Sum Ting Wong with that?

 

Reporters don't seem, in general, to know a lot about science. I don't think their post-secondary education is rich in courses that included hard science courses and critical thinking. Few would really understand the scientific method, basic statistics, and the intro to logic that you get in some of those courses.

 

This is still an airline pilot forum, right?

 

Why is it that the 777 pilots used by the media never expand upon the fact that on a FBW aircraft, the autopilot is, essentially, never "off" and the flight control computers are not located together or even in the E&E compartment?

 

The "media" has no interest in how a 777 works, they just want the sound bites that will sell ad space. Can you imagine listening to some dude from simulator land drone on about the ADIRU, 629 bus, PFCs, ACEs, and Redundancy Management? No way that discussion would sell cat food or tampons!

 

CNN could at least get a real life 777 pilot/instructor who has actually flown the aircraft in revenue service (and looks the part - think silver haired dude in a uniform) instead of the dude in t-shirt, stash, and goatee that looks like he should be selling stolen hubcaps. Sim instructor - really? MS Flight Sim?

Having this dude together with Anderson Cooper doing his handsome earnest serious thing (is that LeTigre?) has got to be one of the most absurd things I've seen on the news in a long time, the tragedy not withstanding.

Major fail for CNN.

 

I'll bite on that. I've been involved in numerous suicide investigations. In only one did the person go off into the middle of nowhere and leave no trace of where to find him - and even he used his phone, allowing us to locate him by the phone.
If one pilot had suicide plans and locked the other out, the other and the rest of the passengers would have had many hours to react, if other information is correct (like staying airborne for hours.)
If one pilot immobilized the other before flying into the yonder, then the remaining attendants and pax still had hours to realize something was amiss and react. I don't buy that not one person would have sent a text which eventually got picked up, especially since event apparently began near land. I don't think it is probable that no one on the flight had a sat phone or device that would have picked up something.
There just seem to be way too many "what ifs" in that scenario. Suicidal persons who drag out the event are not completely sure of their course of action, in my experience. Four to seven hours would have been a long, long time to contemplate and be dissuaded. It could happen, but it would be highly unusual in my experience.

Terrorism? Those criminals don't seem to be much different than any other - they generally cannot keep their mouths shut. If our "intelligence" is such a failure that they picked up no clues before or afterwards of such an "accomplishment" for terrorists, we will be in a world of trouble for their failure. I find it hard to believe there would be that many failures and omissions. Possible? Yes. Probable? No.

The only certainty I've seen is that there's a whole lot we don't know. The other certainty I'll bank on is that, regardless of the outcome, flights coming/going here at least will see some changes: constant gps, transponders that can't be disabled, several hours of cockpit recording instead of two hour loops, and more pilot scrutiny. That will be a shame - you already suffer extreme scrutiny due to the actions of a few, just like I do. If your profession is like mine, the last people they will ask for input will be the pilots.

All of this is simply my opinion and I reserve the right to change my mind and be wrong!

 

The missing airplane has been the only thing that has managed to elevate CNNs ratings. Some of you guys must like Anderson Cooper with the intense look.

 

Oh, come on!!! You're just as bad as the media.

That airplane appears to be an F-86 and probably weighs under 15,000 lbs. If Godzilla was going to hold a 777, he would need two hands. Photoshop

 

Just read the flight conversation transcript published by The Telegraph (Revealed: the final 54 minutes of communication from MH370 - Telegraph).

At 00:42:62 KL Airport tells MH370 it has entered KL Radar 132.6, to which the co-pilot responds with a "132.6 MH370 copies that", style consistent. Yet when asked by KL Radar to connect with Hu Chi Ming City 120.9 the co-pilot simply responds with "All right good night" - does not copy, inconsistent style with prior exchange. Indication of someone else at this seat?