Posted on 03/14/2014 10:34:11 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A question about a flight simulator in the home of flight MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was raised at Friday’s media conference.
Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer Ahnad Jauhari Yahya said Malaysia Airlines had no policy forbidding staff from owning the technology.
Jauhari said Capt Zaharie was allowed to pursue his hobbies.
“There are several other guys (pilots) who also have flight simulators in their home," he told reporters.
Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the authorities will search the home of MH370 crew members if it was necessary to do so.
He said such a search could not be ruled out in the efforts to gather as much information as possible about the missing aircraft.
“If the investigation leads us to that direction (the need to search the house) and it is within the law, we will do it,” he said.
He said the “whole passenger” manifest was also being examined.
Capt Zaharie, 53 and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, were among the 12-member crew of the Boeing 777-200 with 227 passengers.
Hishammuddin also said the investigators were looking at several possibilities as to why the plane’s transponder and the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (Acars) did not transmit any data after 1.30am on Saturday.
“We are trying to find out whether they were shut down intentionally, shut down under duress or if an explosion occurred.
“We are looking at various possibilities, thus that is why I refuse to speculate,” he said.
Foreign media have been reporting on unverified news that police had raided the house of Capt Zaharie in Shah Alam and confiscated his flight simulator for investigations.
However, Bukit Aman sources have all denied the raid took place, saying the officers had tried to visit the family but found no one at home.
CNN reported that Capt Zaharie had posted on German online forum, X-Sim.de, that he had built a flight simulator himself in November 2012.
"About a month ago I finish assembly of FSX and FS9 with six monitors" in a message signed Capt Zaharie Ahmad Shah BOEING 777 MALAYSIA AIRLINES.
Checks reveal that FSX and FS9 were over the counter flight simulator games made by Microsoft that could be easily bought online.
Capt Zaharie studied aviation at the Philippine Airlines Aviation School in Pasay City, Manila in 1980, before joining Malaysia Airlines in 1981.
The Penangite became a captain in the early 1990's and has 33-years and 18, 360 hours of flying experience under his belt.
His colleagues described him as a jovial but professional "aviation geek" who collects remote controlled miniature aircrafts, light twin engine helicopters and amphibious aircrafts.
Outside of aviation, he runs a YouTube channel dedicated to DIY projects, where he teaches viewers how to fix home appliances like air-conditioners.
I agree with you.
No, Guided missiles do not have transponders that I know of. Satellite observers stationed in Geo-synchronus orbit over that part of the world with infrared sensors detect missile launches. They track the heat trails...............
Roger................
Undetected? No. Not talked about, yes.
Here are his YouTube video 'LIKES':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GmQjQRf94E&list=LLm6f3-wcpgLhxUR_ONPfoJA
Take note of the hateful video against Pope Benedict, another video of Seth McFarlane on Atheism and gay rights, and another on Michael Newdow on Atheism. Zaharie 'LIKED' these videos!
This is not being handled like it would be in the us
Imagine the families
Maybe you are all not thinking about this. Do you have family that you care about? Ok. Now picture what you’re doing today as they are missing without a trace. Now picture that our fed officials are wondering a week later whether they should search this guys personal effects, while the public is leaking photos appropriately questioning this guys character with his hound dog behavior
It’s a Boeing triple seven 270 odd innocent people on board a couple of toddlers
It’s not a tail dragger or a Cessna or even a corporate jet
A break please
Yes. Or his minkey.
The aircraft’s a gonner. It undoubtedly was ditched in the Indian Ocean. Why? Because the waters are DEEP there. That’s why the aircraft was flown to that location.
I’m concerned ( since this plane seems to have been stolen ) that the guys flight simulator might also have been used to train other pilots.
Seems to me to be perfectly normal for a professional pilot to have a simulator in his home. The technology is readily available, affordable, realistic, why not?
Why, exactly, is it “troubling” that an airline captain and aviation enthusiast would have a flight simulator?
That’s ridiculous.
Been using flight sims for years, going back to that 747 thing for(Commodore 64/Atari 800???)...Sublogic ATP, all the MS series...until FSX.
(figured my old 'puter couldn't handle it).
Here’s why.........MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah. Was he running his own flight school for budding jihadists?
A Boeing triple seven does not have a sufficient heat trail?
No wonder it makes a perfect missle!
“Why, exactly, is it “troubling” that an airline captain and aviation enthusiast would have a flight simulator?”
I don’t think it is.
THe question really is, why, exactly is it ‘troubling’ that authorities should search the homes and personal effects of the pilots flying a plane full of people which disappeared?
FSX (fully configured) on a high performance machine. I fly mostly PMDG, RealAir and Carenado sim models. With this level, you get excellent immersion in the sim. Also design and build fictional airports for FSX. Lots of enjoyment from the hobby.
Have Fun!!
I’m not disagreeing that they should search the guys house, as well as the rest of the crew. I just think people are way off base with thinking that there is anything remotely suspicious about a pilot having some form of flight sim at home. I would actually be more surprised if he didn’t. It’s like thinking a small arms manufacturer with guns at home is suspicious, or a military officer with wargames.
Nothing’s decided until we say it is.
I believe there is a lack of imagination that this guy could be complicit in the disappearance of his airplane, the most mysterious disappearance of an airplane that, some have said, and rightly so, ever. Or that, at least, there could be some indication of the whereabouts of the aircraft.
It’s just 270 people. nothing to see here. He’s a pilot - innocent super human. And don’t mention the babes he had on the flight deck during flight.
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