Malaysia Airlines flight MH370-Updates and Discussion

ProfessorPlum

Jake1 wrote: »

Question for the aviators here, please.

Regarding Captain Shahs simulator, would that record stuff he had been doing on it? Would there be any point in anyone examining it?

What kind of a simulator did he have?

ProfessorPlum

ProfessorPlum wrote: »

What kind of a simulator did he have?

Ive read he had a Boeing 777 flight simulator set up in his home.

SimonTemplar

Is it rare for the CVR and/or FDR to be damaged so much that they no longer send out a beacon? I would imagine they are designed to withstand a considerable amount of pressure and force.

ProfessorPlum

Jake1 wrote: »

Ive read he had a Boeing 777 flight simulator set up in his home.

My point is, it could have been anything from an all singing, all dancing, full motion, CAA approved flight simulator, to a set of pedals and a control yoke he had rigged up to MS flight simulator.
And unless it was the first scenario, he really couldn't have 'practiced' anything like 'landing on water' or others that have been suggested. In fact, even if it was the first, he couldn't have meaningfully practiced landing on water. Flight sims just aren't programmed to be able to replicate that kind of situation.

ThunbergsAreGo

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Kind of a crappy thing for that woman to come out and say at a time like this, particularly as it bears no relevance to the incident or the search.

Awful publicity seeking ploy

fits

Rolls Royce received engine related ACARS data before disappearance.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25201-malaysian-plane-sent-out-engine-data-before-vanishing.html#.Ux9xxpXNvIV

Calina

SimonTemplar wrote: »

OK, I know nothing about navigation and aircraft systems and I might be simplifying this but my phone knows its location to within a few meters. Why doesn't the black box have a similar GPS device?

Because the blackboxes are designed to be found the sort of extreme conditions that would definitely destroy your phone. So they emit sound waves instead which means that there is a chance they can be heard through water, for example.

ELT is supposed to be activated on impact as well. It does not appear to have been activated as far as anyone has reported. Either it got completely destroyed or possibly, the plane did not impact anywhere very heavily.

Please remember also, that the plane was transmitting its location very frequently right up to the moment it stopped dead.

Your phone needs a network to phone home and tell Find My iPhone where it is.

The technology applied for location purposes on aircraft is far more highly engineered rather than less than what's on your phone and it deals with environmental issues that your phone doesn't have to deal with.

Mr Pseudonym

Haven't really been following this thread. But, a live stream on the Telegraph website linked to this professional pilots forum. It might interest some; in truth, it's bewildering me!

Jack1985

Jake1 wrote: »

Ive read he had a Boeing 777 flight simulator set up in his home.

It was a basic flight simulator he had, unlikely unless he was saving the flights, he's a pilot with MAS since '81 and didn't have a blemish on his record - he seemed a very safety conciseness pilot - I really don't believe him having a simulator is a concerning thing rather a good thing, most pilots I know constantly practice doing flights on it for example into difficult airports I.e. Madeira (Funchal), Split, Mykonos, Skiathos, Kai Tak (since closed) - these would be airports they wouldn't fly too! They'd test there skills, also they are tested in much more sopisticated simulators nearly twice a year to ensure there competence.

Calina

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Is it rare for the CVR and/or FDR to be damaged so much that they no longer send out a beacon? I would imagine they are designed to withstand a considerable amount of pressure and force.

Range is important. You need to be reasonably close to hear it. Mostly, the assumption is that you've found some evidence of the aircraft already as they are usually a lot bigger.

ProfessorPlum

ProfessorPlum wrote: »

My point is, it could have been anything from an all singing, all dancing, full motion, CAA approved flight simulator, to a set of pedals and a control yoke he had rigged up to MS flight simulator.
And unless it was the first scenario, he really couldn't have 'practiced' anything like 'landing on water' or others that have been suggested. In fact, even if it was the first, he couldn't have meaningfully practiced landing on water. Flight sims just aren't programmed to be able to replicate that kind of situation.

Ok, thanks for that. Also thanks Jack1985. Just wondered.

heres a pic of his simulator , just so you can see it Looks all singing all dancing to me, but I wouldnt have a breeze


http://www.everyjoe.com/2014/03/08/work/zaharie-ahmad-shah-photos-pilot-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370/#9

http://www.everyjoe.com/2014/03/08/work/zaharie-ahmad-shah-photos-pilot-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370/#8

Growler!!!

That's no more than a serious flight simmer would have. It is using PC based technology on a system a little more powerful than a high spec home desktop.

Growler!!!

Growler!!! wrote: »

That's no more than a serious flight simmer would have. It is using PC based technology on a system a little more powerful than a high spec home desktop.

Cheers, as I said, I wouldnt have a clue. Looks mighty to me tho

Growler!!!

Jake1 wrote: »

Cheers, as I said, I wouldnt have a clue. Looks mighty to me tho

I'd love one of them but don't have the space or his money:)

homerjay2005

that flightradar video just adds more confusion, even going off that, the plane should be right there, surely if it changed course it would pick it up?

something is not right.

Tenger

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Is it rare for the CVR and/or FDR to be damaged so much that they no longer send out a beacon? I would imagine they are designed to withstand a considerable amount of pressure and force.

