Hmm, P3s patrolling Malacca Straits now.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Curiouser and curiouser.

[Berni]

[Curly]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

If there had been a catastrophic event at the point the SSR trace stopped, they'd know exactly where to look for debris and would have found it by now.

If, on the other hand, the transponder was switched off and the aircraft continued flying... the possibilities are endless.

[Berni]

[barrybueno]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Don't you turn off your telly at night?

You'd switch from OFF to STDBY on the ground and through ON to CHARLIE (or I suppose these days to *******) once lined up on the runway.

When you taxi in you turn off all your avionics like a good chap, lest any power surges when the next bloke turns the master on blow up all the little diodes and other electrical gubbinses.

[Rich]

in it and I can use another device to locate that wherever in the world it is.

I must say, though - I am unsure as to whether this feature would work when my phone was on the sea bed.

However, I am sure that technology can resolve this issue.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

Just one question. Is this technology in your phone designed to survive an 800 kt impact at minus several hundred g and the subsequent 1,000 degree fire? Surely it is, AFTER ALL IT'S SO f**kING SIMPLE!

The only simple thing around here, in truth, is you.

[Berni]

I'm probably being awfully stupid, though.

[Rich]

We put men on the moon (and bought them back) in the sixties. Surely we can now design a chip that can survive said impact - just like the black box recorder, in fact.

Plus, it is obviously in the sea so there is no fire to worry about.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

[Berni]

[Rich]

[Curly]

You'd think even one of all those people would have a mobile phone on them.Why don't they just phone one of the passengers up and ask where they are,sc?

[barrybueno]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

depending on the ATC unit its in contact with. When it's tucked up in its jarmies in the hangar gone ni-nights, no one gives a **** where it it.

[Berni]

I'm sure it'll turn up. It's always in the last place you look imo.

[Curly]

[Berni]

and lets their planes crash.