“Tough” doesn’t even begin to describe the size of the search area. My destroyer pulled a pair of helo pilots out of the Mediterranean at night; that was tough enough, and they were alert & broadcasting. Indian Ocean? Just wow.

I think it’s not impossible that the Chinese heard the same signals. Don’t forget, the thermoclines in the Roaring Forties (where the plane came down) are among the most weird (not to mention strongest) in the world. It’s entirely feasible that the signal ‘bounced’ between thermoclines and was propagated over a very long horizontal distance. However, I guess only direct comparison between all the signals picked up will be able to say whether they’re from the same source.

The manufacturer of the modified hydrophone China used said it was “Theoretically possible, but highly unlikely”.

He said the signals received were right at the threshold of the device’s sensitivity.

Anyone else curious as to why Barry isn’t out in front of this one talking it up and taking credit? Does he know something the rest of us would fear?

I think a good haystack search would be an ideal diversion from the Ukraine, Ft Hood 2, Obummercare….

I’m sorry. I just don’t believe that aircraft is in the ocean. It defies what we know about the pilot and his behavior. He had a pretty high end home flight simulator. Why would a man who was already a pilot be practicing runs on a flight sim? If he just wanted to crash a plane into the ocean all he needed was the controls.

I think, based on what is known, what is more likely is that he took the plane up to 45,000 feet and depressurized the cabin. That took care of everyone who might have objected. Then he flew the plane somewhere. He’d been practicing the flight, had everything set, knew where exactly he was going and what his landing fuel state would be. In that area, with as much of his avionics shut off as possible, it’s clear they could not track him. Otherwise we would know where the plane splashed.

The question is why. That leads to a couple of possibilities. Here’s one. He landed in Pakistan and rolled off the runway into a waiting hanger. They lie and shrug, sorta like they did over Bin Laden for a decade, “No plane here, boss.” Then they paint it, they set up the transponders and radios to mimic an upcoming flight out of Jinnah. That flight doesn’t go, this plane takes it’s place. It flies along, in airspace it’s expected to be in, sending all the right responses, headed to Europe or Egypt or wherever. What’s the cargo? Something special for Israel, maybe. Something they only lacked a delivery system for.

And if they got the plane, they got a pilot, too. It makes way more sense than the idea that he just flew off into the southern ocean and crashed.