They are designed to withstand huge impacts and pressures. In addition there are 2 of them onboard for redundancy.

It is very strange indeed.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the FR24 track....most of us here have seen FR24 present some odd flightpaths and aircraft in the past.

theKillerBite

They seem to be easily distracted..

Malaysian Airlines co-pilot 'posed with girls in shocking security lapse'

ONE of the pilots on the missing Malaysia Airlines plane invited two blondes to the cockpit on a previous flight, it has emerged.





http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/369239/Malaysian-Airlines-co-pilot-posed-with-girls-in-shocking-security-lapse

martinsvi

SimonTemplar wrote: »

OK, I know nothing about navigation and aircraft systems and I might be simplifying this but my phone knows its location to within a few meters. Why doesn't the black box have a similar GPS device?

I know some people already attempted to answer your question, but to be honest, they failed. so here it is:

The only radio waves that travel through water are in VLF spectrum (3-30kHz) and even then it's no more than 20 meters or so. The wave length of such radio wave is anywhere between 1 to 10km, that means to transmit such a signal, a device needs a massive antenna! Usually submarines use antennas integrated in their massive bodies and are only able to communicate if very close to the surface. (remember Kurtsk?)

now on to "black boxes" - these things generally have a VHF/UHF transponder and an ultrasound beacon. Modern FDR's and CVR's are indeed equipped with UHF transponders that enable locating these devices using satellites. Unfortunately if the device is covered by water, even just as little as few cm, signal simply wont go through.

To locate a CVR/FDR in water, the only option is to rely on sonar radars. These have to be built in ships or submarines - the radar has to be in a direct contact of water! That means locating it from an aircraft is not possible - the air simply attenuates the sound (signal)

The problem with sonar radars is that even the best ones only have a range of 3-4km's, If you look at the vast area they need to cover, you realize how inefficient that is.

Few years ago I read an article that in Florida scientists were trying to teach dolphins locate the source of the beacon. It was proven that their hearing (or sense) supersedes any modern radar, but I guess deploying them in a sea full of oil spills and trash would not be a good idea

sopretty

theKillerBite wrote: »

They seem to be easily distracted..

I guess I'm desperately clutching at straws here, in an effort to try to trust pilots in the future, but is there any proof that either of those photos were taken mid-flight?

SpaceTime

sopretty wrote: »

I guess I'm desperately clutching at straws here, in an effort to try to trust pilots in the future, but is there any proof that either of those photos were taken mid-flight?

Can't see much out the window

sopretty

SpaceTime wrote: »

Can't see much out the window

Lol, I guess I hoped they had landed in a sea side location haha.

theKillerBite

sopretty wrote: »

I guess I'm desperately clutching at straws here, in an effort to try to trust pilots in the future, but is there any proof that either of those photos were taken mid-flight?

I don't know, I'd say the first one is mid-flight:

Jonti and Jaan sat on jump seats behind the pilot for the entire trip, including take-off and landing.

Jonti told Australian Channel 9: “Throughout the entire flight they were talking to us and they were actually smoking throughout the flight which I don’t think they’re allowed to do. “At one stage they were pretty much turned around the whole time in their seats talking to us.

“They were so engaged in conversation that he took my friend's hand and he was looking at her palm and said, 'your hand is very creased - that means you’re a very creative person’, and commented on her nail polish.”

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/369239/Malaysian-Airlines-co-pilot-posed-with-girls-in-shocking-security-lapse

Reminds me of the Aeroflot flight that crashed when the pilot allowed his children to fly the plane.

fr336

This is nuts.... is there any hope of this being like an episode of the TV show 'Lost'?!

SpaceTime

The Russian one was utterly ridiculous and they also didn't seem to understand how the Airbus fly by wire system was trying to correct the situation making and seem to have ended up making it much worse.

SpaceTime

fr336 wrote: »

This is nuts.... is there any hope of this being like an episode of the TV show 'Lost'?!

Very, very unlikely.

andy_g

sopretty wrote: »

Lol, I guess I hoped they had landed in a sea side location haha.

Keep it clean and on topic anymore posts like the above will be banned.

ProfessorPlum

martinsvi wrote: »

I know some people already attempted to answer your question, but to be honest, they failed.

Sorry not to have measured up to your eh, high standards.

sopretty

andy_g wrote: »

Keep it clean and on topic anymore posts like the above will be banned.

Andy, as I have explained in my reply to you by pm, my post was neither 'dirty' nor 'off topic'.

My reply was in relation to a photo being posted of a pilot. I questioned the veracity of it. The initial posts in relation to the allegations and pilot were made on this thread by other posters. I am absolutely perplexed as to what rule I have broken!

andy_g

sopretty wrote: »

Andy, as I have explained in my reply to you by pm, my post was neither 'dirty' nor 'off topic'.

My reply was in relation to a photo being posted of a pilot. I questioned the veracity of it. The initial posts in relation to the allegations and pilot were made on this thread by other posters. I am absolutely perplexed as to what rule I have broken!

You may discuss this issue in pm as discussion of mod intervention on thread is against the rules.

Grandeeod

The longer this goes on the more dirt the media will dig up to complicate matters. Lets find the damn aircraft. Personally, I'm baffled despite all the speculation and I'm flying the longest of short haul tomorrow on the back of being a crap flyer!