january

Is it possble that FL370 was struck by a small meteorite? That would cause instant decompression- so fast & violent that the pilots might not be able to follow emerg. procedures nor communicate. That scenario would be quite consistent with what is known of events as 370 turned westerly in an apparent attempt to return. I would guess that such instant decompression would inflict ruptured eardrums and haemorraging. A cargo or electrical fire scenario would not likely have been so sudden as to prevent some form of emerg communication. january

Which authorities? Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos, or Cambodia? On a weekend??? january

Nobody has noted the filmed crash landing on water of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961. This was a 767-200ER, hijacked in Nov 1996. It came down just offshore in the Comoros Islands- Indian Ocean after being seized by 3 persons and ditched as a result of fuel starvation. The crash was filmed by beach vacationers. See Wikipedia for pics. 125 of 175 aboard died. ------------ The disappearance of 370 is so remarkable that almost any scenario seems possible. One that hasn't been mentioned might be that perhaps it was orchestrated to overide and draw attention away from other dramatic world political events ocurring simultaneously. In which case, the very mysterious disappearance of a big airliner would almost certainly overshadow the grabbing of some territory from another country. january

This reminds one of the tale from the Manhattan Project- creation of the first A Bomb. A congressman was being given a classified tour of progress and in departing the site he asked a lead scientist if there was any way Congress could assist. The nuclear scientist replied jokingly that a change in the value of pi would be helpful. As a result, a congressional bill to change pi was nearly ready to be introduced before somebody with smarts sidetracked it. january

Comedy News Network perhaps? A laugh every time Erin Burnett appears. january

If you are light on fuel after a long flight, you don't need a huge runway to land. If you don't plan on going anywhere, you don't need more fuel. If you have a lot of hostages, you don't need to hide the airplane- but you do need a supply of food and water. Motives? Not difficult to come up with a couple. january

Precisely ! But there are other scenarios which would explain the apparent inability to find this aircraft. What is given out in press releases is not always the way things really are! january

The answer to this puzzle, surely, is that the T7 was sucked up into the Polar Vortex, never to be seen again. Which, of course, was caused by global warming. On the other hand, there are many examples of highly secret hostage negotiations going on for weeks, months and years. (Or perhaps CNN is really behind it all.) january

What ? On a weekend???? january

Fr Bill- consider the possibility that their airspace was NOT being violated but that the "large unidentified aircraft" was being welcomed. i can think of several. january

'Twould be interesting to know if the flight deck ordered any extra fuel prior to the flight plan departure for Beijing. january

Not necessarily- does Myanmar (ex Burma) have military radar? At night? Fly north over Myanmar from the Andaman Sea and you reach Tibet, then western China and home of the Uighur terrorists who are fighting to break away from Beijing. Same ones who very recently used swords & knives to slaughter 29 civilians in a Kunming subway station. (Xinjiang Province is approx same distance as original Beijing destination so fuel is no problem.) The terrorism possibilities are scary. If something like this proves correct, then deceptive media stories are all we'll hear - until some military intervention occurs. In the meantime, expect many nonsensical press leaks - to confuse the opposition! january

I would look in western China - home of the Uighur sect who recently murdered 29 innocent persons in a Kunming subway station. They seek independence from China because of their Muslim religion. 230+ hostages is a fair bargaining chip. -------- Consider that flight 370 had enough fuel to reach Beijing OR Xinjiang province in the west. The trip north in this scenario would be largely over Myanmar (Burma) where radar coverage is likely spotty at anytime let alone at night. There are a number of airfields with long runways in that part of the world. -------- Any rescuers need lots of time to plan & execute such a mission- if it's possible. In the meantime, one pretends he might be prepared to meet the kidnappers' demands- but "needs approval from higher ups". Otherwise known as "stall for time". january

Consider the possibility that MH370 is actually somewhere in western China (or Myanmar) and NOT in the ocean. Remember Entebbe for a parallel.. january

Just some random thoughts re Fl 370 - It takes time & much secrecy to plan & execute a rescue operation. -Secrecy is usually achieved by deception & false information. january.

Ed- My local newspaper is delivered free to my front door, twice weekly. My wife receives a free thick glossy magazine monthly, in the mail- it is a relic of an old paid subscription- the publishers of which, decided to continue for free some years ago after not receiving any renewal fee from us. Presumably the advertising revenue justifies printing and mailing costs even without any subscription fee. The business case here, is that maintaining distribution volume means higher revenue from advertisers- so better to give it away free!! If a business model seems broken- try something different. january Oh- and I get much of my daily news via radio- free!

Have software developers considered that product distribution on a "pay per copy" is not a sustainable business model? The print media learned long ago that the revenue- and hence profit - is derived by selling advertising and giving away free, the software product. The more copies you can distribute, the higher prices you can charge advertisers! One would suspect for example, that airlines and auto manufacturers might consider simmers to be a very interesting target. Would it work? Well I read Bloomberg Net News daily and pay nothing for the privilege- but I accept that being exposed to advertisements is the price I pay. Why not a Boeing promo each time you start up a PMDG product? Might even deter the so-called pirates since they would have to watch a commercial before using the software. Complaining about pirates is a waste of effort- change your business model! january

Ed- I have long thought that a physical medium is the only logical way to distribute software. And the folks at XPlane seem to agree. If you want financial security, the internet is for the birds- just ask Target ! Or any bank. january.

One should probably also avoid "Belbek" "ICAO UKFB" these days if possible. Although there are, apparently, uniformed armed men who will "assist" arrivals. This must be near the Crimean "Valley of Death" where the famed "Charge of the Light Brigade" took place. This stormy winter, however we can all see the charge of the light brigade when we receive our electric bills! "Oh, what a charge they made!" january

London Heathrow- (Int. Terminal) where the check-in line ups extended fully across the concourse, then snaked around and along the opposite bldg. wall, making the walk to your check in counter almost impossible. (This some years ago, long before 911, making me decide to never return- at least via EGLL.) I'm pretty sure this was a warning to humankind as to what the world will look like, moments before it collapses from overpopulation! january

One has to think that perhaps George Orwell was on to something with his book "1984" . january

About 70 years ago, long before computers had even been dreamed of, my father gave me some excellent advice- "Son- never put anything on paper that you wouldn't want read in court". Still good advice in the computer age. january

"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less" said Humpty Dumpty. "The question is" said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many differnt things". january

Ha- both my wife and I are beyond 80 and we have yet to even figure out XP let alone Win 8. Fr Bill et al - please pray for a long life for our current XP hardware ! ( PC & Laptop) january

Capt Richardo- A perfect illustration of the value of wide perspective!!! Thanks for posting. Sure puts the boot to a single 45º FS image. And illustrates the reason why multiple monitors should be arranged in an arc. But curved screens are likely the future for wide perspective. january