With the amount of spacecrafts rotating above our heads, it is not always possible to monitor from start to finish the path of a plane... amazing, right? / image Wikipedia
We will (finally) be able to put an end to the myriad of absurd scenarios and regain some rationality in this cruel world.
The families of the victims who have been through hell in the past two weeks during an unbearable wait and sensationalist spotlight of avid media will finally be able to mourn.
One can easily imagine the hell they lived, hunted by the press, sporadically informed by the airline company and eaten alive by uncertainty and forlorn hope, fed by mere suppositions of finding, dead or alive, their loved ones.
Of course, many questions remain unanswered in this case and the main one is: why did the pilot turn around?
We now leave the (critical) response to investigators as soon as they can precisely locate the wreck and recover (if possible) the device’s black boxes.
There are two assumptions that could still bring forth lots of debates.
The families of the victims who have been through hell in the past two weeks during an unbearable wait and sensationalist spotlight of avid media will finally be able to mourn.
One can easily imagine the hell they lived, hunted by the press, sporadically informed by the airline company and eaten alive by uncertainty and forlorn hope, fed by mere suppositions of finding, dead or alive, their loved ones.
Of course, many questions remain unanswered in this case and the main one is: why did the pilot turn around?
We now leave the (critical) response to investigators as soon as they can precisely locate the wreck and recover (if possible) the device’s black boxes.
There are two assumptions that could still bring forth lots of debates.
Flaws in the tracking system of air traffic
Leaving aside the disastrous manner in which the case was handled, let us look more deeply at the background of the situation.
How is it possible to admit today, when every individual is "policed" in his every move, tracked by satellites, followed by antennas, spotted by smartphone apps, geo-located by any neighborhood vendor, that a device of several tens of meters long and weighing over 200 tons could vanish into space in such a way?
It is this revelation, almost more so than the accident itself, that will most likely remain engrained in our minds.
The disarray of the company, unable to inform its customers on the route and the fate of the 777 speaks volumes about the flaws in the current system of tracking air traffic.
It is said that satellites are not made to "actively" follow flights. But then why are offers of Internet and mobile access via satellite onboard flights blooming?
How is it possible to admit today, when every individual is "policed" in his every move, tracked by satellites, followed by antennas, spotted by smartphone apps, geo-located by any neighborhood vendor, that a device of several tens of meters long and weighing over 200 tons could vanish into space in such a way?
It is this revelation, almost more so than the accident itself, that will most likely remain engrained in our minds.
The disarray of the company, unable to inform its customers on the route and the fate of the 777 speaks volumes about the flaws in the current system of tracking air traffic.
It is said that satellites are not made to "actively" follow flights. But then why are offers of Internet and mobile access via satellite onboard flights blooming?
The entire collectivity now suffers the costs
Are companies investing more rapidly in commercial services than in the safety of their passengers? Alas, posing the question is demanding an answer.
And what is even more shocking is that then the whole collectivity suffers the costs.
Yes, I know, grand scholars, advocates of advanced technology will argue that it is very complicated, and will say that I know nothing (which is true) and that we must leave these questions to the people who know what they are talking about...
I am just observing that it is only after a great misfortune that we look for solutions.
The threat of the United States in the aftermath of September 11 to only allow to land on its territory devices with armored doors had forced companies to remedy this as soon as possible.
Not possible? Yes, it was possible. In less than a year all operators had implemented the required equipment.
History shows that a dent must first be made in the bank account and then "miracles” often happen.
Technological solutions exist, it’s just a question of whether we want to implement them.
After the Rio-Paris Air France that was also "lost" and the 16 days of absolute nightmare experienced in the past two weeks by the families of the 239 passengers MH370 we must say: never again!
And what is even more shocking is that then the whole collectivity suffers the costs.
Yes, I know, grand scholars, advocates of advanced technology will argue that it is very complicated, and will say that I know nothing (which is true) and that we must leave these questions to the people who know what they are talking about...
I am just observing that it is only after a great misfortune that we look for solutions.
The threat of the United States in the aftermath of September 11 to only allow to land on its territory devices with armored doors had forced companies to remedy this as soon as possible.
Not possible? Yes, it was possible. In less than a year all operators had implemented the required equipment.
History shows that a dent must first be made in the bank account and then "miracles” often happen.
Technological solutions exist, it’s just a question of whether we want to implement them.
After the Rio-Paris Air France that was also "lost" and the 16 days of absolute nightmare experienced in the past two weeks by the families of the 239 passengers MH370 we must say: never again!