17-03-2014, 03:17 PM
Peter Presland Wrote:What we can be fairly certain of is that the plane was equipped as standard with an uninterruptible auto-pilot that is susceptible to a remote hijacking by those with the necessary knowledge and equipment. If that is what has happened and the pilots were NOT involved, then other electronic interference - per AWACS capabilities - would also be required to prevent radio alerts and to spoof a transponder signal so as to avoid being ID'd as a transponderless intruder by india, Bangladesh, Burma and a few other countries to the NW. It seems that fuel range was also sufficient to get it to both Diego Garcia and the Seychelles.
As far as I know Boeing has a pilot control option so the pilot can always be in control. The scenario of the pilots sitting there with control of the plane taken away probably isn't likely since it would involve simply turning a switch to regain control. I don't know if the fly by wire computer flight control system can be overridden externally.
I saw one CNN guest suggest the 777 headed for poorly radar covered airspace over Bangladesh and up and over the Himalayas. Hmm. I don't know the specifics but I think this would involve computer guidance. Whether that flight computer communicates with air traffic control I don't know, but I do know it would be difficult to find Bangladesh, and even more difficult to the thread the Himalayas, without computer guidance at night.
As per the AWACS camouflage, Air Traffic Control knows its regular commercial flights. I'm pretty sure a bogus flight would stand out on air traffic radar as remarkable. Especially late at night when there are few flights. Plus I'm pretty sure the ATC controller would notice an AWACS aircraft tagging along.
Diego Garcia is a military base for both the US and Britain. The plane would have to be landed with the Malaysian Airlines livery in bright appearance. While they did get those who participated in TWA Flight 800's shootdown to shut-up this one seems too out there. What would they do with the 239 passengers?