definitely not something that would be crossing Australian minds at all.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:36
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Paranoia

While we are discussing rumours/rumors here, it is interesting to see that India has refused China's offer of ships to help in the search, and to wonder if such thoughts may not have crossed Australian minds too regarding Chinese planes in Western Australia.
India and China are two great nations in the same geographic sphere. Tensions are somewhat inevitable, however this is a moment to be human together; to show sadness and compassion and do all that we can to bring this tragic matter to a close.

This is a moment to build trust between nations, not a time for 1950's paranoia.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:38
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Just checked the list, only ask as our QAR has a few more parameters stored than the sfdr.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:39
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jolihokistiks

Considering the Chinese icebreaker was already in port near Perth and two Chinese military aircraft just landed at a RAAF base, I doubt it.

We also don't have the same tensions as India does with China plus the Australia military has visited China and done some exercises with them so working with them is not totally foreign.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:49
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however this is a moment to be human together; to show sadness and compassion and do all that we can to bring this tragic matter to a close.
Exactly!

It was lovely to see footage of the various SAR crews standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, holding their national flags at Pearce RAAF base.

Stuff their corrupt leaders! These are the people who will eventually find MH370.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 09:56
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If he wanted to commit suicide, just lock the door and push nose down forward will give the wished result - why care about all the bells and whistles ringing in such action?
Maybe the pilot/hijacker wanted to avoid the adrenaline filled drama of a death spiral into the dark hole of the ocean and instead preferred an easier death, like switching OFF the packs while the autopilot kept motoring on till fuel exhaustion.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:04
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Though we only have information about the last MH370 ping at 0:11 UTC, a massive search operation in the middle of a remote ocean would only be carried out if the (unknown) hourly pings made that area feasible.

As the flight originated near the equator, a mirror track to the north would also correlate with the returns, then leading to a last ping area in northern China close to the Gobi desert. Bearings more to the west, however, would appear less likely, given ping data is coherent.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:04
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According to the World Health Organization, the rate of suicide in Malaysia is close to the lowest on the planet; a tenth or so of rates in European countries.
This, plus the fact that in every picture you see of either pilot, they are smiling, and not forced smiles, but "I'm so happy, I can't help but smile", smiles, are two reasons I lean away from pilot suicide in this case. But, you never know. If I had to guess, I think it was a fire, that may have done damage, resulting in crew and passenger incapacitation or death, then burned out, leaving the aircraft to fly until it ran out of fuel. The "facts" used to debunk the case of a fire may not be any more accurate than the "facts" the Malaysian officials have changed from day to day. BTW: I take back my qualified "some Asian countries" remark. Even qualified, it was far too sweeping. I stand corrected.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:06
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So 4-5 handshakes, if one handshake gives you an arc I don't see why we wouldn't get at least an approximate path, at least north or south
A VERY approximate path and only then after making big assumptions about altitude and heading. And given that the satellite was over the equator, the two sets of 'ping arcs' mirror each other exactly so no information re. a north flight path or a south flight path can be derived.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:09
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@ wildgoose : altitude versus oxygen

Yes the oxygen percentage will remain 21 % at whatever altitude. But is it the oxygen percentage or partial pressure that matters ? At higher altitude, the partial pressure drops . ( partial pressure of oxygen = % oxygen X barometric pressure )
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:09
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Just heard a rumour that a French satellite has spotted debris in the same "southern search corridor"
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:10
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If the initial radar returns can be trusted, the plane was piloted in two or three distinct changes of course.


On to 270 degrees, at the loss of the transponder.
(Maybe on to 240 degrees over the Andaman Sea.)
Then on to 180 degrees about an hour after.


So someone was still alive then.
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Old 23rd Mar 2014, 10:10
  #7440 (permalink)  
 
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Anyone aware of the "unofficial" Jump Seat policy at MAS ?

"Some" countries in Europe are "lax" (no names, no pack drill, Si !).
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