Originally Posted by
pizzaguy
Maybe not, Gary. A very young guy (I think he's 20) on TheSpaceport read that and said:
So no further point in speculating until there is evidence, but the Captain of this airliner was a hero? A highjacking would have weaved around until they figured out where to go????? Wouldn't you have a plan where to go if you hijacked a plane? I'm all game for the "no point in further speculating", but you can't say that and then in the same breath declare the captain a hero. If this hero pilot saw smoke and turned the plane to emergency land, why didn't he contact anyone?? Wouldn't one of the first things you or your co-pilot do would be to contact control and let them know you have a major malfunction?
Not a perfect argument, but he does have a point or two.
In any event, I get the idea this will be a mystery for the long-term.
Well as I heard a retired pilot and former Air Force pilot say on a radio talk show today, in an emergency situation of this magnitude, contacting ground control is low priority for the pilot and co-pilot. #1 is to control the airplane to safety. His speculation was very similar to Chris Goodfellow's. He also speculated no remains will ever be found. I have my doubts about that.