Missing plane sent signals to satellite for hours

AP.org ^ | Mar 13, 7:57 PM EDT | By CHRIS BRUMMITT and JOAN LOWY

[gooblah]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A Malaysia Airlines plane sent signals to a satellite for four hours after the aircraft went missing, an indication that it was still flying for hundreds of miles or more, a U.S. official briefed on the search said Thursday.

Six days after the plane with 239 people aboard disappeared, Malaysian authorities expanded their search westward toward India, saying the aircraft may have flown for several hours after its last contact with the ground shortly after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.

[Tzfat]

Seriously? The B777 isn’t in space (we are pretty sure). Tell me, do you find easier to walk westbound? Like walking down hill? LOL.

[Smokin' Joe]

The earth rotates to the east. The plane flies to the west. The plane is moving, but so is the earth. Airspeed does not equal ground speed. If the plane flies west at 500 mph (airspeed), and the earth is rotating at 1000 mph (equatorial), wouldn't the ground distance covered be greater than if the plane was flying east?

Seriously yourself. Seems like a legitimate question to me.

[jjotto]

Ow! My head hurts.

The air that the plane flies in is “turning” almost as fast as the surface of the earth. Gravity is an amazing thing.

[Smokin' Joe]

Thanks, that makes sense.

[Tzfat]

Nonsense. Every craft flying in the atmosphere is part of the moving airmass. The atmosphere moves WITH the earth's rotation. Otherwise you would be subject to that same "1000 mph" effect yourself (too funny).

Only the case of of a craft outside of the atmosphere has effect like you are describing (ultimately, it must be outside the geosynchronous distance). The only effect on distance for aircraft in the way you describe it is winds at altitude. The "perfect circle" only exists in zero wind - and most certainly NOT in relation to earth's rotation. Like I asked, do you find it easier to walk WITH the earth's rotation? Seriously?

[Smokin' Joe]

Thanks, but you could have saved yourself some typing by reading down thread. Seriously ...or not.

[Tzfat]

Nah, this was more fun.

Try this, it could be real energy saver. Face west. Brace yourself. Then JUMP up. You'll immediately be moving west at "1000 mph." If you jump high enough you could travel a significant distance. Note: always live west of your work place. Walk to work (against the rotation of the earth), then jump home (quickly).

Just funnin' with ya. Gotta admit, sure sounds funny now, right?

[Smokin' Joe]

Yeah. (Not to mention the 1000 mph tailwind.) It's usually a mite breezy here in ND as a rule, mebbe that 'splains it.

Sometime in the next six months, I think I'll take a day off. (Duh. Whatta brainfart)

[USAF80]

If you are walking in an aircraft towards the nose your speed would be walk+500MPH. Your apparent speed would be 500MPH+

[Tzfat]

Or jump up in an aircraft and fly to the back at 500 mph. LOL. Ain’t amateur physics fun?

[USAF80]

Yea, we tested all those on training flights, LOL. The favorite was taking balloons up and watching them expand with altitude.

[Candor7]

Maybe it will show up in your neighborhood. ....an aircraft which imitates the legend of the Flying Dutchman,a legendary ghost ship of the air that can never make port and is doomed to fly the airways forever.? Ha!

Its actually a bit hillarious to see the MSM drive bys all in a tizzy, not being able to tell Tuesday from Texas.

[Fred Nerks]

I’m inclined to believe the passengers died when the pilot suddenly increased altitude if that’s what happened, but just what a fanatical follower of Anwar Ibrahim might be capable of is the question. I hope for all our sakes he plunged that aircraft into the ocean, and it doesn’t show up again in a terror attack.

[USAF80]

First option-mechanical failure
Second option-intentional act
Third option-anything else

It would not be the first time that an airplane has disappeared. One vanished for over 60 years. They flew into a mountain and was buried under snow for decades.

We will know the full story once they recover the bird in one piece or many pieces.

[TennesseeGirl]

RE: Pakistan destination. Breitbart now has a headline, "Missing Plane May Have Flown to Pakistan, Afganistan".

[MarineMom613]

Funny, thought the same thing,as she looks like my sisters step sister who is gay!!! Really almost identical...LOL!

[gaijin]

I wish I could say I was happy that it now seems I might have been right....

:(

Thanks for pointing this out, though.

[Candor7]

It seems that the alternatives are several, and they are narrowing by the hour. It will be a surprise if any happy ending ours. It seems that the facts can now reveal only a very nasty piece of work.

I heard this evening that the US Navy is concentrating its search just off the Western Coast of Australia.

[Fred Nerks]

...I heard this evening that the US Navy is concentrating its search just off the Western Coast of Australia.

Maldives is where I would be looking. Nice big airport, all muslims.

WHERE IS MALDIVES