ATC have rules for separation for such a thing – something like 3 miles horizontal (5 miles for widebodies), and 2000 feet vertical? Something like that.

The SwissAir incident that matey-boy refers to –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swissair_Flight_111

pondo, they have rules against hijack tooo..

dantsw13 – what do you think about the other link then, the following on the coat tails one.

pondo, they have rules against hijack tooo..

Sorry – it was more to suggest that you’re not likely to see planes bouncing around in each other’s wake, rather than to say it can’t have “hidden” behind another plane because of ATC rules.

Let me start by saying I have no more knowledge of this incident than is in the media.

The bottom line is, nobody has a clue what happened. There is no “stand out” theory that makes complete sense.

We are dealing with a part of the world ruled by military Juntas, where secrecy and face-saving are national pastimes.

As for the possibility of shadowing the Singapore Airlines jet – yes, it could be done, but for it to have been part of a plan, you would have to know exactly when and where the SA jet would be, and that information just isn’t available to a pilot in the cockpit.

Information released so far seems to suggest a hijack, by either one of the pilots, or a passenger with high levels of aviation knowledge. My best guess is that it was either shot down(military trying to avoid 9/11 style attack) or that it tried to fly somewhere without enough fuel (Somalia?), and crashed at sea. This is pure speculation though.

I’ll add my speculation to the pot – I reckon it’s been shot down by mistake (a weapons test gone wrong, mis-identified etc etc) and no-one wants to own up to it.

Even if shot down on purpose, I can see no one owning up to it!!

you would have to know exactly when and where the SA jet would be, and that information just isn’t available to a pilot in the cockpit.

You could argue that if he just headed off on routeP268 then he was likely to pick up a europe bound flight, there were a good few during that time period.

True – for such a well planned operation to rely on luck, though?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26609687

Theories aplenty here.

True – for such a well planned operation to rely on luck, though?

I dunno if it is luck, there are about 20 planes an hr flying through p268 according to chatter I’ve seen on the flight radar forum. He just had to get on route at a lower alt, throttle back till he picked one up and welly it to catch up.

And interestingly the ‘tandem flying’ one didn’t seem to be rebutted on the BBC link. No idea if it’s actually credible though.

And now, reports creep in from the Maldives of sightings of a “low flying jumbo jet”.

As for the possibility of shadowing the Singapore Airlines jet – yes, it could be done, but for it to have been part of a plan, you would have to know exactly when and where the SA jet would be, and that information just isn’t available to a pilot in the cockpit.

Unless the pilot in the Singapore airlines jet was in on it too?

And now, reports creep in from the Maldives of sightings of a “low flying jumbo jet”.

Link?

I don’t understand how that fire theory ties up with the aircraft making a second turn either North or South, and continuing to fly for another 6 hours or so.

And a fire that knocks out all communication systems and transponders so quickly that no distress call can be made, then knocks out the pilots, but doesn’t bring the aircraft down? Sounds implausible.

Toys, here you go – http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/54062

Been away from ST Towers for a week or so, because of travelling.
My tuppence worth.

1. What a knowledgeable bunch we have here, it is quite the collective.
2. More than 20% of Asians don’t turn their mobiles off during flights.
I’ve lived here for 11 years, I fly regularly (6 times a month) some bugger is always on QQ or now WeChat typing away. 3 days ago my flight from Sydney to Mainland (China) the guy near me was texting the whole way.

ps. On todays exchange rates, my tuppence is worthless.

CFH cheers. Also reported in Guardian with that link too.

Travis-This is STW all our 2p’s are worthless…

ben cooper, i agree.

CFH the location does not fit with the 8.11 am last satellite ping.
Its like 3k miles away – they spotted it at 6.15 so less than 2 hrs to do 3000 miles…

If it was flying low then the range would be severely diminished which should help narrow down the search if investigating that method of evading radar.

I wonder what has been found on the pilots simulator. For the record I don’t find him having a simulator weird in any way.

I too suspect the plane has probably ploughed into the sea or remote land somewhere regardless of the reason for it going off course.

I dunno if it is luck, there are about 20 planes an hr flying through p268 according to chatter I’ve seen on the flight radar forum. He just had to get on route at a lower alt, throttle back till he picked one up and welly it to catch up.

Other way around, more like… There’s been talk of the flight going >40,000′ – kick around at 40k, watch for an outbound flight on P268, then trade altitude for (a bit of) speed to slide in behind…

Just thinking aloud, like…

Other way around, more like… There’s been talk of the flight going >40,000′ – kick around at 40k, watch for an outbound flight on P268, then trade altitude for (a bit of) speed to slide in behind…

Yup.
For ti to work they ahve to be on track but at a differnt alt, otherwise there is a loikely hood of collison..

Less wake above too.

Low flying over the Maldives – Diego Garcia a target?

Low flying over the Maldives – Diego Garcia a target?

Possible. Also, who’s just been on their hols in the Maldives, I wonder….One could get very tin foil hat brigade about all this, I suspect!

But yes, the Maldives sighting does appear to be off the track, so unless the ping’s wrong, it’s duff. But, if the ping was wrong, it opens things out a little to say the least.

dan given that the maldives spot was at 6.25 (+5gmt) and the last known position was at 8.11 Malyasia time +8 gmt, this is more plausible. So maldives spiot was at 3.15 on the malaysia timeline. 5 hrs to meet the arc..

CFH who has been on his hols to maldives?

not everyone moves in cfhs circles or follow the telegraphs relentless kate middleton obsession, but our future king and queen were on hols in the maldives

does seem odd the the maldives report took 10 days to appear

I must be suffering from lack of imagination as I am struggling to connect Wills and Kate to MH370 even if I go via Diego Garcia..

Diego Garcia a target?

Or destination?

But then i suppose if it was an asylum run, trying to reach American soil for whatever reason, why do it like this? Surely an airline pilot could afford a flight out there, or to Europe. But with reinforced doors it would be difficult(/impossible?) for a hijacker to get into the cockpit.

There are so many theories that are 50% possible but are then contradicted by other bits of info. As for the electrical fire one, could the smoke have incapacitated the crew and left the plane flying without any input until it crashed? Hence the transponder going off (trying to isolate faulty electronics) but the last ping being sent hours later?

As for the electrical fire one, could the smoke have incapacitated the crew and left the plane flying without any input until it crashed? Hence the transponder going off (trying to isolate faulty electronics) but the last ping being sent hours later?

I don’t have any expertise or knowledge but I reckon it has to be possible, a perfect storm of catastrophes/failure.

the problem is that the post comms silence turns were programmed in using some sort of console? following the navigational waymarkers, seems a lot to do if there was a fire- that convemnietly started as they switched between air traffic control networks- that was somehow extinguished so that the plane could fly for another 7 hours but they couldnt make contact or land

I can’t believe smoke would overcome 2 pilots. Oxygen mask is very easy to put on, and in easy reach. Don’t believe a word Chris Goodfellow says about oxygen masks – he has no idea what he’s talking about.

CFH – I’ve just had my holidays in the Maldives too! For a minute I thought I had been outed!! Conspiracy theories are so simple!!!

I have a feeling that fact will be stranger than fiction if we ever find out what did happen..

All those high tech knowledge etc from all over the world and they cannot even find the plane flown by two pilots from a developing country. 🙄

wtf?

where is Kaesae anyway?

where is Kaesae anyway?

Flying the plane, of course!

All those high tech knowledge etc from all over the world and they cannot even find the plane flown by two pilots from a developing country.

So many knowledge indeed.

*facepalm gif*

Has anybody checked here….
Fantasy Island, that little fella spotted the planes every week.