[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by austere_sly

Getting cellular coverage inside buildings is sometimes different than getting it in open area. Operator usually deploy IBS (In Building Solutions) with Omni Directional antennas in buildings where they have significant customer base like Malls, Hospitals and Offices. So it is quite possible that you get better coverage inside top floor of a building than outside in an open area.

Well the restaurant had big windows, not really "interior" i.e. buried inside concrete like mall parking lots.
At the base of the building in lift lobby, there was full signal, and there are no antennas inside that building.

Even in mountain regions I have seen this. When I start climbing a hill, with tower opposite the hill, till about 100 meters above the tower I get signal, as I go higher, tower still visible, reception drops and sometimes vanishes altogether. Towers are designed to give most of the radiation downwards.

[bblost]

An interesting theory: http://www.ashtarcommandcrew.net/for...-base-at-diego

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by bblost

An interesting theory: http://www.ashtarcommandcrew.net/for...-base-at-diego

Well, I wouldn't call it exactly interesting. I would say it is bordering on either the totally insane or the incredibly stupid. Possibly both?

I would consider myself a true liberal, but incidents like this also illustrate the dark side off free internet and free speech. Every loony in the world jumps on the band wagon not hindered by any common sense or knowledge.

What is interesting, or at least remarkable, is that in most main (western) stream media, this accident is already beginning to disappear to the second page. Very sad.

Jeroen

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Well, I wouldn't call it exactly interesting. I would say it is bordering on either the totally insane or the incredibly stupid. Possibly both?

It was the premise of a very nice movie:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Monkeys

What can anyone do if the plane is already in the air?

I am just curious and don't really believe the germ warfare theory. But as a pilot are you ever instructed on what you should do in such situations.

I actually thought of this while cycling back home. Then when I googled found this link that said pretty much the same.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by bblost

It was the premise of a very nice movie:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Monkeys

What can anyone do if the plane is already in the air?
But as a pilot are you ever instructed on what you should do in such situations.

I really don't know. Certainly private pilots like me don't get instructions on things like this. Commercial pilots certainly get training/instructions on dealing with unusual situations, from passengers falling sick, going berserk to hijacking. But I have no idea to what extend commercial pilot training would include these far fetched scenario's.

Probably military pilots have a little more hands on experience on how to deal with something like this. But I have very little knowledge on military pilot training.

Not wanting to sound to skeptical, but (commercial) pilots get trained based on the likelihood of a particular situation happening. That includes certain flight conditions and maneuvers. If the likelihood of something happening is highly unlikely or remote you're unlikely to find it on the training program. It's down to the statistical change and the potential impact it could have.

It is impossible to train crews for every conceivable type of emergency. So they get trained really well in a fair number of basics, but that's it.

Jeroen



Jeroen

[luvDriving]

Well the latest update according to CNN is that the Australian search team may have found a piece of debris from MH370.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/20/wo...html?hpt=hp_t1

If indeed it is from the missing airliner then there is little hope of anyone surviving the crash. On the other hand there will finally be some degree of closure on the missing status.

[Safety is Param]

I heard it on CNN, and they said one of the debris was 24 mts in length.

I am not sure if this is a regular shipping route, but there have been instances with ships losing containers in the sea in the past (they fall off from the sides).

However, the Aussie PM making a statement in the Parliament related to this does attach some weight to the type of debris spotted.

For the sake of the affected families, I sincerely pray today is the day when their agonizing wait is over

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

I am not sure if this is a regular shipping route, but there have been instances with ships losing containers in the sea in the past (they fall off from the sides).

However, the Aussie PM making a statement in the Parliament related to this does attach some weight to the type of debris spotted.

Looks like this area is not frequented by ships. Further update from CNN:


"This is an area out of normal shipping lanes, out of any commercial flight patterns, with few fishing boats, and there are no islands," the official said.

[2500cc]

Is it possible that Chinese have hijacked this flight to study/understand the enemy detection / radar capabilities of the neighboring countries ?

[kutts]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Is it possible that Chinese have hijacked this flight to study/understand the enemy detection / radar capabilities of the neighboring countries ?

Very unlikely since they can always perform such tests by flying their military aircraft close to the perceived radar range. Think about how they currently evaluate Indian Army's preparedness and monitoring of the border by occasionally infiltrating into our territories.

[Safety is Param]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Is it possible that Chinese have hijacked this flight to study/understand the enemy detection / radar capabilities of the neighboring countries ?

Highly unlikely, since any of such dumb moves may result in an innocent plane being shot down -

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...y-soviet-union

This was a Korean Air flight that had veered off its actual path during the cold war era. To their misfortune, there was a U.S. spy plane reported flying around the same area. The Russians shot down the Korean Air plane resulting in the death of more than 250 passengers.

If the wreckage identified indeed belongs to MH370, then the biggest coincidence seems just too precise to ignore -

The Urumqi Airport in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is located at the coordinates 43°54′26″N 87°28′27″E (source: Wikipedia)

The site identified by the Australian authorities is located at 43°58′34″S 90°57′37″E (source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/533...x2-700x467.jpg)

Though I have no means to prove it happened, but it was just a matter of entering North instead of South, if the airport mentioned above was the intended final destination.

And the bolded word in the Airport's name is something everyone knows!

Again, as all information currently available in the Public Domain on this unfortunate incident; this is just a speculation. May sound stupid to someone, may make sense to others. Anyone disagreeing with what I have mentioned can please ignore it.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

The site identified by the Australian authorities is located at 43°58′34″S 90°57′37″E (source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/533...x2-700x467.jpg)

Though I have no means to prove it happened, but it was just a matter of entering North instead of South, if the airport mentioned above was the intended final destination.

Not a hundred percent sure what you mean, but I can tell you the following:

Typically you don't enter coordinates in the Flight Management Computer, although it can be done. You enter known waypoints, by means of a standardized code. Same for airports, you don't enter the coordinater, you enter a four letter code.

Also, I would like to think that any pilot understands and is able to differentiate whether he or she is flying on a southern or a northern heading. It sort of a kinda stands out, on moving maps display, various compass roses, position of moon, stars, where a costal line appears etc.

Jeroen

[suresh_gs]

Norwegian ship reaches the spot in the Indian ocean where the suspected debris of the ill fated plane were spotted. Hopefully the debris is confirmed putting an end to the agony of the families.

[condor]

AMSA website. Gives day to day reports. and also has copies of hand outs:

https://www.amsa.gov.au/media/incide...370-search.asp

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by bblost

What can anyone do if the plane is already in the air?

I am just curious and don't really believe the germ warfare theory. But as a pilot are you ever instructed on what you should do in such situations.

Well a simple answer. Nothing. It is scary to think that once plane is airbound only two people inside locked cockpit are the owner of life of 100s sitting behind.

I atleast know two cases when everyone in plane died due to Hypoxia and plane used to fly for hours until fuel was over and ultimately crashed. Even, F-16 scrambled besides those ghost jets could do nothing to save those planes.

These incidents are:

• In 1999: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_So..._Learjet_crash
• In 2005: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522

In first incident, well known golfer of his time Payne Stewart died along with few more passengers. Ironically he was owning this Learjet.

The second crash happened simply due to ignoring host of warnings by Pilots. However, at the end of flight one steward (having 200+ hours of flying experience) tried to handle the plane when both pilots died. He was surviving using auxiliary oxygen tank. But ultimately fuel was over by the time he could re-gain control of flight.